Wildlife of western tasmania australia.

Ukraine It is one of the largest remaining areas of temperate rainforest in the world. wild nature

Tasmania includes peaks, mountain gorges, rivers, numerous caves, endemic species of flora and fauna, wild forests, and deserts of the island of Tasmania. Forests and other features cover an area of ​​13,800 km2, which is about 20% of the entire island of Tasmania. Tasmania's Wilderness has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. In 1989, the original site area was expanded.

National parks of Tasmania

Geographically, the Tasmanian Wildlife site is divided into several national parks - Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Hartz Mountains National Park, Southwest National Park, Mole Creek Karst National Park, Walls of Jerusalem National Park , Central Plateau Conservation and Protected Areas, Devils Gullet State Reserve, and South East Mutton Bird Islet. The most accessible and popular are Cradle Mountain National Park and Lake St. Clair. The second most popular is the Walls of Jerusalem National Park located in the desert area.

According to archaeological excavations in limestone caves, human settlements appeared in the area about 20 thousand years ago.

Fauna of Tasmania

Tasmania has a rich wildlife. Of the 32 species of protected animals, 27 species live in Tasmania. The most famous of the island's marsupials is the Tasmanian devil. The island is home to more than 150 species of birds, including a rare species of rosella - the green rosella.

Adventures on land and water in Tasmania

Tasmania is great for river rafting. The most suitable for this is the Franklin River. For lovers of long journeys, it is possible to sail the Overland (five days), Frenchmans Cap (three days) or South Coast (seven days) rivers. Access to most of caves in Tasmania

Fishing is the second most popular activity on the island. The Central Plateau area is known as the "Land of a Thousand Lakes" and is particularly famous for the best place for trout fishing. Popular fishing areas include Lake Pedder in the south of Southwest National Park, Lake St Clair, Macquarie Harbor, and Gordon River.

Many of Wild Tasmania's trails are pedestrian and bicycle riding is prohibited. Traveling by bicycle is only possible on roads designated for Vehicle. A popular cycling route is the Lake Lyell area.

Horseback riding is possible in the Central Plateau Conservation Area and Cradle Mountain–Lake St Clair National Park. However, to ride on rough terrain, you need to be an experienced rider.

The Willandra Lakes region covers an area of ​​2400 km2 in south-west New South Wales, 582 km west of Sydney. There are five large and fourteen small lakes, formed more than two million years ago.


All lakes (5 large and 14 small) are dry, formed more than 2 million years ago, and are covered with salt marsh vegetation. The region also features unique lunar semi-desert landscapes. There are eucalyptus woodlands.
The region is unique for its paleontological finds of the Pleistocene period, as well as the finds of evidence of human civilization dating back to 45,000-60,000 BC. e. In 1968, the remains of a cremated woman were found in the dunes of Lake Mungo. In 1974, a male burial was found not far from the find. Are considered the oldest remains human activity on the planet.
The nature in these places, unlike other regions of Australia, is not rich - a semi-desert landscape, many sand dunes, fields with sparse bushes and grass, in places small islands of woodland with eucalyptus and coniferous (such as white pine and Australian blue cypress) trees. About 20 species of mammals have been recorded in the region, including kangaroos and echidnas, and emus, several varieties, also live here. bats and many reptiles.


Mungo National Park, located in the Willandra Lakes region and takes its name from the large ancient lake Mungo is world famous for paleontological discoveries proving the habitation of this region about 60 thousand years ago. In the vicinity of Lake Mungo in 1968 and 1974, archaeologists discovered the remains of cremated ancient people - this is a unique, oldest cremation in the world.

There are a total of 19 lakes in the Willandra lake district, and what makes them unique is the fact that they were all formed more than 2 million years ago! In the photo you can distinguish the largest of Willandra's lakes: 1 - Mulurulu, 2 - Willandra, 3 - Garnpung, 4 - Lehur, 5 - Mungo, 6 - Arumpo, 7 - Chibnalwood


In addition to the ancient dry lakes, Willandra can “boast” of interesting semi-desert landscapes, somewhat reminiscent of the moon, among which small eucalyptus groves are occasionally found

The territory of the lake region turned out to be a treasure trove of traces of human activity dating back to 45-60 millennia BC, and the human remains found here in 1968 and 1974 are the oldest burial places of our ancestors today!


Wildlife of Western Tasmania


In a region that was once subject to brutal glaciation, parks and reserves with steep gorges cover more than 1 million hectares, making Western Tasmania's forests some of the last temperate forests in the world. The remains found in limestone caves indicate that people appeared here more than 20 thousand years ago.

The island of Tasmania, discovered in 1642 by the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, is located off the southwest east coast Australia. It is cut off from the mainland by the Bass Strait, on its western side Indian Ocean, from the east - the Tasman Sea.

The nature of Tasmania amazes with its pristine fabulous beauty, splendor and uniqueness of landscapes - this is Mountain peaks and centuries-old, sometimes impenetrable tropical forests, quiet green valleys and fast rivers with crystal clean water and icy waterfalls, picturesque gorges and volcanoes, colorful meadows with marvelous flowers and the mirror surface of lakes, sea ​​shores with a great many narrow bays and snow-white beaches. Surprisingly, the nature of Tasmania still preserves vast spaces where no human has ever set foot.

Orange-bellied parrot, southwest Tasmania. There are about 150 of them left in the wild. A huge number of plants, eucalyptus forests, tree ferns - the wildlife of western Tasmania is in many ways very similar to Australia. In the local mild, humid climate there are both evergreen and deciduous trees.


Many of them reach incredible sizes. The globular eucalyptus, for example, can be up to one hundred and twenty meters in height. There are also southern beeches and Franklin pines with very valuable red wood, spinous atrotaxis (some representatives of the species have lived for more than two centuries), cypress anthrotaxis, rare species of mosses and lichens.

The wildlife of western Tasmania is teeming with exotic animals. This paradise is home to the Tasmanian devil, red wallaby, Tasmanian bettong, marsupial wolf, dingoes, platypuses, koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, opossums, and approximately 150 species of birds.


The cultural heritage of this region, which was the southernmost area of ​​human habitation on our planet, is also of enormous interest. There are more than 40 sacred places local aborigines, which are still of exceptional importance for the modern aboriginal population. Archaeological finds Priceless art collections have been compiled from this region.
It is known, however, that modern cultural history Tasmania is full of drama and even tragedy. During the colonization of the island by Europeans local population The islands were almost completely destroyed. According to the 1961 census, there was one (!) Aboriginal person in Tasmania. Now there are many more of them officially listed, but does this mean that the connection between times has been restored? The noted specificity of the region can also be traced in its toponymy.

Here are the names of the rivers of the World Heritage region: Gordon, Franklin, Andrew, Denison, Maxwell, etc. and so on. Needless to say, historically, until quite recently, all these rivers had completely different names, reflecting, as elsewhere in the world, their characteristic features in the languages ​​of those people who lived on their banks. Fortunately, many mainland areas of Australia have still retained their natural toponymy, which is also part of the heritage - natural and cultural.

Tasmania Island - world heritage wilderness area of ​​1.38 million hectares. It is a stronghold of tropical forests, alpine nature and pristine habitats of rare and endangered animals and plants.

The island of Tasmania is interesting for its extraordinary nature - it is the only place in the region where a temperate climate prevails; in the Southern Hemisphere, this is found only in the south of Chile and Argentina. Tasmania is the smallest state of Australia.


Almost the entire territory of the island is a large nature reserve. Almost a quarter of its territory has not yet experienced human influence. Impenetrable forests and jungles, mysterious and strange forest animals, a huge number of rare bird species, a large number of fish in mountain lakes and rivers. One of the legendary inhabitants of the forests of Tasmania is the Tasmanian devil, however, recently the number of this unusual wild animal has decreased significantly.


The nature of Tasmania is exceptional and has no analogues in the world. The heart of Tasmanian wilderness is the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. Here you can see amazing mountain peaks, tropical forests, deep river valleys, picturesque gorges. And among all this splendor, protected rivers meander.


Can't be ignored national park-mountain Cradle Lake St. Clair. This national park– one of the most famous natural monuments, it is included in the list of monuments cultural heritage humanity.


Local lakes – popular place trout fishing and bushwalking, and in the local restaurants you can try real Tasmanian cuisine and taste wonderful Tasmanian wine. Icy rivers cascade from the jagged peaks and flow into transparent lakes. It offers stunning views of ancient rainforests and alpine moorlands
. East Coast Rainforests
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia are a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the east coast of mainland Australia, on the border between the states of Queensland and New South Wales.





Listed world heritage in 1986 (expanded in 1994) under the name Australian East Coast Temperate and Subtropical Rainforest Parks. It then included 16 areas of rainforest in New South Wales (an area of ​​about 203,500 hectares). In 1994, the facility was expanded to include 40 more facilities, most of which were located in the state of Queensland. Between 1994 and 2007 it was called the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves.






Currently, there are about 50 separate reserves located on its territory, located between the Australian cities of Newcastle and Brisbane. All of them stretch for 500 km along the Great Dividing Range in eastern New South Wales and southern Queensland, and the site itself is a collection of numerous areas of rainforest, which are surrounded by eucalyptus forests and farmland. The rainforests of Australia's east coast are the most extensive subtropical rainforests in the world. total area the object is about 370 thousand hectares.




From a scientific point of view, they are important because they represent a huge accumulation of ancient Australian vegetation, formed at a time when the modern continent was still part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The terrain on which the forests are located is varied. It includes numerous gorges, prehistoric volcanoes, waterfalls, and rivers.




The world of flora and fauna is extremely rich: about half of all Australian plant families and about a third of Australian mammal and bird species are recorded in forests (even though forests occupy only 0.3% of the total area of ​​mainland Australia).
Wet Tropics of Queensland

The Wet Tropics of Queensland is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the north-eastern coast of mainland Australia, in the state of Queensland. The property is a wilderness area covered in tropical rainforests and characterized by a wide variety of terrain (rivers, gorges, waterfalls, mountains). Located in the Daintree Valley, covering an area of ​​8940 km². Included in the World Heritage List in 1988.




Great Dividing Range
The property has three main geographic regions: the Great Dividing Range plateau, the Great Cliffs region to the east, and the coastal plains. The plateau has a highly eroded topography, formed as a result of both erosion and past volcanic activity.

Individual lava cones and crater lakes. The Big Cliffs area is rugged terrain that has suffered catastrophic erosion. There are numerous gorges and waterfalls. The northern part of the World Heritage Site contains extensive areas of coral reefs.

Coral reefs
The climate varies from humid to very humid. There are two seasons in the year: a relatively dry winter and a rainy summer. Average annual precipitation ranges from 4000 mm near the coast to 1200 mm in the western part. The average maximum temperature near the coast in summer is 31°C, and 5°C lower in the winter months. On the plateau and in the area of ​​cliffs, the temperature in summer ranges from 28 to 17 °C, in winter - from 22 to 9 °C.

The world of flora and fauna is extremely rich: about 380 species of plants and 102 species of animals that are endangered or considered rare are registered in the forests. Forests are home to 30% of Australia's recorded marsupial species, 58% of bat species, 29% of frogs, 20% of reptiles, 58% of butterflies and 40% of bird species. Scientifically, native rainforests are important because represent a huge accumulation of ancient Australian vegetation, formed at a time when the modern continent was still part of the supercontinent Gondwana. There are extensive mangrove forests covering an area of ​​about 136 km².

Local forests are the traditional settlement site of the Australian Aborigines, who settled the region more than 50 thousand years ago.
Shark Bay, Western Australia


Photo from space
Shark Bay is a bay in the northwestern part of the Australian state of Western Australia, located approximately 650 km north of the city of Perth.





On old English and Dutch maps it was called "Shark Bay". The bay is a bay with average depth 10 meters, which is cut by two peninsulas protruding into the Indian Ocean. Today, Shark Bay attracts about 120,000 tourists annually. In 1991 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.




In 1629, the Dutch traveler Francois Pelsaert described the bay coast as a lifeless and dreary place. The bay received its first name - Shark Bay - at the end of the 17th century, when an English ship under the command of Captain William Dampier reached the shores of Western Australia and stopped in the bay.






Around this time, Dampier mapped the coastline of the bay. According to one version, Shark Bay got its name because the sailors of the ship under the command of Dampier caught a giant shark, which was used as food for the hungry crew. According to another, the most common version, the bay received this name because more than ten species of sharks live in its waters, including the tiger shark.


Stromatolites in Hamelin Pool


In 1991, the bay was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a unique ecosystem. The basis of the ecosystem is algae, covering more than 4000 km² of the bay bottom. Plankton, consisting of shrimp and small fish, finds shelter in them. Algae is also the main food for dugongs, of which there are about 10 thousand.


Shark Bay is one of the world's largest dugong habitats. Bottlenose dolphins are found in the bay, attracting biologists from all over the world to the bay. At the southernmost part of the bay is a shallow bay called Hamelin Pool, the world's largest stromatolite formation, which is almost 3 billion years old.
Fossils of Australian mammals (Riversleigh and Naracoorte)

The world's most important fossil sites in Australia are Riversleigh (in the north-east of the mainland) and Naracoorte (in the south-east). In Riversleigh, Queensland, the fossilized bones are very well preserved, thanks to an ideal environment (the calcareous plain is rich in surface water), which, unfortunately, is not so favorable for plant remains.

Paleontologists have discovered fossils of animals that date back to the Cenozoic era (65 million years). These are the fossil remains of bison, frogs, and kangaroos. In 2001, the remains of a marsupial lion, a distant relative of koalas, were found here.

Scientists have found that in the Miocene, herbivorous marsupial mammals lived in the Riversleigh forests - wallabies and rat kangaroos, huge diprotodonts and “strange-toothed” yalcaparidonts. And the last representative of the carnivorous striped marsupial wolf (thylacine, “marsupial tiger”, “Tasmanian wolf”) died relatively recently - in 1933, in captivity.

Of the discovered fossil birds, the “thunderbirds” are noteworthy, resembling ostriches in appearance and being the ancestors of modern flightless species.

In a region that was once subject to brutal glaciation, parks and reserves with steep gorges cover more than 1 million hectares, making Western Tasmania's forests some of the last temperate forests in the world. The remains found in limestone caves indicate that people appeared here more than 20 thousand years ago.

Covering an area of ​​over 1 million hectares, the Tasmanian Wilderness constitutes one of the last expanses of temperate rainforest in the world. It includes a contiguous network of conserved lands that extends across much of southwest Tasmania including several offshore islands.

Unlike the mainland, the island of Tasmania is a rugged area with fold structures in the western half and fault structures in the east, both of which are represented in the property. The fold structure area in the southwest is an extremely rugged and densely vegetated area with north-south oriented mountain ranges and valley systems. Changing climates have also influenced landscape development, highlighted most recently by the Late Cenozoic and Pleistocene glacial and periglacial events. Glacial erosion has contributed to spectacular landform features including horns, sharp ridges, amphitheatres, U-shaped valleys and tarns. The coastline was subject to many sea level changes during the freezes and now provides a classic example of a drowned landscape, as shown by the counter coastline on South. The special landforms associated with the development of karst were formed through the solution of carbonate rocks such as (Precambrian) dolomite and (Ordovician) limestone. Features include cave systems, natural arches, clints and grikes, sinkholes, karren, pinnacles and blind valleys.

Vegetation has so much along with cool, temperate areas South America and New Zealand as with the rest of Australia. In addition to climatic and edaphic factors, vegetation has evolved in response to fire. Aboriginal occupation has accounted for the main source of fire for the past 30,000 years; later, much fire can be attributed to the interests of fishermen, logging problems and scouts. The fauna is of global importance because it includes an unusually high percentage of local species and relict groups of ancient origin. Due to the varied topography, geology, soils and vegetation in cooperation with harsh and variable climatic conditions, combining to create a vast array of animal habitats, the fauna is correspondingly diverse.

The isolation of Tasmania, and the Tasmanian Wilderness in particular, contributed to its uniqueness and helped protect it from the impact of rare species, which severely affected mainland fauna. Tasmania was cut off from mainland Australia by the Bass Strait flood at least 8,000 years ago, thus isolating the original inhabitants. The Tasmanian Aborigines were, until the advent of European explorer Abel Tasman, the longest isolated human group in world history, surviving approximately 500 generations without outside influence.

Surveys and excavations of the inland river valleys have located 37 cave sites, all believed to have been occupied between 30,000 and 11,500 years ago based on the finds. Recent discoveries of rock art at three cave sites indicate that this painting had ceremonial significance; hand over the prevailing stencils. Stone artifact scatter and quarries and mountain shelters in Tasmania mountainous area indicate a distinctive adaptation to this subalpine environment in the later Golocsin. South coast contains a range of shell middens; The data available so far suggests changing patterns of shellfish exploitation over several thousand years before the arrival of Europeans in the early 19th century.