Nature
Australia has some of the world's most distinctive and diverse
natural environments, with unique wildlife, and spectacular landscapes,
including many national parks and World Heritage Areas.
In these areas you can get up close to our native plants and animals, explore wide open spaces and discover ancient rainforests on the fringe of modern cities. You can also climb snow-capped mountains and swim in some of the most pristine water environments on earth.
Here are just a few of Australia’s iconic natural experiences you won’t want to miss.
In these areas you can get up close to our native plants and animals, explore wide open spaces and discover ancient rainforests on the fringe of modern cities. You can also climb snow-capped mountains and swim in some of the most pristine water environments on earth.
Here are just a few of Australia’s iconic natural experiences you won’t want to miss.
World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef
is the largest fringing reef in the world. It is one of most reliable
places in the world to view and swim with gentle whale sharks, the
world’s largest fish. They arrive shortly after the mass coral spawning in March each year.
Shark Bay’s clear turquoise waters are home to humpback whales, turtles, dolphins and manta rays. See living relatives of the earth’s earliest life-forms at Hamelin Pool and walk on one of the world’s few beaches made entirely of tiny shells. Spend your day with the friendly dolphins of Monkey Mia which come to the beach to be hand-fed each day.
Shark Bay’s clear turquoise waters are home to humpback whales, turtles, dolphins and manta rays. See living relatives of the earth’s earliest life-forms at Hamelin Pool and walk on one of the world’s few beaches made entirely of tiny shells. Spend your day with the friendly dolphins of Monkey Mia which come to the beach to be hand-fed each day.
World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park
is Australia’s largest national park, an area so vast it is divided
into seven distinct regions, and has six different seasons. The
Aboriginal history of the Kakadu region spans more than 40000 years.
Rugged soaring escarpments give way to forest woodlands, lush wetlands
and open savannah plains. You’ll see millions of migratory birds in the
wetlands and crocodiles sunbathing on the banks of the rivers. Swim
under massive waterfalls, walk through sandstone galleries of ancient rock art or cruise the scenic billabong teeming with wildlife. It is also one of the best places to go fishing in Australia.
Kangaroo Island,
Australia’s third largest island, is located just 15 kilometres off the
South Australian mainland. More than a third of the island is preserved
as Conservation or National Parks. The island has five significant
Wilderness Protection Areas. On its wild coastline, buffeted by the
Southern Ocean, you will find abundant Australian wildlife in their natural habitat.
In the deserts, beaches and forests of this landscape, see sea-lions laze at Seal Bay and little penguins waddling to shore in Penneshaw and Kingscote. More than 7000 fur-seals can be seen playing in and around the natural formation of Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park, where the aptly-named Remarkable Rocks change colour throughout the day.
At Vivonne Bay, officially declared Australia’s Best Beach by Sydney University researchers, you can surf, fish, snorkel with rare leafy sea-dragons, swim with dolphins or dive the shipwrecks at D’estrees Bay. Go sand surfing in the giant dunes of Little Sahara.
In the deserts, beaches and forests of this landscape, see sea-lions laze at Seal Bay and little penguins waddling to shore in Penneshaw and Kingscote. More than 7000 fur-seals can be seen playing in and around the natural formation of Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park, where the aptly-named Remarkable Rocks change colour throughout the day.
At Vivonne Bay, officially declared Australia’s Best Beach by Sydney University researchers, you can surf, fish, snorkel with rare leafy sea-dragons, swim with dolphins or dive the shipwrecks at D’estrees Bay. Go sand surfing in the giant dunes of Little Sahara.
Tasmania’s isolation from the mainland has ensured the survival
of many plants, animals and birds that you won’t find anywhere else in
Australia. Forty per cent of the state is protected as national parks
and reserves, with much of it unchanged for more than 60 million years.
The Tasmanian Wilderness
World Heritage area stretches for more than 1.38 million hectares and
is one of the last true wilderness regions on Earth. From the rugged
alpine peaks and dense rainforests in the north to the island’s remote
southern tip, Tasmania has more than 2000 kilometres of world-class walking tracks including the famous Overland Track.
The marine wonderland of the Great Barrier Reef is an explosion of colour and biodiversity that stretches for more than 2500 kilometres off the Queensland
coast. It’s both the world's biggest World Heritage Area and biggest
coral reef system, and the biggest thing made out of living creatures on
earth. It is formed of more than 3000 individual reefs and 900 coral
cays and continental islands. These create a web of life for more than
1500 species of fish, one third of the world’s soft corals, 600 species
of starfish and sea urchins, six species of endangered marine turtles
and more than 30 species of whales and dolphins.
The blue-hazed beauty, golden sandstone escarpments, dramatic cliffs and deep canyons of the Blue Mountains are just a 90-minute drive from Sydney.
As well as a million hectares of World Heritage-listed wilderness, here
you’ll find the world’s rarest tree, the prehistoric Wollemi Pine.
There is also more than 400 different kinds of unique Australian animals
such as the spotted-tail quoll, yellow-bellied glider, and the
long-nosed potoroo. One of the best ways to take it all in is on the
Greater Blue Mountains Drive, a 1200 kilometre touring journey that
links 18 different ‘discovery trails’ – each one unique.
Straddling New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, the Alps
has uniquely Australian alpine vistas and year-round opportunities for
outdoor adventure. Here you can climb Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s
highest peak, or go hiking or biking through wildflower-cloaked slopes.
Kayak and go white-water rafting on clear glacial lakes and rivers, or
take a horseback adventure over the high plains in summer. In winter, go
downhill or cross country skiing. You can trek through three states and
seven national parks on the epic 650 kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track or do one or two day walks of shorter sections of the trail.
Every day at dusk, Summerland Beach in the Phillip Island Nature Park, just 90 minutes from Melbourne,
comes alive with thousands of little penguins. The wild ocean beaches,
sheltered bays, blowholes and caves are also home to koalas, abundant
bird life and fur seals. Join a wildlife cruise to see the colony of
16000 Australian fur seals at Seal Rocks, one of the largest colonies in
Australia, and spot koalas among the treetops at the Koala Conservation
Centre. The Nobbies is a magnificent headland on the south-western tip
of Phillip Island where you can absorb the stunning coastal views and
thundering blowhole at lookout points set amongst natural sea bird
gardens. Catch a wave against the backdrop of ancient pink granite at
Cape Woolamai, one of Victoria's most popular surfing beaches and
bird-spotting hotspots. Phillip Island forms part of the Churchill
Island Marine National Park which is listed under the Ramsar Convention
on Wetlands of International Importance. Two island circuit tracks offer
magnificent views across Western Port Bay and views to Tortoise Head
and French Island.
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