Special Sub-Topic: Australia's Physical Geography Authored by: Engadine Sub-topic of: Australia

In what Australian state is Australia's highest waterfall?

Queensland. Wallaman Falls is about 50 km west of Ingham in tropical north Queensland and is more than 300 m high. Located around 100 km or so south of Cairns and over 200 km north of Townsville, the falls are spectacular!

Australia's highest mainland mountain is Mount Kosciusko, but is there another mountain on an Australian territory taller than this?

y. On Heard Island, an Australian territory in the Southern Ocean is Mawson's Peak, named after the Australian explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson, which is more than 500 m taller than Kosciusko.

Is Australia the driest continent in the world?

n. Antarctica, surprisingly enough, is the driest continent in the world and is nearly twice the size of Australia. However, Australia's annual rainfall is so low that nearly three quarters of the continent is rated arid or semi-arid.

How many times between 1850 and 2000 did Lake Eyre fill with water?

Three times. The largest salt lake in Australia was 'filled' with water only three times in the last one hundred and fifty years. Covering an area measuring over 9,000 km2, Lake Eyre appears as a 'white sheet' that stretches for as far as the eye can see!

Is Australia, in terms of elevation, the lowest continent in the world?

y. Australia’s average elevation is about 330 metres which makes it lower by over half of all the other continents in the world.

If you know Australia's rivers, you'll know that the 'Mighty Murray' is Australia's longest, but of the following which is the second longest?

Murrumbidgee. At over 1,600 km long, The Murrumbidgee River is about 1,000 km shorter than the Murray and in turn, the Murray-Darling river system is about half the length of the Nile, the world's longest river.

Where on the Australian mainland is Australia's lowest point?

Lake Eyre. At roughly 15 m below sea level, Lake Eyre is one of the largest salt lakes in the world and is the lowest point on the Australian mainland.

What percentage (approximately) of mainland Australia do its deserts cover?

18%. Of this percentage, the Great Victoria Desert is the largest in Australia, located in both Western and South Australia, it covers only approximately 5% of the mainland.

Which of the following is the second largest mainland desert in Australia?

Great Sandy. The Great Sandy Desert is second only to the Great Victoria Desert. It covers an area of over 260,000 km2 and is located in Western Australia.

To which state or territory does Australia's largest island belong?

Northern Territory. Melville Island is off the coast of the Northern Territory, not far from Bathurst Island and Darwin. It is over 5,700 km2 in size. The largest sand island in the world is Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland. Fraser Island is only just over 1,500 km2.

Are there active volcanoes on the Australian mainland?

n. The last volcanic eruption on the Australian mainland occurred about 5,000 years ago, in Victoria! However, Heard Island (Antarctica) does have volcanic activity, mainly from Mt Mawson.

By elevation, which is the highest populated spot, above sea level, in Australia?

Perisher Valley. An unusual name for Australia's highest populated spot, Perisher Valley is in the Snowy Mountains, New South Wales. It is located in one of Australia's most popular 'winter playgrounds', i.e., the snowfields! Cabramurra is actually the highest town in Australia.

Are the largest lava tubes in the world located in Australia?

y. With one single tube measuring nearly 30 km long, the lava tubes at Undara, south west of Cairns in northern Queensland, are considered the largest in the world.

What type of rock is Uluru comprised of?

Sandstone. Uluru, meaning 'great pebble' is the largest sandstone monolith in Australia and is over 3 km2. At its highest, it rises over 386 m above the surrounding scrub and desert.

By land mass, Australia is the . . . . . largest country in the world.

sixth & Sixth & 6th & six & 6. Australia covers approximately 7.6 million km2, which is only about 5% of the world's land area, yet it is the sixth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil.

What percentage of Australia's land mass is covered by Western Australia, the country's largest state?

33%. Western Australia (and its many islands) measures approximately 2.7 million km2 in area.

Geographically speaking, what town is very near the centre of Queensland? It's archaeologically famous.

Muttaburra. Muttaburra, prehistorically speaking, was once the site of an inland sea. It was here that dinosaur remains were discovered and these remains have been named the 'Muttaburrasaurus'.

Which are the most eastern and western points of the Australian mainland?

Cape Byron and Steep Point. The lighthouse at Cape Byron, the easternmost point of the Australian mainland, was built in 1901 and is a popular tourist attraction. Steep Point, the westernmost point of the Australian mainland, is near Shark Bay, on the north coast of Western Australia, which is World Heritage listed and home to the famous dolphins of Monkey Mia.

Ten of Australia's highest mainland mountains are located within 6 km of each other.

t. Australia's ten highest mainland mountains are really located within just 6 km of each other, in what is called the Australian Alps!

How old (approximately) is the geology of the Nullarbor Plain?

25 million years. The Nullarbor Plain which stretches from near Ceduna in South Australia to Balladonia in Western Australia is about 25 million years old and is thought to be a limestone 'sea floor'.