| About 55 million years ago, Australia belonged to Gondwanaland, which was made up of a number of continents. It was almost completely covered in rainforest, the majority of which has dried up as it has separated and drifted into a warmer climate. Because of its age and isolation, Australia has developed an incredibly unique host of flora and fauna - from monotremes to eucalypts, deserts to wetlands, the Aussie land is like no other in the world. |
The Australian landscape has a bit of everything - mountain ranges, rainforests, deserts and coastal dunes. The main types of flora within these varied environments are:
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The desert regions feature beautiful, hardy flowering plants like the Kangaroo Paw and the Sturt's Desert Pea. Because of the unique bird and insect species who assist in pollination, flowers have devleoped unique appearances designed to attract particular creatures - such as the Grevillea and Hakea. Species such as the Banksia, with hard, woody flower pods, are designed especially to germinate after bush fires - the flames burn the pod and release the seeds into the nutrient rich, post-fire soil where they sucessfully grow in the new generation bush-land. |
State Emblems
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| Australia is known for its unique animals. We've got it all. Dangerous spiders, giant birds, egg-laying mammals, beautiful frogs... |
There are heaps of beautiful birds in Australia. Those that you would most likely to find on your verandah are the black and white Magpies and the grey and pink Galahs. In the tree tops, the stunning Rainbow Lorikeets and noisy Black Cockatoos are ones to look out for. The legendary huge birds, Emus and Cassowaries who run and don't fly, are definite Aussie icons. Grab a bird book and a pair of binoculars and tick them off as you spot them! Reptiles Australia hosts a mean team of creepy crawlies and sinister looking reptiles. Some are quite dangerous, and some are just plain fascinating. The lizards, such as the Blue-tongued Lizard, Frill-necked lizard, Goanna and Water Dragon lurk in all areas, and are beautiful creatures if you catching them basking in the sun. The legendary Crocodiles are found in fresh and salt waters throughout the Northern Territory and Queensland, and are as dangerous as they are amazing looking. Snakes to be weary of are the Brown Snake, Red-bellied Black Snake, Copperhead Snake, Death Adder, Taipan and Tiger Snake. The legends about the outdoor toilet - or 'dunny' as we call it - refer to the deadly Red-backed Spider. The other arachnid to watch out for is the even more deadly Funnel Web Spider. Marsupials Through the temperate and semi arid to arid regions, there are plenty of cute Marsupials to keep the traveller happy. Kangaroos, Koalas, Bilbys, Bandicoots, Possums... All gorgeous and cuddly looking, all very much synonymous with the word 'Australian'. Monotremes Australia is the lucky home to the only two monotremes on earth - a mammal who lays eggs. They are the Echidna; a spiky ant-eater, and the Platypus; a duck-billed creature who lives in fresh water. Marine Creatures Green Tree Frogs, Turtles, Dolphins, Whales.... Check out our pristine waterways for these animals and more! |
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