Visit
246 natural world wonders of
Australia and Oceania, from
the Haleakala Crater on Maui
on the Hawaiian Islands, to
the Windjana Gorge in the Northern
Territory of Australia.
Australia
is as plentiful and varied as
the seas enclosing it--vibrant
reef-worlds teeming with marine
life, and scorched outbacks.
The Great Barrier Reef stretches
to Papua New Guinea, while New
Zealand's Tongariro volcano
towers above waves of rugged
hills.
Waters
spread as far as Hawaii's Mount
Waialeale, all the while weaving
through Oceania's full school
of islands.
Australia-the
smallest continent and one of the
largest countries on Earth, lying
between the Pacific and Indian oceans
in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia's
capital is Canberra, located in the
southeast between the larger and more
important economic and cultural centres
of Sydney and Melbourne.[3]
For around 40,000 years before European
settlement commenced in the late 18th
century, the Australian mainland and
Tasmania were inhabited by around
250 individual nations[9] of indigenous
Australians. After sporadic visits
by fishermen from the immediate north,
and European discovery by Dutch explorers
in 1606, the eastern half of Australia
was claimed by the British in 1770
and initially settled through penal
transportation to the colony of New
South Wales, founded on 26 January
1788. The population grew steadily
in the following years; the continent
was explored, and during the 19th
century another five largely self-governing
Crown Colonies were established.[4]
Oceania-Oceania
(sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical,
often geopolitical, region consisting
of numerous lands—mostly islands
in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity.
The term "Oceania" was coined
in 1831 by French explorer Dumont
d'Urville. The term is used today
in many languages to define one of
the continents and is one of eight
terrestrial ecozones. The boundaries
of Oceania are defined in a number
of ways. Most definitions recognize
parts of Australasia such as Australia,
New Zealand, and New Guinea, and all
or part of the Malay Archipelago as
being parts of Oceania. Ethnologically,
the islands that are included in Oceania
are divided into the subregions of
Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
[5]
New Zealand-New
Zealand is an island country in the
south-western Pacific Ocean comprising
two main landmasses (commonly called
the North Island and the South Island),
and numerous smaller islands, most
notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and
the Chatham Islands. The indigenous
Maori named New Zealand Aotearoa,
commonly translated as The Land of
the Long White Cloud. The Realm of
New Zealand also includes the Cook
Islands and Niue (self-governing but
in free association); Tokelau; and
the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's
territorial claim in Antarctica).[6]
New descriptions are
added regularly. Last addition 1/16/2010
Western
Australia-Western
Australia is a state of
Australia, occupying the
entire western third of
the Australian continent.
Australia's largest state
and the second largest subnational
entity in the world, it
has 2.1 million inhabitants
(10% of the national total),
85% of whom live in the
south-west corner of the
state. The state's capital
city is Perth. The people
of Western Australia are
often colloquially referred
to as sandgropers, the common
name of an insect found
on sand dunes around Perth.[7]
Oceania-Oceania
(sometimes Oceanica) is
a geographical, often
geopolitical, region consisting
of numerous lands—mostly
islands in the Pacific
Ocean and vicinity. The
term "Oceania"
was coined in 1831 by
French explorer Dumont
d'Urville. The term is
used today in many languages
to define one of the continents
and is one of eight terrestrial
ecozones. [5]
• Wave Rock, Western
Australia, Australia
• Cape Le Grand, Western
Australia, Australia
• Fitzgerald River
National Park, Western Australia,
Australia • Wolfe
Creek Meteorite Crater,
Western Australia, Australia
• Murchison River,
Western Australia, Australia
• Mitchell River
& Falls, Western Australia,
Australia • Bluff
Knoll, Western Australia,
Australia • Porongurup
National Park, Western Australia,
Australia • Two
Peoples Bay, Western Australia,
Australia • Karijini
National Park, Western Australia,
Australia • D'
Entrecasteaux National park,
Western Australia, Australia
• Houtman Abrolhos
Islands, Western Australia,
Australia • Karri
Forest, Western Australia,
Australia • Kennedy
Range, Western Australia,
Australia • Pinnacles
Desert, Western Australia,
Australia • Mararet
River Caves, Western Australia,
Australia • Mount
Augustus, Western Australia,
Australia • Mundaring
Weir, Western Australia,
Australia • Rudall
River National Park, Western
Australia, Australia
• Serpentine National
Park, Western Australia,
Australia • Torndirrup
Pennisula, Western Australia,
Australia • Bungle
Bungle Mountains, Western
Australia, Australia
• Ningaloo Reef, Western
Australia, Australia
• Hamelin Pool &
Stromatolites, Western Australia,
Australia
South
Australia-South
Australia is a state of
Australia in the southern
central part of the country.
It covers some of the most
arid parts of the continent;
with a total land area of
983,482 square kilometres
(379,725 sq mi), it is the
fourth largest of Australia's
six states and two territories.[8]
New
Zealand-New
Zealand is an island country
in the south-western Pacific
Ocean comprising two main
landmasses (commonly called
the North Island and the
South Island), and numerous
smaller islands, most notably
Stewart Island/Rakiura and
the Chatham Islands.[9]
• Alligator Gorge,
South Australia, Australia
• Blue Lake,
South Australia, Australia
• Canunda National
Park, South Australia, Australia
• The Coorong,
South Australia, Australia
• Gawler Ranges,
South Australia, Australia
• Great Australian
Bight, South Australia,
Australia • Kangaroo
Island, South Australia,
Australia • Limestone
Coast, South Australia,
Australia • Naracoorte
Caves National Park, South
Australia, Australia
• Lake Eyre Basin,
Northern Territory / Queensland
/ South Australia, Australia
• Nullarbor plain,
South Australia, Australia
• Wilpena Pound,
South Australia, Australia
• Mount Taranaki,
North Island, New Zealand
• Tongariro National
Park, North Island, New
Zealand • Cape
Kidnappers, North Island,
New Zealand •
Rotorua Geothermal Region,
North Island, New Zealand
• Oparara Arch,
South Island, New Zealand
• Marlborough
Sounds, South Island, New
Zealand • Fiordland,
South Island, New Zealand
• West Coast
Glaciers, South Island,
New Zealand •
Southern Alps, South Island,
New Zealand •
Sutherland Falls, South
Island, New Zealand
• Poor Knights Islands,
Offshore Islands, New Zealand
• White Island,
Offshore Islands, New Zealand
Queensland,
Australia-Queensland
is a state of Australia
which occupies the north-eastern
section of the mainland
continent. It is bordered
by the Northern Territory
to the west, South Australia
to the south-west and New
South Wales to the south.
To the east, Queensland
is bordered by the Coral
Sea and Pacific Ocean. The
state is Australia's second
largest by area, following
Western Australia, and the
country's third most populous
after New South Wales and
Victoria.[10]
Victoria,
Australia-Victoria
is a state located in the
southeastern corner of Australia.
It is the smallest mainland
state in area but the most
densely populated and urbanised.
Prior to European settlement,
some 30,000 Indigenous Australians
are estimated to have lived
in the area now occupied
by the state. By contrast,
over five million people
now inhabit the region.
European settlement in Victoria
began in the 1830s as a
farming community. [11]
• Wet Tropics
World Heritage Area, Queensland,
Australia
• Low Islets, Queensland,
Australia
• Mount Bartle Frere,
Queensland, Australia
• Barron River Falls
& Gorge, Queensland,
Australia
• Hinchinbrook Channel,
Queensland, Australia
• Mossman Gorge,
Queensland, Australia
• Lawn Mill Gorge,
Queensland, Australia
• Carnavon National
Park, Queensland, Australia
• Bayliss Cave,
Queensland, Australia
• Glass House Mountains,
Queensland, Australia
• Noosa National
Park, Queensland, Australia
• Clarke Range,
Queensland, Australia
• Great Barrier
Reef, Queensland, Australia
• Coral Spawning,
Queensland, Australia
• Fraser Island,
Queensland, Australia
• Simpson Desert,
Queensland / Northern
Territory / South Australia,
Australia
• Lake Mungo, New
South Wales, Australia
• Willandra Lakes,
New South Wales, Australia
• Cunningham's
Gap, New South Wales, Australia
• Myall Lakes,
New South Wales, Australia
• Belmore Falls,
New South Wales, Australia
• Blue Mountains,
New South Wales, Australia
• Fitzroy Falls,
New South Wales, Australia
• Kanangra Falls,
New South Wales, Australia
• Ben Boyd National
Park, New South Wales, Australia
• Mount Kosciuszko,
New South Wales, Australia
• Warrumbungle
National Park, New South
Wales, Australia •
Sydney Harbor, New South
Wales, Australia •
Barmah--Millewa Forests
and Wetlands, Victoria,
Australia • Croajingolong
National Park, Victoria,
Australia • Gippsland
Lakes, Victoria, Australia
• The Grampians,
Victoria, Australia
• Lake Eildon National
Park, Victoria, Australia
• Murray River,
New South Wales / South
Australia / Victoria, Australia
N.
Territories, Australia-
The Northern Territory is
a federal territory of Australia,
occupying much of the centre
of the mainland continent,
as well as the central northern
regions. It shares borders
with Western Australia to
the west, South Australia
to the south, and Queensland
to the east. To the north,
the territory is bordered
by the Timor Sea, the Arafura
Sea and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
[12]
New
South Wales, Australia-New
South Wales (abbreviated
as NSW) is Australia's most
populous state, located
in the south-east of the
country, north of Victoria,
south of Queensland and
east of South Australia.
It was founded in 1788 and
originally comprised much
of the Australian mainland,
as well as Lord Howe Island
and Norfolk Island. New
Zealand was not initially
part of the colony, although
when Britain annexed New
Zealand in 1840 it was briefly
a part of New South Wales[13]
• Litchfield
National Park, Northern
Territory, Australia
• Katherine Gorge,
Northern Territory, Australia
• N'Dhala Gorges,
Northern Territory, Australia
• Finke Gorge, Northern
Territory, Australia
• Ormistin Gorge
& Pound, Northern
Territory, Australia
• Windjana Gorge,
Northern Territory, Australia
• The Olgas, Northern
Territory, Australia
• Gosse Bluff, Northern
Territory, Australia
• Kakadu National
Park, Northern Territory,
Australia
• Alligator Gorge,
South Australia, Australia
• Blue Lake,
South Australia, Australia
• Canunda National
Park, South Australia, Australia
• The Coorong,
South Australia, Australia
• Gawler Ranges,
South Australia, Australia
• Great Australian
Bight, South Australia,
Australia • Kangaroo
Island, South Australia,
Australia • Limestone
Coast, South Australia,
Australia • Naracoorte
Caves National Park, South
Australia, Australia
• Lake Eyre Basin,
Northern Territory / Queensland
/ South Australia, Australia
• Nullarbor plain,
South Australia, Australia
• Wilpena Pound,
South Australia, Australia
Tasmania,
Australia- Tasmania
is an Australian island
and state of the same
name. It is located 240
kilometres (150 mi) south
of the eastern side of
the continent, being separated
from it by Bass Strait.
The state of Tasmania
includes the island of
Tasmania, which is the
26th largest island in
the world, and other surrounding
islands. The state capital
and largest city is Hobart,
which encompasses the
local government areas
of City of Hobart, City
of Glenorchy, City of
Clarence and generally
included is the satellite
town of Kingston, part
of the Municipality of
Kingborough, into the
Greater Hobart area.[14]
•
Cradle Mountain &
Lake St. Clair, Tasmania,
Australia
• Ben Lomond National
Park, Tasmania, Australia
• Flinders Island,
Tasmania, Australia
• Eaglehawk Neck,
Tasmania, Australia
• Freycinet Pennisula,
Tasmania, Australia
• Gordon--Franklin
Wild Rivers National Park,
Tasmania, Australia
• Queenstown, Tasmania,
Australia
• Walls of Jerusalem,
Tasmania, Australia
• Balls Pyramid,
Tasman Sea, Australia
