|
Eco Australia - World Heritage Sites
"Walking" World Heritage sites is truly something special because of their beauty, mystic qualities whose form is unique to the eyes of the beholder. These sites are globally recognized for their timelessness and irreplaceable value for the world's current and future generations.
Australia and its islands have 17 sites awarded World Heritage status; all but 2 of these (the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens) are listed for their natural significance. Several of Australia's World Heritage sites are not open to visitors.
A trip for a day or more to any of Australia's accessible World Heritage sites is sure to provide you with a step back in time for reflection. Joining an escorted tour for any of the myriad activities - walking, kayaking, bird watching, photography, snorkeling and diving, storytelling - will provide an increased appreciation and understanding of earth's majesty and meaning.
  
Left: The Adelaide River, Kakadu National Park
Right: Ubirr, Kakadu National Park
Kakadu, Northern Territory
Rugged escarpments, lush wetlands, plunging gorges and cascading waterfalls exist side by side in World Heritage listed Kakadu National Park. Take your time to explore the largest nature park where the scenery, wildlife and reminders of the area's ancient Australian Aboriginal culture will hold you in awe. Witness the millions of migratory birds amongst the wetlands or watch the crocodiles lazily sun their mammoth primitive hides on the banks of the Adelaide River.
Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park
The immense red sandstone monolith of Uluru - 5.8 miles in circumference - and 36 rock domes of Kata Tjuta are remarkable sights in the midst of a red sand plain.
In 1872, Ernest Giles named Kata Tjuta the Olgas, after Queen Olga of Wertemberg. The following year, explorer William Gosse sighted Uluru and named it Ayers Rock. Both sites are now know by their original names as they have special significance to the Anangu people.
Rock art in the caves around Uluru's base and stories of the meanings of the etchings in its surface are important to the cultural traditions of the Anangu.
About 20 miles west of Uluru, Kata Tjuta is awe-inspiring, with Mount Olga, the highest dome, rising to a height of over 1,600 feet. This area is sacred under Anangu men's law and, as such, much of the area is restricted.
Shark Bay, Western Australia
500 miles north of Perth, Shark Bay is truly a natural wonder. Home to the world's largest seagrass meadows and the oldest living organisms - marine stromatolites - you can see amazing wildlife - including dugongs, humpback whales, loggerhead turtles and over 1/3 of Australia's bird species.
This World Heritage area includes Monkey Mia, popular for its friendly bottlenose dolphins who swim to shore each day to interact with their human visitors.
 
Left: Camping in Australia's wilderness
Right: Purnululu National Park
Photos courtesy of Tourism Australia © 2009
Purnululu National Park, Western Australia
Journey to the Bungle Bungles a series of beehive-shaped towers or cones jutting up into Australia's Outback's skies. These domes are comprised of horizontal bands of photosynthetic organisms in quartz sandstone eroded over a period of 20 million years.
The inspiring features of the Bungle Bungle Range are unrivalled in their scale, extent, grandeur and the diversity of their forms. Include a visit to Purnululu National Park and the Bungle Bungles with an extended trek into Eco Australia's Kimberley, a vast wilderness region.
Tasmanian Rainforests
When stepping into the grandeur that is the Tasmanian rainforest, you step back 60 million years. Half of the island's protected conservation reserves - approximately 20 percent of the entire island - are recognized as a World Heritage Site. You'll find unique vegetation in this unspoiled wilderness as you lose yourself to its wonders. Walkabout the Tasmanian Rainforests to meet unique wildlife and surround yourself in nature's beauty.
Fraser Island, Queensland
A place of exceptional beauty, Fraser Island is known for its long uninterrupted white beaches flanked by colorful ancient sand cliffs, its majestic sand rainforest and numerous freshwater lakes with crystal clear waters.
Birds are the most abundant form of animal life on the island, with more than 350 species recorded. The island is a favored stopover for migratory wading birds. You might be lucky and spot an elusive swamp wallaby at sunset, or a skink or goanna sunning itself on a rock. Fraser Island's dingo population is regarded as the purest strain of dingoes in Australia.
Walkabout the world's largest sand island through its magnificent rainforest, spot unique birds nestled in the wilderness, discover the spiritual sites of the Butchulla people,the earliest residents, and relax on the shore of Lake Boomanjin, the world's largest perched lake.
|
|
 The setting sun on Uluru
Explore some of our favorite wanders to include in your custom Australia vacation package.
Natural Wanders
One Week Walkabout Packages
Deluxe 11-day Highlights of Australia -
Visit Sydney, Melbourne, and the Great Barrier Reef on our deluxe package tour to Australia
 
The Daintree Rainforest
Daintree, Queensland
Visit a region of fantastic scenery and rugged topography with rivers, waterfalls, gorges and mountains. The combination of fringe coral reefs and rainforest coastline - where the reef meets the rainforest - in the Cape Tribulation region is rare in the world. For 250 miles along the coast of Tropical North Queensland, you'll find rare and endangered animals and plant species including marsupials and singing birds and one of the world's top eco-spa retreats.
Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
One of the world's greatest natural wonders along Australia's finest beaches, the Great Barrier Reef is an explosion of color that stretches for over 1,600 miles off the Queensland coast. Snorkel or dive with the most astonishing marine life and coral reefs imaginable, or spend a few days on an island resort or live-aboard boat in this World Heritage marine wonderland.
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
Spanning from Newcastle in New South Wales to Brisbane, Queensland with approximately 50 separate reserves, the Gondwana Rainforest includes large areas of warm temperate rainforest, nearly all of the Antarctic Beech cool temperate rainforest and the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world. Few places on earth contain so many plants and animals that remain relatively unchanged from their ancestors.
Walk the Lyrebird Track around the base of Mount Warning and listen for the call of the rare Albert’s Lyrebird. Spot the rare wompoo pigeon, rufous scrub-bird and marbled frogmouth in Mount Warning National Park. Cruise the Tweed River or swim, surf and fish off its wide white beaches.
Lord Howe Island, New South Wales
Less than 2 hours by air from Sydney, Lord Howe Island is limited to only 400 visitors. Life is relaxed and unhurried, with bicycles the most convenient form of transportation. Surrounded by pristine beaches and the world's southernmost coral reef, you can enjoy fantastic snorkeling and diving.
Native plants, many of which are endemic to the island, thrive in this bird-watcher's paradise. The volcanic island, known for its spectacular landscapes - from the towering mountains to the low-lying rainforests, palm forests and sea caves - is rich for exploring on foot.
 
Left: Scenic Cable Ride in the Blue Mountains
Right: Horse Riding in the Blue Mountains
Photos courtesy of Tourism Australia © 2009
Blue Mountains, New South Wales
This temperate Eucalypt forest is an area of breathtaking views, rugged tablelands, sheer cliffs, swamps and deep, inaccessible valleys. You'll surely spot some of the more than 400 different types of animals that live within the rugged gorges and tablelands of the Greater Blue Mountains while you're enjoying a range of activities, including walking, boulder-hopping, abseiling, horse riding, mountain biking and/or canyoning. Go Walkabout with an Aboriginal guide to learn the legend of the Three Sisters and the song lines that connect the sacred sites.
Willandra Lakes Region, New South Wales
Aboriginals have lived on the shores of these lakes for at least 50,000 years. Excavations in 1968 uncovered the cremated remains of "‘Mungo Lady" in the dunes of Lake Mungo. Dated as 40,000 years old, this is believed to be the oldest site of ritual cremation in the world. In 1974, the ochred burial of a male Aboriginal was found nearby. The skeleton, known as "Mungo Man," is believed to be of the same age.
The Willandra Lakes Region in remote southwestern New South Wales; it contains a system of ancient lakes, most of which are fringed by a crescent shaped dune, formed over the last two million years. Go Walkabout this Australia Outback region with a Paakantyi Aboriginal guide, the traditional caretakers of this land, to walk along the Walls of China, learn the heritage of the region and view the amazing Outback sunsets.
|
|
