World Heritage Areas
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Nestled in the heart of the Great Eastern Ranges are 2 World Heritage sites. These are the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, located in north-east New South Wales and the Eucalypt-dominated sandstone plateaux and escarpments of the Greater Blue Mountains Area.
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Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia – protected within 50 National Parks and Reserves between Newcastle and Brisbane – were World Heritage listed in 1986. They includes rainforest along a 500 km stretch of the Great Eastern Ranges from Boonah in Queensland to the NSW Hunter region, less than 300 km north of Sydney.
World Heritage listing was based on scientific criteria including the genetic link many rainforest species found here today have with those occurring when Australia was part of the ancient Gondwana supercontinent. Although rainforests only cover about 0.3% of Australia they contain approximately 50% of all Australian plant families and 33% of Australia's mammal and bird species. The 50 parks and reserves contain the richest assemblage of primitive flowering plants in the world, include 5 major recognised rainforest types such as Antarctic Beech cool temperate rainforest, and contain important stands of old growth forest.
Learn more about the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia at the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website.
The Greater Blue Mountains
The Greater Blue Mountains Area was World Heritage listed in 2000. World Heritage listing was based on scientific criteria including evidence demonstrating the evolution of the Eucalypt tree in Australia. It contains 1 million hectares of sandstone plateaux, escarpments and gorges dominated by a variety of Eucalypt species. It contains a mix of vegetation communities, from wet and dry sclerophyll forests, to Mallee, heathlands, swamps, wetlands and grasslands.
Over 90Â Eucalypt species grow in the Greater Blue Mountains, which is 13%Â of all known species. It also contains over 120Â rare and threatened plant species, including the famous Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis), now restricted to a small number of sites. The Dwarf Mountain Pine (Pherosphaera fitzgeraldii) is another extraordinary and threatened plant. It is found only in the Blue Mountains, from Katoomba to Wentworth Falls and grows exclusively in the splash zones of waterfalls.
Learn more about the Greater Blue Mountains at the DEWHA website.
Australia's National Landscapes
Tourism Australia and Parks Australia have formed a partnership to identify landscapes capturing the essence of Australia and offering distinctive natural and cultural experiences. Australia's National Landscapes identifies inspirational destinations transcending borders and boundaries, promoting destinations and encouraging visitors to leave the breaten track and immerse themselves in local culture. Australian Alps National Parks are part of the National Landscapes Program.
The Greater Blue Mountains movie unveils the mysteries of the Blue Mountains
About World Heritage
World Heritage sites are places that are important to and belong to everyone, irrespective of where they are located. World Heritage sites belong to all peoples of the world! They have universal values important for all humanity, transcending the value they hold for any particular nation.
These qualities are expressed in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (the World Heritage Convention). Nominations for World Heritage are evaluated to see if they meet any one of the prescribed natural and / or cultural criteria set out under the convention
The World Heritage Convention aims to promote cooperation among nations to protect heritage from around the world that is of such outstanding universal value that its conservation is important for current and future generations.
Learn more about the Australia's World Heritage at the DEWHA website.
