The Australian Continent

Mainland Australia, with an area of 7.69 million square kilometres, is the Earth’s largest island but smallest continent. Its ocean territory—the third largest in the world—spans three oceans and covers around 12 million square kilometres. Lying between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the country is approximately 4,000 km from east to west and 3,700 km from north to south. The highest point Mount Kosciuszko, New South Wales 2229 metres above sea level, and the lowest point at 15 metres below sea level is the dry bed of Lake Eyre, South Australia.

The bulk of the Australian land mass lies between latitudes 10 degrees 41 minutes (10° 41’) south (Cape York, Queensland) and 43° 38’ south (South East Cape, Tasmania) and between longitudes 113° 09’ east (Steep Point, Western Australia) and 153° 38’ east (Cape Byron, New South Wales). The most southerly point on the mainland is South Point (Wilson’s Promontory, Victoria) 39° 08’ south.

The State of Tasmania includes numerous small islands and extends to Macquarie Island approximately 1,470 km south east of the main island. The territories of Australia include the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, Heard Island, the McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, the Coral Sea Islands, Ashmore Island, and Cartier Island, in total some 12,000 islands.

Australia is currently moving north-east at a rate of 73 millimetres per year. Geoscience Australia monitors regional earthquake risk by measuring the movement of tectonic plates. The Australian continent is part of the Indian–Australian tectonic plate, which is slowly moving, carrying the continent with it. Geoscience Australia’s 16 global positioning system receivers are located across Australian territory, including three receivers at Australia’s Antarctic bases, one on Cocos Island and one on Macquarie Island south of New Zealand. Each receiver measures horizontal and vertical movement to an accuracy of one millimetre.