5 natural wonders in Australia you’ll never forget

Whoever visited this country knows that there’s a lot more about Australia than kangaroos, koala bears and forest fires. In fact, a life time might not be enough to discover everything that should be seen on this magical land. However, here are some suggestions for any traveler wo wants to taste a piece of Australia:

The Ayers rock (Uluru)

has always been considered as sacred by the Aborigenes and this admiration spread, now making the solitary giant a national symbol. Even though it looks as it were, the Ayers rock is not a huge stone dropped in the middle of a flat, dry area. In fact, it was brought to surface about 500 million years ago by the Earth’s crust movement and most of it is still burried beneath the desert’s surface. The rock is famous for the fact that it changes color as the sun moves on the sky. In the morning it gets the golden shades of the sunrise, then it gets darker and in the evenings its color turns into a truly spectacular bright red. The area itself has little to offer except for the view, and yet numerous animals including kangaroos, the emu and some species of reptiles inhabit the area. The rock was not discovered by the Europeans until 1980, but now it receives about 500 000 tourists each year.

The Kakadu Park

should not be missed by any nature lover and that can apply to history enthusiasts too. So what does this place hold so special? Well firstly, a huge protected area where more than 1000 species of plants and hundreds of species of birds, reptiles and mammals live surrounded by the legends of the Aborigenes. The protection measures and also the fact that the”Crocodile Dundee” series was filmed here definitely proved successful; both the water buffaloes and the salt water crocodiles managed to increase their numbers. Outside the natural beauties one can also feast their eyes on 6000 year-old paintings ( or even much older) depicting local legends and also the way this place used to look at that time. The paintings can be faound in about 7000 places.

Port Campbell

is a beautiful relic of the fight between dryland and the sea. What we can see now are the Twelve Apostles, picturesque rocks surrounded by water. However, some time ago they were part of the coast. The errosion is a continuous process in the area. Not long ago, in 1990, the water broke a part of The London Bridge, another rock, leaving a young couple surrounded by the sea; fortunately, they were saved immediately. Stretching on 32 kilometers, Port Campbell is a popular tourist attraction as the landscape is not to be found anywhere else. More than tourists, the area also attracts a lot of birds who can raise their young safely here.

Ball’s Pyramid

, which reaches 550 meters, stands alone in the middle of the ocean, being just a dot on a map. However, when getting close to it, it’s hard not to be impressed by its height ( two times the Eiffel Tower’s). The rock dagger is located next to the eastern coast of Australia and is in fact an extinct volcano which stopped being active 7 million years ago. Since then, the sea has taken much of the initial volcano as only 3% of it can still be seen today. The island provides a secure paradise for many species of birds and reptiles as few adventured to climb it. Now , the area is protected.

The Great Coral Reef

is a destination without which no trip to Australia would be complete especially as this is something that our grandchildren might not be able to do. Stretching on about 2030 kilometers, the reef is the biggest living entity on Earth. The barrier was formed in the last 10000 years after the last ice age, about 350 species of corals contributing to it. The reef is in a continuous development as life here never seems to linger. Unfortunately, as impressive as it may be, its balance is very delicate and human activity in the last years has done nothing but to disturb it. Many foundations are struggling to save the area from extinction and tourism has been reduced. Hopefully, their effort will not be in vain.