Australia’s Major Landforms & Drainage Basins

1.     The three main land regions in Australia are:

·         The Western Plateau

·         The Central Lowlands

·         The Eastern Highlands

2.    The Australian Alps stretch from the Brindabella Range north of Canberra to the Baw Baw Range east of Melbourne.

3.    The mountains of the Australian Alps are rounded because of water erosion.

4.    Ularu is located 335km south-west of Alice Springs in the Ularu-Kata Tjuta National Park

5.    Ularu (also known as Ayers Rock) is located on the southern edge of an area called the Amadeus and is the second largest monolith in the world.  It is 9.4 km around the base and extends several kilometres into the ground. It was made over millions of years when the sea compressed years of sediment into one giant rock. 300 million years ago, the sea receded and the rocks were tilted and folded nearly 90 degrees. This is their present position. Soon, other rocks around Ularu which were not as strong eroded quickly leaving Ularu exposed.

Due to the way sun passes through the atomosphere, Ularu seems to change colour at different times of the day.

6.    Ularu appears to change colour due to the way the Sun’s rays pass through the atmosphere.

7.    A Drainage Basin is an area of land that is drained by a river and its tributaries.

8.    The two largest Drainage Basins in Australia are the Murray Darling Basin and the Lake Eyre Basin.

9.    The three longest rivers in Australia are the Murray, the Darling and the Murrumbidgee rivers.

10.  The water in the Lake Eyre Basin flows towards Lake Eyre.

11.  The thing which is unusual about the Finke River is that it only flows a few days a year.

12. The Franklin River flows for 125km from the Cheyne Range to the Gordon River. The Franklin River has become synonymous with conservation ever since the ‘Battle to Save the Franklin’ rescued it from damming for hydro-electric power in the 1980’s.

13.  The court ruling which eventually saved The Franklin was made by the High Court of Australia in July 1983 that gave the Commonwealth power over the states and territories to protect nationally important environments.

15. a.) The Western Plateau: The Western Plateau is a high landscape which extends through Western Australia, most of the Northern Territory and most of South Australia. The land height reaches up to 2000m above sea level in some parts but most, up to 500m. The Western Plateau contains a few ranges which include the Barrow Range and the Musgrave Range as well containing a few lakes including Lake Camegie.

The Central Lowlands: The Central Lowlands is quite close to sea level and takes up some of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The land reaches up to 200m above sea level and in some parts, below sea level. The Central Lowlands contains The Simpson Desert which lies on a flat desolate landscape and also contains some Lakes and Reservoirs.

The Eastern Highlands: The Eastern Highlands is a high landscape which extends on the East Coast in parts of Victoria, NSW and Queensland. The land reaches up to 500m in most parts and in some, up to 2000m. The Eastern Highlands contains the Great Dividing Range which runs up the East coast separating the sea from the land. 

b.) i. Lake Carnegie: Western Plateau

     ii. Gibson Desert: Western Plateau

     iii. Simpson Desert: Central Lowlands

     iv. Mt Kosciuszko: Eastern Highlands

     v. Musgrave Ranges: Western Plateau

c.) i. The highest place on the transect from Shark Bay to Maroochydore is the Musgrave Ranges

    

     ii. The lowest place on the transect from Shark Bay to Maroochydore is the Simpson Desert.

d.) i. The Great Sandy Desert: Up to 500m

     ii. The Great Victoria Desert: Up to 1000m

     iii. The Tanami Desert: Up to 500m

16. a.) i. Tennant Creek: Not in the Lake Eyre Basin

     ii. Mt Isa: Not in the Lake Eyre Basin

     iii. Finke: Is in the Lake Eyre Basin

     iv. Innaminka: Is in the Lake Eyre Basin

     v. Birdsville: Is in the Lake Eyre Basin

b.) It is approximately 800km from Winton to Lake Eyre.

c.) The Cooper Creek connects Longreach and Innaminka.

d.) Cooper Creek passes through the Sturt Stony Desert.

e.) The Finke River flows towards The Simpson Desert (NW) when full of water.

1.    

1.6 Australia’s Climate & Vegetation

1.     Climate is the pattern of weather that is expected in a particular place.

2.    Latitude influences climate as the Earth receives more of the Sun’s energy at the Equator than at the Poles. Hence, temperatures increase as latitude increases.

3.    During the summer in Australia, the pressure is low in the North and high in the South. During winter, the pressure is high in the north and low in the south.

4.    Oceans influence climate as currents from nearer the poles bring cooler conditions and those from nearer the Equator bring warmer conditions.

5.    Relief has an influence on climate as the temperature decreases with height. Moist air that is forced to rise by Mountains cools, and the water vapour condenses, producing increased cloud cover and precipitation. Highland areas are cooler and wetter than lowland areas.

6.    a.) The usefulness of average climate statistics for an Australian Farmer      helps them understand which crop they should plant in each month and shows them how much they need to irrigate the crops.

b.) The usefulness of average climate statistics for an Australian Tourist helps them understand where they should visit and at what times so that they can avoid bad weather.

     7.  The relationship between climate and vegetation is that in the tropical areas, the more rainforests and woodlands and in the drier areas, there are more shrubs and desert plants. This is because as rainfall decreases towards the centre of the continent trees give way to shrubs and then low-growing desert plants.

     8. a.) Darwin:

·         The Rainfall is 142.4mm

·         The Average Max Temperature is 31.96 Degrees Celsius

·         The Average Min Temperature is 23.22 Degrees Celsius

Hobart:

·         The Average Rainfall is 47.43mm

·         The Average Max Temperature is 17.05 Degrees Celsius

·         The Average Min Temperature is 7.78 Degrees Celsius

b.) The limitations of using average figures to describe the climate are that you can’t mention every temperature and precipitation of every day.

9.   a.) Alice Springs has the greatest temperature range.

      b.) Melbourne has the most seasonable rainfall.

The New Zealand Earthquake

1.     a.)The Cause of the Earthquake in New Zealand was the two tectonic plates (the Pacific plate and the Australian-Indian plate)  rubbing against each other causing the ground to shake.

b.)The earthquake occurred in the city of Christchurch. The shock waves affected outer cities and towns within approximate 100km radios of Christchurch.

 c.)The Earthquake took 65 lives and there are fears of more than 100 still in the rubble and hundreds of casualties

  d.) There is major damage through Christchurch as well as other parts of the country within 100km of the earthquake. Damage has been taken to most of the buildings and one in six will have to be demolished.

       e.) The current concerns of the earthquake are the fact that it will take over a decade to get Christchurch looking the way it was. There is also a concern for people trapped under the rubble and for people who have nowhere to stay.

 f.)  When I heard about the earthquake in Christchurch, I was shocked and upset of the lives taken and the damage done by the quake. I was also amazed at how quickly another major earthquake had occurred as it only just happened in September. I hope New Zealand can get back on its feet soon.