landmarks and attractions in australia

7/28/2019 Landmarks and attractions in Australia

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Most interesting

attractions and landmarks in

ustraliaGatis Pvils, 2009

No.22. http://www.wondermondo.com/Australia.htmImage: Uluru.

Nathan Siemers, Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
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Australia covers the smallest continent of the worldand islands around this continent. The enormous and

diverse area of Australia contains countless amazing and

unique monuments. Parts of the country have not been

thoroughly investigated and sometimes there are

reported new, surprising finds.

Major part of Australian attractions are naturalmonuments but of world importance are also such

archaeological monuments as Australian cliff paintings

and some architecture monuments, e.g. Sydney Opera

House.

Natural landmarks are most impressive and surprising

Australian monuments. Especially interesting are many

unusual and unique biotopes and also unique cliff

formations.

Balls Pyramid near Lord Howe Island. Unusual

remnant of volcano 562 metres high and just 200

metres wide cliff rising directly from the sea. Tallest

volcanic stack in the world. Up to recent time this was

the only place in the world where the up to 15 cm long

Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis

Montrouzier) was living.

Breadknife New South Wales, Warrumbungle

National Park. Highly unusual cliff formation 90

metres high cliff blade, approximately half a kilometre

long.

Bungle Bungle Range Western Australia, Purnululu

National Park. Incomparable landscape created by

highly unusual rock formations. Landscape is marked by

up to 250 metres high sandstone pillars and beehive

structures of contrasting light orange and dark colors.

Deep gorges, labyrinths. Important site for investigation

of sandstone carst processes.

Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu) Northern Territory.Unusual location with rounded, giant granite boulders

Morning Glory clouds, Queensland.Mick Petroff, Wikimedia Commons, 11 August 2009,CC-BY-SA-3.0

To the south from the Carpentaria Gulf there isseen extremely unusual weather phenomenon Morning Glory of Carpentaria Gulf.It happens (and rather often), that early in themorning above the surprised spectators roll overone or few roll clouds long, low, narrow cloudsresembling giant, up to 1,000 km long ropes.

Elsewhere in the world this is very rarephenomenon but here it is frequent. This is the onlyplace on Earth where this beautiful naturalphenomenon can be predicted.

Wondermondo is unique project: it aims to describe the most interesting man made and natural attractions /

landmarks in the whole world.

Author of website www.wondermondo.com and each article in it is Gatis Pvils. Visit the site to find a lot more

information!

Bungle Bungles.NeilsPhotography, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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often standing in seemingly unstable positions.

Kata Tjuta (Mount Olga) Northern Territory. Unusual, impressive monolithic rock formation, consists of

36 steepsided domes up to 546 metres high. Sacred place to local Aborigenes. Endemic plants.

Shell House Western Australia, Kalbarri National Park. Beautiful and impressive coastal cliffs, Ordovician

and Triassic sandstone and shale.

The Twelve Apostles Victoria. Group of closely located, circa 50 metres high limestone stacks standing in

the sea. Popular tourist attraction due to good location next to the scenic Great Ocean Road.

Uluru (Ayers Rock) Northern Territory. One of Australian symbols, enormous and visually very impressive

sandstone inselberg, 348 metres high and 9.4 km in circumference. Sacred place to local Aborigenes, contains

many springs, waterholes, caves and rock art sites. Endemic plants. One of symbols of Australia.

Wave Rock Western Australia. Highly unusual cliff formation which resembles enormous petrified wave.

Several more such formations in vicinity.

Dalhousie Springs South Australia, Witjira National Park. A group of up to 60 powerful thermal springsat the fringe of desert, these 38 43 degrees C springs discharged around 23,000 l/s a century ago if added

together; now the discharge only around 17000 l/s. Contains numerous endemic species.

Elizabeth Springs Queensland. Remote springs in arid region, where over the last 1.8 million years has

developed a unique ecosystem with endemic species, such as a fish Eliabeth Springs goby (Chlamydogobius

micropterus Larson), snail etc.

Dinosaur Stampede Queensland,Lark Quarry.

Almost 4,000 dinosaur footprints over area of 210

square meters, some 95 million years old.

Ediacara Fossil Site South Australia. Find of fossils

of global importance contains unique fossils of

extremely ancient soft-bodied animals who lived 630

542 million years ago. Geological period named after the

site Ediacaran Period.

Naracoorte Caves South Australia. Cave contains

remnants of 99 species of mammals plus remnants of

other kinds of animals. Exceptionally well preserved

remains of extinct animals range in size from small frogs

to extinct giant marsupials.

Riversleigh Queensland. Outstanding site of fossil

finds. Here have been remnants of multiple extinct,

unusual animals such as marsupial lions Wakaleo and

Priscileo, giant platypus Obdurodon, tree-dwelling

(possibly) crocodile Trilophosuchus, and contemporary of Aborigenes up to 6 metres long dangerous snake

Wonambi.

Yea Flora Fossil Site Victoria. Site with 415 million year old fossils of ancient vascular land plants

Baragwanathia, oldest of its kind in the world.

Skeleton of extinct marsupial, entrance ofNaracoorte Cave.Feral arts, Flickr / CC BY 2.0


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The Daintree Rainforest Queensland. Possibly the

oldest rainforest in the world, growing 135 million years.

Largest continuous rainforest in Australia, 1,200 square

kilometres large, extremely high biodiversity. Contains

unique, endemic primitive flowering plants.

Fraser Island Queensland. Largest sand island in the

world, 1,840 square kilometres. Contains dunes up to 24

metres high, tall rainforest growing at elevations up to

200 metres, unique vallum heaths and more than 100

unique, crystal clear dune lakes retained in the sand by

organic matter deposits.

Hamelin Pool and Lharidon Bight Western

Australia, Shark Bay. Hypersaline shallows with unique

biotope active growth of stromatolites oldest known

form of life on Earth. Also other unique forms of life.Lord Howe Island this remote, 56 square kilometres large island has its own ecoregion where half of

plants and some birds and other animals are endemic. Unique characteristics is diverse glowing mushrooms

in the forest, some bright enough to be used for reading in night. Endemic kentia palms are popular beautiful

houseplants.

Palm Valley Northern Territory, near Alice Springs. Relict of the tropical past of Central Australia in the

middle of enormous desert, contains growth of endemic palm Livistona mariae F.Muell. and other rare

plants. Ecosystem is fed by spring water.

Tree heath south of Freycinet Estuary Western Australia, Shark Bay. Unique biotope with at least 51

endemic species.

Wollemi pine stands New South Wales, Greater Blue Mountains. The three only existing populations ofWollemia nobilis pine in deep, inaccessible gorges with less than 100 Wollemi pines remaining. This tree was

thought to be extinct 150 million years ago until it was discovered not far from Sydney in 1994.

Wooramel Seagrass Bank Western Australia, Shark Bay. Largest seagrass growth in the world, covers

1,030 square kilometres.

Australian Oak in Reynolds Falls Tasmania.

Largest Australian oak (Eucalyptus obliqua L'Hr.).

Diameter 6.62 m (girth 20.50 m), height 61 m, volume

341 m3.

The Boab Prison Tree Western Australia. Unusual

boab (Adansonia gregorii F.Muell.), circumference

14.64 m, height just 9.5 m. Used to lock up indigenous

Australians in 1860ies on their way to sentencing.

Centurion Tasmania. Highest known mountain ash

and eucalypt (Eucalyptus regnans F.Muell.) in the

world, making this the second tallest tree species in the

world. Height 99.6 m, diameter 4.05 m (girth 12.73 m),

volume 268 m3. Has been at least 103 m tall but the top

is broken.

The Daintree Rainforest.stephmcg, Flickr / CC BY 2.0

The Boab Prison Tree, Western Australia.Girth 14.64 m. Tony Bowden, Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
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Huon pine growth of Mount Read Tasmania. Growth of genetically identical Huon pines

(Lagarostrobos franklinii(Hook.f.) Quinn), stand of trees is 10,500 years old although none of the individual

trees is that old.

Red Tingle in Walpole Western Australia. Stoutest red tingle (Eucalyptus jacksonii), girth 22.3 m, 30 m

high.

Rullah Longatyle (Strong Girl) Tasmania. The largest eucalypt and largest Tasmanian blue gum

(Eucalyptus globulus Labill.) in the world. Volume 368 m3. Height 82.3 m, diameter 5.54 m.

Eaglehawk Neck tesselated pavement Tasmania.

Extreme, visually impressive example of tesselated

pavement which looks like an exact pavement of large

bricks.

Jenolan Caves New South Wales. Possibly the oldest

caves in the world it is determined that the clay

sediment of the caves is approximately 340 million yearsold. 10 caves opened for tourism.

Kiama Blowhole New South Wales. One of the most

popular blowholes location where sea waves through

the passage in the cliffs create water spray up to 25

metres high.

Magnetic termite mounds Northern Territory,

Lithcfield National Park. Unique landscape formed by

multiple flat termite mound formations oriented in

north-south direction in order to control the temperature

inside the mounds.Morning Glory of Carpentaria Gulf Queensland

and Northern Territory. Unique phenomenon,

characteristic for region at the southern part of

Carpentaria Gulf. Here in September November early

in the morning often form up to 1000 km long roll

clouds, providing unique sight.

Wallaman Falls Queensland. The highest permanent

waterfall in Australia, with 268 metres high single drop. Total height with minor drops 340 metres high.

Wolfe Creek crater Western Australia. Visually expressive meteorite impact crater, 875 metres in

diameter, 60 metres deep. Created some 300,000 years ago.

The fascinating Australian archaeological heritage is untypical if compared with the rest of the world. Where

other ancient cultures expressed themselves mainly through building of defensive structures, structures for

their nobility and religious complexes of gargantuan size, Australian Aborigenes have expressed themselves

through unique art paintings and stone carvings and whole Australia is dotted with these paintings.

Much of the archaeological heritage in Australia is on the border between the past and the present

Aboriginal cultures which created these monuments, still exist and many monuments still are revered by

them.

Magnetic termite mounds, Litchfield National Park.NeilsPhotography, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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There are several hundred thousand sites with the rock art in the country, mostly in the northern part, but in

other parts of the country as well, including even the

suburbs of Sydney. Oldest rock art is 39,000 years old,

while in many sites new art still is created, also the

existing artwork often is repainted by Aborigenes (as it isdone for the mythological Wandjina art).

Imagery is very diverse starting from simple cup

marks and cupules and ending with elaborate and highly

original monuments of art copied and used in luxurious

interiors around the whole world. There are multiple

styles of art, including very distinct and highly developed

art styles created tens of thousands of years ago.

Just a few locations of Aboriginal rock art are disclosed

to the general public and numerous sites, which are

sacred to Aborigenes up to this day, are off-limits toother people. It is much better to know that something

extremely valuable exists and is hidden from most eyes,

than to learn that it has been destroyed by some vandals.

Some of most interesting names are:

Billimina Victoria, Grampians National Park. Impressive giant boulder covered with more than 2,500 cliff

drawings.

Kalumburu Gwion Gwion northern tip of Western Australia. Excellent samples of Gwion Gwion

(Bradshaw) style sophisticated silhouettes of humans and other beings, often mythical ones. At least 17,000

years old.

Koonalda Cave South Australia, Nullarbor Plain. A cave richly decorated with approximately 20,000 yearsold drawings over area of thousands of square meters. Part of the cave flooded as the sea level rised.

Ku-ring-gai rock engravings New South Wales, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Diverse rock

engravings in comparatively soft sandstone, including engravings of Emu constellation showing interpretation

of star constellation in the sky.

Murujuga cliff art Western Australia, Dampier

archipelago. Over one million diverse petroglyphs, often

showing also extinct animals such as the Tasmanian

tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus Harris). Largest

collection of cliff art in Australia.

Ngamadjidj shelter (Cave of Ghosts) Victoria,Grampians National Park. Ancient shelter with ghostly

white drawings created with clay. White colour is

associated with death and the spirit world.

Nourlangie Rock (Nawurlandja) Northern

Australia, Kakadu National Park. Impressive cliff with

numerous ancient shelters. Some, such as Anbangbang

and Nangawulurr contain impressive paintings of

mythological nature.

Red Hands Cave New South Wales, Blue Mountains

National Park. Contains numerous 1,600 500 yearsold hand prints and stencils. There are numerous sites with such hand stencils in Australia.

Nourlangie rock art.Paul Mannix, Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Ubirr, turtle in X-ray style.ciamabue, Flickr / CC BY 2.0


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Ubirr (Obiri) Northern Australia, Kakadu National Park. Some of the best galleries of Aboriginal X-ray style

drawings, some are up to 40,000 years old. Three galleries are accessible to visitors.

Walga Rock art Western Australia, south-west from Cue. Cave with extensive cliff art galleries, including a

drawing of an European sailing ship (contact art), most likely from late 19th century. Such contact art is met in

several locations of Australia.

Wonalirri Wandjina paintings Western Australia. Rock shelter with very interesting Wandjina

paintings of high artistic value.

Goold Island fish trap Queensland. Impressive and complex system of stone settings serving as a trap for

marine animals fish, turtles, dugongs. Such stone settings are common along the coast of Queensland.

Murujuga stone arrangements Western Australia, Dampier archipelago. Diverse stone settings

including tall menhirs, circular stone settings.

Wurdi Youang stone arrangament Victoria. Here some 100 stones are arranged in an egg-shaped form

about 50 metres across.Yam (Iama) island stone settings Queensland, Torres Strait. Stone lined drainage sistems, pathways

and calms, linked to agriculture systems.

Mungo Lady New South Wales, Mungo Lake. Find of the oldest cremated human remains in the world.

Contrary to the name it seems that here rests a male, who was cremated and sprinkled with red ochre some

40,000 years ago.

Ngarrabullagan Cave Queensland. The oldest known human settlement in Queensland, over 37,000

years old. Cave floor has 27 layers of habitation.

Samford Bora rings Queensland. Some of the best preserved earthen rings unique ritual structures formale initiation ceremonies. In total in the eastern part of Australia there are some 426 such structures.

Tully River dendroglyphs Queensland. Seven carved trees with diverse designs. Dendroglyphs are

characteristic monuments of Aboriginal culture, characteristic in the New South Wales and also neighbouring

regions.

Weipa shell mounds Queensland, west coast of Cape York Peninsula. Circa 600 human built mounds of

shellfish Anadara granosa, including ridges which are

several hundred metres long and up to 13 metres high,

up to 1,200 years old. Origin and purpose of these

structures is not completely clear.

One of the iconic buildings representing not only

Australia but 20th century architecture in general is the

building ofSydney Opera House (New South Wales),

built in 1973. Cityscape of Sydney is adorned also with

the renowned, 139 metres high arch of Sydney

Harbour Bridge (New South Wales), built in 1932.

Important testimony to the Australian history is Port

Arthur (Tasmania) former convict settlement for

hardest British and Irish criminals. This site is renovned

also as a haunted place. Coober Pedy(South Australia)

Sydney Opera House.Linh_rOm, Flickr / CC BY 2.0


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is unusual settlement of opal miners, where many people live underground due to the scorching heat above

the ground. Here under the ground has been built also a church, motel and other buildings.

landmarks and attractions in australia

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