Instructions
• Use the slides in this presentation to
locate, label, and describe the physical
features of Australia.
• Be sure to create a symbol for each
feature that you can use to show where it
is on the map.
• Be careful and make sure you put the
information in the correct area.
SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
New
Zealand
Symbol Key
Mountains
Rock
Lake
Basin
Outback
Reef
Lake Hillier
Lake Hillier
• Lake Hillier is located on an island off the
southeast coast of Western Australia.
• From above the lake appears to be a solid
bubble gum pink color. It is approximately 600
meters long and is surrounded by a rim of sand
and eucalyptus trees.
• No one is sure exactly what causes it to have a
pink color, but scientist think it could be a dye
created by small organisms in the lake or by a
bacteria found in the salt crust.
Lake Eyre
• Lake Eyre is a salt lake located in the deserts of
northern South Australia.
• When full, it is the largest lake in Australia.
• The lake is normally dry, and fills completely
only an average of twice in a century, but partial,
minor fillings happen much more often.
• Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia at
approximately 15 meters below sea level.
The Outback
• All of inland Australia and most of north and north-west
Australia is generally known as the Outback.
• It takes up 2.5 million square miles of land, covering
most of the continent.
• This huge plain contains multiple deserts, dry grasslands
and a harsh climate.
• The Outback receives little rain due to a rain shadow
caused by the Great Dividing Range.
• The area’s harsh features causes it to have a very small
population, but several mining camps and cattle and
sheep ranches dot the region.
Ayers Rock
• Ayers Rock is one of the oldest rocks on Earth. This
huge, reddish rock is located in the middle of Australia,
within the Outback.
• "Uluru," as Ayers Rock is called by Aborigines, gets it
red color from the iron that rusts at the surface.
• Uluru was formed over a period of about 500 million
years, and was created when sand piled up on the
bottom of an ocean that once covered the middle of
Australia.
• Over the years, wind and rain have beat at the rock. By
now, the flattened top is 1,142 feet above the plains and
the base is an amazing 5 miles around!
• Aborigines believe the rock has spiritual powers.
Great Dividing Range
• The Great Dividing Range is Australia’s only
substantial mountain range. It stretches across
the entire eastern coastline measuring 2,300
miles in length.
• This series of plateaus and low mountains
creates a rain shadow that produces fertile
farmlands on the eastern side of the continent,
while the western half has turned into harsh
deserts and dry grasslands.
• The fertile farmland of the east coast is where
most of Australia’s population is located.
Great Barrier Reef
• The Great Barrier Reef lies off Australia’s
northeastern coast. Coral formations have piled
up for millions of years to create a colorful chain
that stretches 1,250 miles. This make it the
largest coral reef in the world!
• A coral reef is a structure formed by the
skeletons of small sea animals.
• The Great Barrier Reef forms a natural break
between the strong waves of the Pacific and the
coast of Australia.
Great Artesian Basin
• The Great Artesian Basin is an underground
water resource that covers one-fifth of
Australia’s land mass.
• It is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the
world; stretching over 660,00 sq. miles.
• The Great Artesian Basin takes up most of
Queensland and part of the Northern Territory.
• Because water is scarce in this area,
Australians use the basin as their main source of
water by drilling wells.