The most distant continent occupies only five percent of the entire land area on the planet and ranks sixth in terms of area among the world powers. Tourists are interested in everything here: the unique animal world, and impressive natural attractions, and the seas of Australia, washing its shores.
A bit of geography
Drifting in the Southern Hemisphere, the mainland has almost 60 thousand km of coastline together with islands. When asked which seas are in Australia, the geographical atlas answers by naming the names of the distant and mysterious Timor, Arafur, Tasman and Coral seas. The first in this list belongs to the Indian Ocean basin, while the rest belong to the Pacific.
The Timor Sea separates the northern coast of Australia from the island of Timor, and the largest Australian port on its coast is the city of Darwin. The Timor Sea connects with the Arafura Sea, which is well known to oyster lovers. It is here that their huge colonies are located, and the waters of the Arafur Sea attract those who are engaged in the extraction of popular seafood every day.
Which sea washes Australia and separates it from the islands of New Zealand? Tasmanovo, whose waters extend from south to north for more than 2800 km. It is named after a Dutch navigator. Abel Tasman was the first among the inhabitants of the Old World to reach these shores.
Diving on the dream reef
The northern and northeastern parts of the continent are washed by the Coral Sea, which houses a unique natural formation - the Great Barrier Reef. It is the largest on the planet, and its length exceeds 2,500 km. The reef is visible from space, and its significance in nature is so great that UNESCO included it in its program of protection.
There are several of the most popular resorts on the Great Barrier Reef:
- Lizard Island, whose hotels are some of the most expensive and luxurious on the reef. Lonely Planet has voted local diving as the best outdoor activity, and there is a wide range of recreational options for those who do not like diving.
- Heron Island, whose white sand on the beaches competes with the Caribbean, and the service - with the Maldivian. Helicopter and underwater excursions are followed by tastings of the best local wines, and night dives make diving especially romantic.
- Dunk Island is preferred by couples and tourists with children. Here are the most affordable prices and a lot of opportunities to watch butterflies and birds in their natural habitat.
