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Australia: Geography

Overview

Australia is one of the world’s oldest land masses (some of its rock was formed over 3 billion years ago) and its largest island. Separated from other land masses, it evolved in partial isolation, resulting in its unique flora and fauna, and the development of the Aboriginal race, with a culture stretching back between 40,000 and 60,000 years. The country extends 3,200km/1,988mi from north to south and 4,000km/2,485mi from east to west, covering an area of 7,682,300km2 (2,966,144mi2), including Tasmania, with a coastline of 36,738km (22,826mi). It’s the world’s sixth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil) and is around the same size as the continental USA (minus Alaska), one and a half times the size of Europe (excluding Russia) and more than 30 times the size of the UK. Almost 40 per cent of the country lies north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Australia lies in the southern hemisphere, south-east of Asia and between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Its nearest neighbour is Papua New Guinea (PNG), which is some 200km (125mi) north of Cape York in the north-west. Bali and other Indonesian islands lie off the north-west coast, and the French island of New Caledonia is situated to the north-east. New Zealand is around 1,700km (1,050mi) from the south-east coast, and to the south lies Antarctica. Australia is surrounded by four seas (Arafura, Coral, Tasman and Timor) and three oceans (Indian, South Pacific and Southern).

The Great Barrier Reef lies between 50 and 300km (31 to 186mi) off the north-east coast and stretches from the Torres Strait to Gladstone. It’s the largest coral reef in the world, extending some 2,000km (1,260mi) and encompassing an area of around 200,000km2 (77,226mi2). The reef is the world’s largest living entity and an important marine ecosystem containing many rare life forms (it’s also a World Heritage site).

Australia is the world’s flattest continent, with an average elevation of less than 500m/1,640ft (the world’s average is 700m/2,296ft) and only some 5 per cent of it is more than 600m/1,968ft above sea level. The Great Western Plateau covers most of Western Australia, a large part of the Northern Territory and South Australia, and part of Queensland. East of the plateau are the Central Eastern Lowlands, extending from the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north to eastern South Australia and the western Victorian coast. The Great Dividing Range (or Eastern Highlands) follows the east coast southwards from northern Queensland to southern Tasmania, separating a narrow fertile strip of land on the coast from the arid inland. The vast, flat inland plain is broken only by a few low mountain ranges such as the Flinders and Macdonnell Ranges, the Olgas and Uluru (or Ayers Rock, the largest rock on earth, 9.4km/5.8mi in circumference – if you’re tempted to climb it, bear in mind that it’s Aboriginal sacred ground and many people have died of heart attacks in the attempt!). Other mountain ranges include the Hamersley Range, the Kimberleys and the Stirling Range in Western Australia, and the Snowy Mountains (Australian Alps) in Victoria, where Mount Kosciusko is the highest point (2,230m/7,316ft) in Australia.

Australia has the lowest rainfall of any continent after Antarctica and evaporation exceeds rainfall in 70 per cent of the country. Surface water is scarce and most lakes (with memorable names such as Lake Disappointment) and rivers are dry most of the year. Much of the centre and west of the country consists of desert (some 1.5 million km2/579,195mi2). A third is desert or arid lands, some 55 per cent semi-arid and shrub lands, and only around 6 per cent is cultivated for crops or used for grazing. Australia has three main deserts, the Great Sandy, the Great Victoria and the Gibson, and several smaller ones. Lush forests are found on the east coast, particularly in the far north. The country’s longest rivers are the Murray, Darling, Ord and Swan. The main river is the River Murray which, with the River Darling, has a catchment area covering New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Severe salting has occurred in recent years due to indiscriminate land clearing for agricultural use, which has reduced irrigation potential and lowered the quality of drinking water (if nothing is done, the Murray-Darling basin will be dead in 40 to 50 years).

Australia comprises six states (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia) and two territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory). The island of Tasmania (also called the Apple Isle) is larger than Denmark or the Netherlands and was founded by the Dutchman Abel Tasman in 1642 and originally named Van Dieman’s Land (changed to Tasmania in 1856). External territories include the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island (the territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands). Macquarie Island (around 1,600km/994mi south-east of Tasmania) is administered by Tasmania.

© Survival Books Limited 2006

“Buying a Home in Australia & New Zealand” 1st Edition, Graeme Chesters.
Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Australia & New Zealand” 1st edition, by Graeme Chesters.

For extensive information about buying a property in Australia & New Zealand, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net

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