Australia physical features

1. Australia Map
Atlas- pg 96-97
Coach book- pages 173-174
Textbook
Step #1Step #1
Using your Using your
map, color and map, color and
label the label the
following following
locations and locations and
physical physical
featuresfeatures
Australian Australian
Territories Territories
(Western Australia, (Western Australia,
Northern Territory, Northern Territory,
Queensland, South Queensland, South
Australia, New South Australia, New South
Wales, Victoria, Wales, Victoria,
Tasmania)Tasmania)
Great Barrier Great Barrier
ReefReef
Coral SeaCoral Sea
Ayers RockAyers Rock
Great Great
Victoria DesertVictoria Desert
Step #2Step #2
Textbook- Textbook- Read Read
pages 736-739pages 736-739
- In the Section 1
“
- In the Section 1
“
Assessment
”
Assessment
”
answer # 3,4,5,6answer # 3,4,5,6
Step #3Step #3
CoachbookCoachbook -Read -Read
pages 173-179, and pages 173-179, and
do #450-462do #450-462

3. Geographic
Features of
Australia
Unit 10 Notes
Bennet t

4. I. Australia’s Physical
Features

5. Australia…
The world’s smallest and flattest continent…
Has Earth’s oldest and least fertile soils
Only Antarctica receives less rainfall!
Commonwealth of Australia also includes
Tasmania, an island south of the mainland
It’s surrounded by the Indian and Pacific
Oceans

7. Huge desert plains stretch across the
country’s middle--central Australia’s
climate is hot and dry
Milder climates along the southeastern
and southwestern coasts
Most Australians live in the southeastern
coastal region

9. Great Barrier Reef
World’s largest coral reef!
Lies off the northeast coast of
Queensland--over 1,200 miles long
Contains an amazing variety of marine
life, including the world’s largest collection
of coral
400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish, &
4,000 mollusks (snails, clams, octopi, & squid)
Also includes rare species like the sea cow and
the large green turtle

12. Great Barri er Reef f rom
space

18. Coral Sea
An important source of coral for the Great
Barrier Reef
Part of the Pacific Ocean
Off the northeast coast of Australia
When the earth’s crust moved millions of years
ago, it created the Coral Sea and the Great
Dividing Range (largest mountain range in
Australia)
Coral Sea islands are scattered over thousands
of miles of ocean--no one lives on the islands
except for a small group of weather specialists

22. Ayers Rock
A huge, reddish rock in the center of
Australia
Very close to the geographic center of the
continent…
It’s a monolith, which is a single, large rock
sticking out of the earth
Appears reddish because its iron content
“rusts” at the surface
Nearly 12 stories high and almost 6 miles
wide!

24. Ayers Rock
Aborigines call it “Uluru”, which is its official
name
European surveyor visited the rock in 1873
and named it after Sir Henry Ayers, an
English government official in South
Australia
In 1950, Australia created Uluru-Kata Tjuta
National Park around Ayers Rock
Both are located in the southwest corner of the
state called Northern Territory

27. Great Victoria Desert
Stretches through the states of South
Australia and Western Australia
Receives only 8 to 10 inches of rain
each year, and it never snows!
Some grasslands in the desert along
with sandhills and salt

30. Great Victoria Desert
First Europeans to cross the desert
named it after British Queen
Victoria in 1875
160,000 miles long & is a protected
wilderness area
Very few Australians live here
because it’s too hot and dry

32. Design-A-Plate
There is a new Australian restaurant in Alpharetta! The
restaurant owner is planning to serve yummy Australian foods,
like Down Under Cheese Hoppers and Sydney Spicy Shrimp. Even
though he has an awesome Australian menu lined up, he has one
small problem…He doesn’t have any plates to serve the food on!
The owner needs your help in designing plates that could be used
in his restaurant.
He wants you to create a plate that includes the important
physical features of Australia: Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef,
Coral Sea, and the Great Victoria Desert. Feel free to add any
additional illustrations to your plate design—the more Australian,
the better! The plate should be colorful, informative, and
creative. 
On the back, explain the important information about each
physical feature

33. II. Australia’s Political
Features

34. Australia…
Is divided into 2 territories and 6 states:
States: Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia,
Western Australia, New South Wales,
Queensland
Territories: Northern Territory and
Australian Capital Territory

36. Tasmania
Island off the southeast coast of the
mainland
Almost ½ is unspoiled land that is
protected by the government

38. Tasmanian Devil?

41. Victoria
State closest to Tasmania
Southeast part of the mainland
Capital is Melbourne; it’s the most
urban state in Australia
The many rivers of the region are a
good source of fresh water for farming

44. South Australia
State in south-central Australia
The Great Victoria Desert is located
here…

48. Western Australia
Largest state; makes up 1/3rd of the
mainland
Most of Western Australia is desert
(Great Victoria Desert and Great
Sandy Desert are located here)

50. Great Sandy Desert

51. New South Wales
North of Victoria, on the eastern coast
Has more people than any other
Australian state
The capital, Sydney, is the most
populated city in Australia -- 3 1/2 million
people live there!
Australian Capital Territory is located
here

53. Sydney, New Sout h
Wal es

54. Queensland
Second largest state; 7 times the size of
England!
In the northeastern part of the mainland
Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast in
the Coral Sea
More than half of Queensland’s population
lives in the capital: Brisbane

56. Brisbane

58. Northern Territory
Northern coast of the mainland,
between Western Australia and
Queensland
Largest population of Aborigines in
Australia

61. Australian Capital Territory
Located in New South Wales
The national capital, Canberra,
is located here

63. Canberra (Aust ral i a’ s
Capi t al )

64. Design-A-Plate
There is a new Australian restaurant in Alpharetta! The
restaurant owner is planning to serve yummy Australian foods,
like Down Under Cheese Hoppers and Sydney Spicy Shrimp. Even
though he has an awesome Australian menu lined up, he has one
small problem…He doesn’t have any plates to serve the food on!
The owner needs your help in designing plates that could be used
in his restaurant.
He wants you to create a plate that includes the important
physical features of Australia: Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef,
Coral Sea, and the Great Victoria Desert. Feel free to add any
additional illustrations to your plate design—the more Australian,
the better! The plate should be colorful, informative, and
creative. 
On the back, explain the important information about each
physical feature