Australia is also the world's flattest and driest landmass after the Antarctica. The vast interior of Australia is called the Outback, which consists mainly of desert plains. The fertile eastern coastal plains are separated from the Outback by the Great Dividing Range. Some ski fields are located in the Great Dividing Range around the Victoria and New South Wales border.
Australia borders no other country because it is surrounded by ocean, so there is plenty of coastline to explore. Much of this coastline consists of white sandy beaches and cliffs. The Great Barrier Reef on Queensland's east coast is the largest reef and coral formation on earth, extending just over 2001 km (1250 miles) in length. The reef is the worlds richest area of marine life, and forms a natural barrier from the Pacific Ocean. This makes the Queensland coast ideal for diving, but also unsuitable for surfing. However the rest of the Australian coastline contains countless beaches, that have superb surf breaks and the abundance of beaches suitable for surfing has enabled this sport to become the national pastime, and is the reason why Australians consistently win surfing competitions the world over.
The Australian continent contains many different climatic zones, ranging from tropical in the north, leading to subtropical and savanna, to arid deserts in the centre, with a temperate climate in the south. Regular snow falls occur in winter in the Australian Alps, and on the mountains in the island state of Tasmania. The seasons in Australia are reverse to the northern hemisphere. January and February are the warmest months, and June and July are the coldest.
Australia is geographically isolated from the rest of the world, and contains distinctive plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. Eucalyptus forests dominate much of coastal Australia, but Eucalyptus trees can be found in every region of Australia. Scrub dominates the inland regions, and pockets of tropical and subtropical rainforests can be found on Australia's eastern and northern coasts. Temperate rainforest can be found in New South Wales, Victoria, and the island state of Tasmania. The oldest rainforests on earth are situated in the Daintree National Park and also the Cape Tribulation National Park. The Karri forests on Australia's south west coast contain some of the worlds highest trees, some trees can reach heights of 90 m (300 ft).
Australia is also home to many unigue animal species such as the platypus, which is an aquatic, furred mammal with a bill like that of a duck. The Platypus belongs to an animal group known as monotreme's. Another animal belonging to this group is the spiny anteater, or echidna. Most native mammals are marsupials. These include koalas, kangaroos, possums, flying foxes and the ferocious Tasmanian Devil. Australia also contains many varieties of crocodile, they are found in the tropical zone of Australia and they inhabit swamps, rivers and can also be found in the ocean near a river mouth. Lizards are very common, there are over 500 different species including Goannas, Geckos and Dragons. The Australian continent is also home to the most venomous snakes and spiders in the world, as well the deadly Box Jelly Fish. Australia is populated by many colourful bird species such as parrots, budgerigars, rosellas, gallahs, finches and cockatoos. The Emu is Australia's largest bird and is related to the Ostrich.
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