Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Appendix:
Australia in Depth
by Marc Llewellyn
T he land Down Under is a modern nation coming to terms with its identity.
The umbilical cord with Mother England has been cut, and the nation is still
trying to find its position within Asia.
One thing Australia realized early on was the importance of tourism to its
economy. Millions flock here every year. You'll find Australians to be helpful and
friendly, and services, tours, and food and drink to rival any in the world. Factor
in the landscape, the native Australian culture, the sunshine, the animals, and
some of the world's best cities, and you've got a fascinating, accessible destination
full of amazing diversity and variety.
1 Australia's Natural World
THE LAND OF THE NEVER-NEVER
People who have never visited Australia wonder why such a huge country has a
population of just 19 million people. The truth is, Australia can barely support
that many. About 90% of those 19 million people live on only 2.6% of the con-
tinent. Climatic and physical land conditions ensure that the only relatively
decent rainfall occurs along a thin strip of land around Australia's coast. The vast
majority of Australia is harsh Outback, characterized by saltbush plains, arid
brown crags, shifting sand deserts, and salt lake country. People survive where
they can in this great arid land because of one thing—the Great Artesian Basin.
This saucer-shaped geological formation comprises about one-fifth of Australia's
landmass, stretching over much of inland New South Wales, Queensland, South
Australia, and the Northern Territory. Beneath it are massive underground water
supplies stored during Jurassic and Cretaceous times (some 66 million-208 mil-
lion years ago), when the area was much like the Amazon basin is today. Bore
holes bring water to the surface and allow sheep, cattle, and humans a respite
from the dryness.
The Queensland coast is blessed with one of the greatest natural attractions
in the world. The Great Barrier Reef stretches some 2,000km (1,240 miles)
from off Gladstone in Queensland, to the Gulf of Papua, near New Guinea. It's
relatively new, not more than 8,000 years old, although many fear that rising
seawater, caused by global warming, will cause its demise. As it is, the non-native
Crown of Thorns starfish and a bleaching process believed to be the result of
excessive nutrients flowing into the sea from Australia's farming land, is already
causing significant damage. The Reef is covered in chapter 6.
AUSTRALIA'S FAUNA
NATIVE ANIMALS Australia's isolation from the rest of the world over mil-
lions of years has led to the evolution of forms of life found nowhere else. Prob-
ably the strangest of all is the platypus. This monotreme, or egg-laying
marsupial, has webbed feet, a ducklike bill, and a tail like a beaver's. It lays eggs,
and the young suckle from their mother. When a specimen was first brought
 
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