Australia is in the southern hemisphere. It faces the Indian Ocean in the west and south, and the Pacific Ocean in the north and east. The best known feature of the coastline is the world's largest coral formation, the Great Barrier Reef.Back to the top

Great Barrier Reef                       

     Australia is the flattest continent with three main land regions - the Western Plateau, the Central Lowlands, and the Eastern Highlands

The Western Plateau covers two-thirds of Australia. It is mostly flat, although there are some mountains including Ayers Rock.> Back to the top

  The Central Lowlands run north-south between the Western Plateau and the Eastern highlands, which are also called the Great Dividing Range.

    The Western Plateau is hot and dry, with some vast deserts. The Central Lowlands are dry grassland, but ranchers get water from wells sunk into the ground. The tropical north, the Eastern Highlands and the easteern and southeastern coasts have ample rainfall but lots of sunshine too. Back to the top

                             Ayers Rock ^

                            Great Dividing Range ^