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Australia
is an island continent which is surrounded by water on all sides, so its
border is not shared with any other country. To the east lies the South Pacific
Ocean; west the Indian Ocean; to the north the Timor, Arafura and Coral Seas;
and to the south the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea. The Bass Strait separates
Tasmania from the mainland.
Australia boasts some of the best beaches on the planet and the huge coastline stretches for nearly 37,000 km, which includes 11,011 beaches, more than any other nation. Most of Australia's cities and towns are situated on the coast, within a few kilometres of the ocean, which amounts to 85% of Australia's population living within one hour's drive of the coastline. Nearly 90% of these people live in a 50 km wide coastal strip that runs from Cairns to Adelaide.
Australia's coastline extends through a wide range of climates from tropical areas in the north to temperate areas in the south. Coastal environments include areas of rainforest, mangroves, estuaries, lagoons, rocky and sandy shores, cliffs, islands, towns, cities and coastal communities.
Highlights of the Australian coastline are as follows:
The Great Barrier Reef, (the largest reef on earth) extends for over 2000 km, about the same size of the USA's eastern coastline. The Barrier Reef is actually made up of about 3000 individual reefs and has been designated a World Heritage Area as well as one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. The Reef also contains over 900 pristine tropical islands.
Fraser Island another World Heritage site, is the largest sand island in the world. The island stretches approximately 144km along the Queensland coast and is between 25 and 50km wide with sandhills rising to almost 240m in places. There are numerous freshwater lakes on the island, some more than 60m deep, and parts of the island are covered by dense rainforest. The reason for the island's World Heritage status, is due to the complex ecosystems that exist on top of the sand. Sand doesn't retain water, but water is retained when plants decay; that material forms a layer on top of the sand. This in turn allows more plants to grow, and this also explains why river levels flow according to the rainfall that fell decades ago. It takes this long for rain water to filter through the top soil and sand, to join the river system.
The Twelve Apostles, another major attraction are located along the coastline of Victoria, near Port Campbell. The Twelve Apostles are rock formations which rise out of the ocean and stand up to 100m above sea level.
Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is a must see destinations for scuba divers or snorkellers. Near the small town of Exmouth, this spectacular reef is famous for the appearance of the enormous whale shark. There are also Manta Rays, Dugongs, and Humpback whales which are regular seasonal visitors.
Statistical breakdown of the Australian coastline in km.
Australia (total) 36,735km
Western Australia 12,500km
Queensland 7,400km
Northern Territory 6,200km
South Australia 3,700km
Tasmania 3,200km
New South Wales 1,900km
Victoria 1,800km
ACT (inc Jervis Bay) 35km
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