Natural Wonders of the World
The Natural Wonders of the World are many and the Natural Wonders in Australia are truly amazing and varied.
From breathtaking Uluru in the remote outback to the incredible Great Barrier Reef, from the other worldly landscape of the Pinnacles to the vastness of the spectacular Kakadu, Australia is blessed with a wide variety of beautiful and amazing natural wonders of the world.
Sydney Harbour is one of the most well known natural wonders in Australia and quite possibly the most recognisable and beautiful harbour in the world. The Sydney Harbour stretches 20km inland and covers approximately 240 kilometres of shoreline; the area has a large number of beaches (including the iconic Bondi Beach) and inlets tucked away; there are also large sections of parklands, reserves and gardens. Sydney Harbour is home to the world famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Three Sisters are a famous rock formation located in the Blue Mountains National Park 110 kilometres west of Sydney near the town of Katoomba, New South Wales. The Three Sisters are all over 900 metres tall and are known to the local people as Meehni, Wimlah and Gunneddoo.
The Great Barrier Reef is quite possibly the most well known of all the natural wonders in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world at around 2,000 kilometres long and covering an area of around 344,000 square kilometres, the reef runs from slightly north of Bundaberg to the tip of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef is visible from the moon. The Great Barrier Reef is World Heritage Listed and is one of the natural wonders of the world.
Daintree Rainforest is another one of the natural wonders of the world. The Daintree is located north of Cairns in far north Queensland and covers an area of approximately 1,200 square kilometres. The Daintree is the oldest rainforest in the world at more than one hundred and thirty five million years of age and is home to the largest and most diverse range of plants and animals on earth. The Daintree Rainforest is a World Heritage listed site.
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and is located just off the coast of southern Queensland. It is more than 123 kilometres in length and is 25 kilometres across at its widest point. It is famous for the coloured sands that come from the decaying plants that stain the sand.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is also one of the most well known natural wonders of the world. Uluru is located in the National Heritage Listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the southern part of the Northern Territory. Uluru is 348 metres high, 3.6 kilometres long, 1.9 kilometres wide, and 9.4 kilometres around. Uluru is a 450 kilometres drive from Alice Springs. Just over forty kilometres to the west of Uluru is the steep-sided domes of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas.) The highest of these domes is Mount Olga at over 500 metres.
Kakadu National Park is approximately 250 kilometres east of Darwin located within the Alligator Rivers region of the Northern Territory and covers an area of 19,804 square kilometres. Kakadu is home to over 60 species of mammals as well as many reptiles including saltwater crocodiles and venomous snakes. There are also more than 280 species of birds in Kakadu. Kakadu is a World Heritage listed site and the largest National Park in Australia.
Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge) is approximately 310 kilometres south of Darwin (29 kilometres east of the town of Katherine) and located inside Nitmiluk National Park. The Katherine River winds through the 13 spectacular sandstone gorges of the National Park before passing through Katherine Township.
Graphic courtesy of wikipedia.com
Burringurrah (Mt Augustus) is one of the not so well known natural wonders of the world. Burringurrah is located 320 kilometres east of Carnarvon in Western Australia. Burringurrah (Mt Augustus) is about 2.5 times bigger than Uluru at 858 metres high and almost 8 kilometres long, it is possibly not as well known because it doesn't have the distinctive shape that Uluru does.
Wolfe Creek Crater is definitely one of the natural wonders of the world and is becoming more well known since the movie called Wolf Creek came out. Wolfe Creek Crater is located in the Wolfe Creek Crater National Park in Western Australia on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert in the East Kimberley, approximately 1850 kilometres north-east of the capital city of Perth (150 kilometres south of the town of Halls Creek.) The Wolfe Creek Crater measures approximately 880 metres across and 60 metres deep, it is the second largest crater in the world. The meteorite crashed to Earth around 300,000 years ago.
Shark Bay is located on the Western Australian coast approximately 800 kilometres north of the capital city of Perth. Shark Bay covers an area of approximately 23,000 square kilometres and has a coastline more than 1,500 kilometres long. In the heart of Shark Bay is Monkey Mia, a place where schools of dolphins visit daily and have been doing so for more than forty years. The Shark Bay Area is a World Heritage listed site.
The Pinnacles are located in the Nambung National Park which is about 250 kilometres north of the capital city of Perth in Western Australia. The Pinnacles are thousands of huge limestone pillars that rise out of yellow sand. These ancient rock formations are up to four metres in height and look like they came from another world. The Pinnacles are one of the very unique natural wonders of the world.
Kangaroo Island is located 110 kilometres south-west of Adelaide South Australia and is Australia's third largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. Kangaroo Island covers an area of 4350 square kilometres and is approximately 155 kilometres in length and 50 kilometres wide at the widest point. Kangaroo Island is an unspoilt wilderness with beautiful sheltered coves, sandy beaches, soaring cliffs, wetlands and native Australian animals.
Lake Eyre is located approximately 1,000 kilometres north of the capital city of Adelaide, South Australia. Lake Eyre is made up of two lakes, Lake Eyre North at 144 kilometres long and 77 kilometres wide and Lake Eyre South at 64 kilometres long and 24 kilometres wide. The huge Lake Eyre system covers an area of approximately 9,700 square kilometres but has only been filled to capacity three times in the past 150 years, when it does it becomes the biggest lake in Australia and one of the biggest salt lakes in the world. Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia at 15 metres below sea level.
Wilsons Promontory is located approximately 230 kilometres south east of Melbourne at the most southern point of the Australian mainland. Wilsons Promontory is a stunning 50,000 hectare national park with spectacular views, amazing rock formations and mountains, secluded sandy beaches and an abundance of wonderful wildlife.
The Twelve Apostles are located in Port Campbell National Park approximately 250 kilometres from Melbourne along the spectacular Great Ocean Road. The Twelve Apostles are giant limestone rock stacks that were created by the constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland. There are eight remaining stacks; one Apostle collapsed in July 2005.
Tasmania has to be included in the natural wonders of the world, in fact, there are so many natural wonders in Tasmania that I thought it would be better to just include the whole island. Tasmania is located 240 kilometres south of Victoria and separated by Bass Strait. There are over 320 smaller islands off Tasmania; they range in size from small rocky outcrops to three larger islands that are inhabited. Tasmania is the most unspoiled wilderness in Australia and is world famous for its rugged and spectacular landscapes, its ancient forests with some of the longest lived trees and tallest flowering plants in the world, the remote mountain ranges and wild rivers with unique wildlife and vegetation unlike anywhere else on earth. Almost 37% of Tasmania is reserves, national parks and World Heritage Sites.
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"The Legend of Bimi"
Introduction
There's a tale that begins in the sand hills
That I would like to tell,
Built from myth and many legends,
And my pen it does compel.
The desert's a hot, a hostile place,
Nothing's changed since time began,
There's a hazy unreality there
As if it, in the dreamtime was planned.
The noon of the day is so hot and still,
And over all an expectant hush,
Like a canvas that's waiting impatiently
For the touch of the artists brush.
The fire of the day can change swifly
To the night of startlingly cold,
Many legends are told of the people
Who live in this land so old.
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