“G’day mate!” is the common greeting Aussies give each other and their guests as they enter the country located down under. Australia, known as the island continent, boasts of the most breath taking natural landscapes known the world over. Here are but some of the natural sites of wonder located in Australia.
The Australian Fossil Mammal Sites. Also called the Naracoorte or Riversleigh Caves, this natural wonder is a park area that preserves over six (6) square kilometers of fossil remnant vegetation. These fossils are scattered all over twenty six (26) caves spread over a land area of over three (3) square kilometers. The park has a visitor destination and its prized possessions are the areas where fossil deposits have been found, providing the visitor a peek into the time before man. These are found in the Victoria Fossil Cave and Blanche Cave where collections of fossils of mammals and other land creatures have been preserved. Also, there are other natural preserves such as the Bat Cave where thousands upon thousands of bats breed, spelunking or adventure-caving and picnic grounds for families and individuals wanting to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.
The Great Barrier Reef. This is the world’s largest reef system with nearly three thousand individual reefs. This is also one of the natural formations that can be seen from space as it is spread across over three hundred thousand square kilometers in area near the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland in the northeast region of Australia. Its visitor center is called the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and it houses a center where Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Islanders provide the cultural as well as economic importance of the reef to their people and way of life. The reefs are formed by tiny microorganisms called coral polyps that produce substances that fuse together in a wide array of shapes, colors and sizes to form the reef systems of the region.
The Macca or Macquarie Island. Located on the southwestern corner of the Pacific Ocean between Antarctica and New Zealand is the island. This area has the most diverse flora and fauna concentrations in the world. These include the many species of fur seals that seek refuge and breed on the island, Elephant Seals and the many kinds of penguins that migrate to the island to breed and then return to the Antarctic regions. Also found in the island are truly endemic flora which rarely grow higher than a meter in height and most of them are soft vegetation, without the hard bark woody plants common in the mainland. This provides a perfect breeding ground for the migratory fauna. This island has become a major scientific hub as many studies on global warming and animal research has been conducted in this world heritage site. There is also a visitor center located on the island for tourists and other enthusiasts to the beauty and ferocity of the wild Antarctic continent.
These are but three of the most known sites that Australia can provide you to visit. All are natural wonders that are framed by Australia in all its beauty and splendor. When visiting Down Under, put these areas on your itinerary to make your visit a truly enriching and enjoyable experience.
For more information about the natural beauty of Australia, do visit us at Australia forum or participate in the discussions at www.australiaforum.com.