Australia has one of the world’s most distinct and rich environments. It is also home to the world’s oldest living culture.

The National Landscapes Program is a Tourism Australia and Parks Australia innovation, inspired by the knowledge that around the world not only is the term “national park” seen by consumers as a prime tourism attraction, it is used sparingly to describe a few but significant regions. While the USA has 57 National Parks and Canada has 41, Australia has more than 600.

A National Landscape goes beyond individual National Parks or iconic visitor attractions. The program transcends municipal and State boundaries. National Landscapes are united by their topography, and their environmental or cultural significance.

Following are Australia’s first ten National Landscapes.

Australia’s Red Centre

The heart of Australia, it is a land of timeless beauty, endless plains and monuments of nature – World Heritage Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the McDonnell Ranges and Kings Canyon. Experience  Aboriginal culture, meet colourful outback characters, visit a local pub, go camel riding, sleep under the stars in a swag, cook dinner over the campfire, swim in secluded waterways and discover the unique flora and fauna.

Kakadu

Kakadu National Park is one of the great World Heritage areas, recognised universally as a place with a living Aboriginal culture (home to Bininj and Mungguy people), and features extraordinary natural landscapes such as Jim Jim Falls and a rich variety of plants and animals. Kakadu has the highest concentration of Aboriginal art sites in the world.

 Flinders Ranges

The rugged majesty of the Flinders Ranges is an ancient landscape. Wilpena Pound is the Ranges’ great landmark. But there are many Ranges –from the ABC and Arkaba to Heysen and Gammon-Vulkathunha. They all share the “magic hour” when the late afternoon light bathes the ramparts and slopes in colour.

 Australian Alps

Unexpected contrasts, both physical and spiritual, are embodied in its landscape and people. Stretching from Canberra through the Brindabella Range to the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales and along the Great Divide through eastern Victoria, Australia’s alpine and subalpine environments are unique and special and contain the headwaters of some of Australia’s most important rivers.

 Great Ocean Road

Stretching from Geelong to Portland it is a place of infinite diversity, taking in exquisite coastal scenery. Highlights include the Twelve Apostles, pristine beaches, historic towns, Otways, shipwrecks, waterfalls, lighthouses and wildlife. Tower Hill, near Warrnambool, is a site of significance for the Gunditjmara people.

Australia’s Green Cauldron

The ancient crater of the world’s second largest shield volcano stretches from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast and west towards the Great Dividing Range. It shelters a huge diversity of rare flora and fauna, and subtropical rainforests, all framed by a breathtaking semi-circle of mountain ranges. World Heritage-listed Mount Warning has special meaning for Indigenous communities. It was used for initiation ceremonies and spiritual education, and retains its cultural significance.

 Australia’s Coastal Wilderness

A rare and relatively untouched region with an unspoilt wilderness coastlines, pristine lakes and tall forests, Australia’s Coastal Wilderness provides authentic year-round experiences relating to landscapes, natural history and living Indigenous culture. The region’s Croajingolong National Park is listed by UNESCO as a World Biosphere. Other highlights include the remarkable folded coloured rock at Quarry Beach, and historic lighthouses at Point Hicks, Gabo Island and Green Cape.

Kangaroo Island

Australia’s third largest island, located 15kms from South Australia’s mainland, features one national park, twenty-one conservation parks, one conservation reserve, and five wilderness protection areas. Native animals abound in pristine natural settings. See Australian sea lions playing at Seal Bay and penguins in Penneshaw or Kingscote. Visit historic lighthouses and Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks in Flinders Chase National Park. Hike Hanson Bay or go caving in Kelly Hill Conservation Park. From Stokes Bay to Vivonne Bay, the island’s beaches are inviting to swim, surf, fish and dive wrecks.

 Greater Blue Mountains

This World Heritage Area is Australia’s most accessible wilderness, stretching over one million hectares. It is a place of extraordinary wild beauty, where the blue haze of World Heritage listed eucalypts is splashed across golden sandstone It is an ancient land of 350 million year old cave systems, serpentine slot canyons and the prehistoric Wollemi Pine. Traditional Country of six Aboriginal language groups and

Australia’s cradle of conservation and bushwalking, this accessible wilderness is on Sydney’s doorstep, but feels a world away.

 The Kimberley region

A vast landscape featuring rugged gorges and magnificent waterfalls, spectacular coastline, and remote beaches. It is home to World Heritage listed Purnululu National Park featuring the Bungle Bungles; the orange and black sandstone domes that rise 300 metres above the grass covered plains. The region also includes Broome, Gibb River Road, Buccaneer Archipelago and Horizontal Falls, Windjana Gorge National Park, Montgomery Reef, Kununurra, Tunnel Creek National Park, Voyages El Questro Wilderness Park, and Savannah Way.  Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of this area is its high concentration of authentic indigenous tourism experiences.

More information

More information on the National Landscapes program can be obtained by visiting www.tourism.australia.com/nl