Nature and Wildlife

Australia's animals are a breed apart. So strange are the creatures that hop, burrow and slither across its countryside that until the last century it was believed that the continent's animals had a different evolutionary starting point from the rest of the earth's species, a separate creation.                                        

Australia's third largest island teems with the sights and sounds of wild Australia - seals, sea eagles, koalas, kangaroos, wombats and wallabies - all within easy reach of Adelaide.

Australia's tropical Top End wildlife paradise - crocodiles, astonishing bird life, reptiles and wallabies - concentrated around wetlands that shrink to ponds as the dry season progresses. Daintree National Park has some of the oldest rainforest on the planet. A spectacular Garden of Eden in far north Queensland, it provides a habitat for crocodiles, snakes and cassowaries. To the east of Hobart, the sheer cliffs of this wild and craggy peninsula provide an excellent vantage point for observing the area's seals, penguins, bottlenose dolphins and many species of sea birds.

Some 600 kilometres north-east of Sydney, this tiny Pacific island is a biological ark, a perch for exotic species of sea birds in their migratory journeys which can take them as far as Japan or Siberia. Just 90 minutes from Melbourne is Phillip Island - Victoria’s wildlife island. It features incredible wildlife experiences, spectacular coastal scenery, world class beaches and, of course, the world famous Penguin Parade. The mudflats on the shores of Western Australia's Roebuck Bay provide a habitat for some 800,000 birds belonging to migratory water birds, some of which migrate here from the Arctic tundra.

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Australia's native plants (link to about australia/flora-and-fauna; title=Australia’s native plants) are among nature's strangest creations. Botanical oddities are at their most extreme in arid regions, where plants evolved unique characteristics to enable them to survive on the earth's driest inhabited continent, often acquiring a stark and surreal beauty in the process.                  

Beginning each spring in Western Australia's far north, Mother Nature unrolls a carpet of wildflowers of striking and dramatic beauty, found nowhere else on earth.
In Port Augusta, at the gateway to South Australia's outback, this sprawling garden is a compendium of Australia's desert ecosystem in miniature, complete with kestrels, goannas and thorny devils. Part of Sydney's giant Flemington Markets, the Flower Markets are a riot of colour, scents and textures, many of them native species wild-harvested from the arid regions where they grow.

Native plants were the staple diet of Australia's Aboriginal people, and over the years they developed an enormous reservoir of botanical knowledge, which visitors can share on various bush tucker tours. Deep in Western Australia's south, these rugged ranges erupt with a kaleidoscope of colour between September and October - more than 1,000 species of wildflower in total, including 69 orchid species. Part botanic garden, part museum and part cultural centre, Alice Springs Desert Park offers an insight into the ecosystems of Australia's arid zones, and the traditional lifestyle of its Aboriginal people.

On the lower slopes of Canberra's Black Mountain, this is one of the finest collections of Australia's unique flora. More than 600 eucalypt species are represented in the 50 hectare garden.

Source: Tourism Australia 2006

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Over the past decade, Australians have become increasingly aware of the value and uniqueness of their natural environment. Ecotourism that focuses on Australia's pristine rainforests, its marine environment and desert ecosystems has now become a major segment of the country's tourism industry. 
                                       
Ecotourism is a blend of conservation and tourism. The formal definition of Ecotourism is ‘ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on exploring nature or natural areas that incorporates and fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation’.

Ecotourism experiences can be enjoyed in every state and territory of Australia. Ecotourism attractions, accommodations and tour operators can be found in the outback, the bush, mountains, rivers, coasts, rainforests and reefs of this hugely varied island continent.

Ecotourism experiences can be enjoyed in all parts of Australia.  The range of experiences is diverse, from eco-cruising and seal and dolphin swims in Victoria to eco-camping in the Northern Territory to wild wilderness experiences in Tasmania. Responsible Tourism is an ethically-based movement fast gaining adherents all around the world. It is characterised by travel and tourism which minimises negative environmental, social and cultural impacts.

The association includes tour and resort operators, academics, government tourism managers, consultants and professional environmentalists, all committed to the protection of Australia's natural heritage. A network of professional tour guides with high professional standards, Savannah Guides brings outstanding levels of knowledge, expertise and professionalism to any tour of Australia's north. To assist in managing the increasing impacts of visitors to all areas of Australia, Leave No Trace has been implemented as a national minimal impact skills and ethics program.

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Australia's unique plants and animals bring a special touch to Australia forests and mountains. The chance to explore the rainforests of Queensland with an Aboriginal guide or to spot wallabies grazing in the wildflower meadows of the Snowy Mountains are experiences that will leave you with unforgettable memories. 
                   
Beyond Cairns in Queensland's tropical north, this is a sensational region of soaring volcanic peaks tangled with rainforest, a habitat for plants that date back to the very dawn of life on earth. Australia's highest mountain range, these peaks are the backdrop to an inspiring array of outdoor pleasures, from skiing to bushwalking to trail riding among the wild stallions of the high plains.

This statuesque peak at the centre of Tasmania is the epicentre for the state's most sensational alpine scenery and the starting point of the Overland Track, one of Australia's finest hikes. Rearing to over a thousand metres, this chain of ancient sandstone peaks just west of Sydney offers crisp air, yawning chasms, waterfalls and views of eucalypt forests that stretch to the horizon.

The world's largest sand island serves a cocktail tailored for adventurers, with freshwater lakes, wildflower heaths, towering dunes, endless beaches and streams that trickle through forests of giant trees. On a back road between Alice Springs and Uluru, Watarrka National Park (Kings Canyon) cradles the Garden of Eden, a miniature palm garden that flourishes in a parched, stony wilderness.

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Australia's lakes and rivers are a rich repository of wild sensations, from the gushing alpine streams of the Snowy Mountains to the broad, brown rivers of the interior. There are also a few surprises, such as the salt lakes of the outback and the sensational river gorges of Top End Australia. 
                                       
The rivers that gush down from the eastern ranges provide exciting terrain for whitewater rafting. Prime choices are the Gwydir and the Nymboida rivers in New South Wales, and Queensland's Herbert River.

The sheer sandstone cliff-faces along the east coast's Great Dividing Range provide a dramatic waterspout for the rivers that spill from their brink and disappear into rainforests below.

Most of the time, this vast salt lake in the South Australian desert is dry, yet it has a stark, ethereal beauty all of its own. When the lake fills, it explodes with bird and animal life.One of the wonders of the Northern Territory, this 12 kilometre gorge chiselled through the sun-scorched sandstone of the Arnhem Land Plateau is ideal for a canoeing and camping adventure. One of the world's longest rivers, the Murray is Australia's Mississippi - a river made for discovery as it gurgles through the wharves of old riverboat towns and slinks between majestic forests of red river gums. One of Australia's greatest natural wonders, this is the country's winter-sports playground, crammed with lakes, rivers, gorgeous scenery and majestic summer walks through native wildflower meadows.

Near Mount Gambier in South Australia's south-east corner, this mysterious crater lake changes from cool grey to a deep, cobalt blue each November, then changes back at the end of February.

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 Australia's diversity, its natural beauty, unique plants and animals and the cultural heritage of its Aboriginal people have been recognised by UNESCO. Beginning in 1981 with the Great Barrier Reef, a total of 16 areas have been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage list, proof of their importance.

Less than two hours by car or train west of Sydney, the Blue Mountains National Park is a World Heritage-listed site - a spectacular area of dramatic canyons and caves, sheer-cliffed valleys, pretty stone and timber towns, and world-class guesthouses.
Off the south Queensland coast, the world's largest sand island features majestic stands of tall rainforest, half the world's perched freshwater dune lakes and towering, shifting sand dunes.

The wealth and age of Kakadu's Aboriginal rock art, its astonishing wildlife and outstanding natural beauty ensured early world recognition for this giant region of tropical wetlands and forests. The presence of rare and endangered species of plants and animals and the biological importance of some of the world's most ancient forests make the Queensland wet tropics a precious resource for humankind. In the wild, lunar landscape of south-western New South Wales, this network of dry lakes contains remarkable fossil remains and evidence of human habitation dating back some 40,000 years.

Located in Riversleigh in Queensland and Naracoorte in South Australia, these are among the world's 10 greatest fossil sites, with superb illustrations of the evolution of Australia's unique fauna. The Bungle Bungle's beehive-shaped towers come from sandstone and other material cemented together about 350 million years ago and eroded into unusual shapes over the past 20 million years. Rock layers, algal growth and minerals formed the stripes.

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Source: Tourism Australia 2006