Geographically, Australia is one of the most stunning places in the world. It is an island continent formed by the landmass  that broke away from Gondwanaland (a super continent formed 600 million years ago) about 100 million years ago and has been drifting ever since. Right now it’s drifting at about 55mm per year. One wonders how they measure that!

The terrain is basically low plateau with deserts; the fertile plains lie in the southeast. The eastern coast of Australia has a fertile strip concentrated with population. Further inland comes the Great Australian Divide beyond which begins the famous Outback. The West Coast has a similar fertile strip but only in the south. The north receives erratic rainfall, which makes farming difficult. The rest of Australia is extremely inhospitable, mainly dry hot plains and harsh deserts. It’s here, though that you find some of the most stunning sites like the Uluru or Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuta (Olga). Australia is virtually sprinkled with geographical wonders. Australia is one of the 12 most biologically diverse countries in the world mainly due to its size and variety of microclimates. It is home to many unique animals and plants, which evolved down the centuries, in response to the climate and environment. A few years ago a unique species of tree was found that goes right back to the dinosaur age!

Highest point: Mt. Kosciuszko (2228m).
Lowest point: Lake Eyre (15m below sea level).

Eco Alert! The environment in Australia has been severely damaged over the past 200 years, largely due to over-grazing, poor farming practices, soil erosion and increasing levels of soil salinity. Nearly 70% of  native vegetation has been destroyed and more than 600,000 hectares of land is cleared annually for farming and timber. The Great Barrier Reef, a unique eco-system, is itself under threat from increased shipping and excessive tourism. Many unique native species of birds, fish and animals have disappeared. On a positive note, as people are become more aware, things are getting better with more organisations working to make a change in Australia's environmental policies.

Flora & Fauna

Forests cover 5% of the land but the really unusual plants are found in the arid heart of Australia. There are more than 700 native Australian grass varieties growing across the country, amongst them the sturdy and drought resistant Mitchell grass, fodder for cattle, and spinifex that houses large numbers of reptiles. Shrubs and flowers, cycads and ferns, trees including the fascinating Boab or baobab tree that grows only in Victoria and stores water in its bloated trunk; the ubiquitous gum trees - 95% of the world’s 700 species grow in Australia alone and flowering trees like banksias, acacias and wattles. The list of native flora is as interesting as it is long. The dry arid  and semi-desert regions transform into a veritable carpet of flowers at the first shower of rain, a sight that has to be experienced to be appreciated.