Discover the Top 11 Amazing Fun Facts About the Great Dividing Range!
1. Stairway to Geological Heaven
Who needs a gym membership when you can climb Australia's very own stairway to heaven? Not only does the Great Dividing Range give stairmasters a run for their money, but it also puts Led Zeppelin to shame: Stretching over 3,500 kilometers, this colossal mountain range starts at Dauan Island and runs along the eastern coast through Queensland and New South Wales, ultimately dissolving into the Wimmera plains as gentle hills. Over 300 million years in the making, this geological spectacle is the ultimate watershed for the region's river systems, proving that iron-pumping isn't the only kind of buff this range offers!
Source => en.wikipedia.org
2. Next Top Mountain Range
If the Great Dividing Range were a contestant on "Australia's Next Top Mountain Range," it would waltz away with the title while casually swatting away its puny competitors as if they were mere flies: This showstopping spectacle seems to never quit, stretching an impressive 3,500 kilometers from Queensland to Victoria and flaunting Mount Kosciuszko, the highest peak on the Australian mainland, at a sky-scraping 2,228 meters tall.
Source => britannica.com
Did you know the Appalachian Mountains once rivaled the Rockies and the Alps in height? Discover how Mother Nature transformed these towering giants over millions of years!
=> Fun Facts about The-Appalachian-Mountains
3. Victorian-era Watershed Aristocrat
Before you start singing "I'm On Top of the World," imagine being the Great Dividing Range, taking on the responsibility of splitting rivers like a Victorian-era aristocrat chopping cucumbers for afternoon tea: This geological “gossip gal” serves as the definitive watershed for eastern Australia, dividing the drainage basins of river systems on the east and west coasts, forming the fifth-longest land-based mountain chain globally and standing proud as mainland Australia's most substantial topographic feature.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
4. Ski-fi Winter Wonderland
Talk about ski-fi: the Great Dividing Range is secretly a winter wonderland in the guise of a seemingly mild-mannered mountain range! The serious reveal: boasting 284 kilometres of slopes, 142 ski lifts across 14 ski resorts, it offers thrill-seekers the ultimate snowy playground, from the expansive Perisher to the towering Thredbo at 2,037 metres high.
Source => skiresort.info
5. Geological Celebrity Influencer
If the Great Dividing Range were on social media, it would be the ultimate influencer, literally dividing a nation's watershed moment: Stretching over 3,500 kilometers from Dauan Island to Victoria, this geological celebrity marks the boundary between eastern Australia's river systems – not to mention being the country's longest mountain range, and originating from a dramatic continental collision over 300 million years ago.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
6. Mountain Chef of Australia
Feeding Australia with a mountainous green-thumb: The Great Dividing Range is your sneaky, top-secret chef prepping the nation's grub. In reality, it's the Murray-Darling basin spanning across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia - a vital source of one-third of Australia's food supply, thanks to A$3 billion worth of irrigated agriculture and impressive projects like the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
7. Rufous Bird's Boisterous Comeback
In this thrilling episode of Jurassic Park Down Under: the Rufous Scrub-Bird's boisterous comeback from the brink of extinction! This vociferous avian's melodious serenades echo across the Great Dividing Range, delighting unsuspecting birdwatchers and making it the life of the party in Australia's rich biodiversity.
Source => howegang.weebly.com
8. World Heritage Talent Show
If the Great Dividing Range were a talent show, the judges would be flabbergasted by the unique contestants representing World Heritage Acts like the Greater Blue Mountains, Gondwana Rainforests, and the Wet Tropics of Queensland: In this conglomeration of mountainous marvels lies a smorgasbord of flora and fauna that, unlike your great aunt's fruitcake, is found nowhere else on this planet.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
9. Intergalactic Gold Vault
When it comes to gold, it seems the universe has opened its "starry" vault in the land Down Under: The Great Dividing Range in Australia is enriched with gold deposits because of ancient supernovas that fused heavy elements, resulting in gold accumulation under the Earth's surface. This earthly fortune led to numerous gold rushes in the region, turning places like Ballarat and Bendigo into globally-renowned gold hotspots - now that's an intergalactic gift that keeps on giving!
Source => ergo.slv.vic.gov.au
10. Kangaroos' Epic Tea Parties
Where kangaroos and cockatoos hold the world's most epic tea parties and the echidnas are secretly excellent pastry chefs: The Great Dividing Range houses over 30,000 plant species and 4,000 animal species, including iconic Australian fauna like kangaroos, wallabies, platypus, and echidnas, as well as extraordinary ecosystems like the ancient Gondwana Rainforests.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
11. Subterranean 5-Star Accommodation for Bats
If you fancy a spelunk-tacular getaway, look no further than Australia's subterranean five-star accommodation for bats and glow worms: the Jenolan Caves in the Great Dividing Range are not only the largest and most famous cave system in Australia, but also boast the title of the world's oldest caves, enjoy World Heritage site status, and lure visitors from across the globe eager to explore their ancient wonders.
Source => jenolancaves.org.au