Australia’s most beautiful natural sites

Australia is a vast, so big in fact that it’s not technically a country, it’s a continent. It should come as no surprise then that there are literally hundreds of beautiful natural sites to admire. Australia, along with the US, has the most UNESCO natural world heritage sites of any country. These include the Great Barrier Reef, which can be seen from space, Fraser Island, the largest entirely sand island in the world and the Blue Mountains, a vast area of eucalypt forests and diverse flora and fauna.

 

If you are truly in search of natural wonders, Australia is a must see, but remember to take out travel insurance. Being so far away from pretty much every other country bar New Zealand and Indonesia, trips down under tend to be rather pricey, so you don’t want to fork out even more cash on unfortunate and unprepared for mishaps. Direct Travel offers single and annual travel insurance that includes cover for over 100 sports and activities which, in a land where adventure is actively encouraged, is a major bonus.

Now that you’ve got your travel insurance sorted, let’s take a closer look at some of those stunning UNESCO sites.

 

Stretching for over 2,600km along the Queensland coast of Australia is the Great Barrier Reef. This vast reef structure covers almost 350,000 square kilometres making it the world’s largest collection of coral reefs. There are more than 400 types of coral, 4,000 kinds of mollusc and 1,500 species of fish. From the heart-shaped reef, shown here on Lonelyplanet, is one of the most beautiful formations in nature. It’s found on the Hardy Reef near the Whitsunday Islands, where you’ll find Hill Inlet on Whitehaven Beach, which has to be one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on the planet.

 

At 1840 square kilometres, this sand island, also off Queensland’s coast, is the largest island in the world comprised entirely of sand. It is 120km long and 24 kilometres wide and its 75-mile beach is truly mesmerising. The wreckage of the S.S. Maheno adds character and depth and is a common photo stop. The island is home to a large community of dingos and some beautiful landscapes, including Lake McKenzie, which due to a huge mineral content is a vivid, glacial blue colour.

 

Just a few hours’ drive inland from Sydney is the Blue Mountains. This vast interconnected mountain area is home to steep, plunging gorges, expansive rocky plateaus and lush forest. The name Blue Mountains comes from one of its main plants, the eucalypt. Oil from the plants evaporates and reflects sunlight creating a blue hue over the entire region. There’s a massive amount of indigenous wildlife to try and spot, such as dingos, koalas and all manner of birds.