Collection
Australia & New Zealand
Old dry country and young volcanic ground, remote islands and long coasts, and wildlife found nowhere else.
Photo: Aoraki / Mount Cook. Photograph: Pseudopanax, Public domain
Australia and New Zealand pair old, dry country with young volcanic ground, and both have long coasts and outlying islands. In Australia the places run from the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea to Purnululu in the Kimberley, where banded sandstone towers rise from the savanna and the park closes in the wet season. Inland, pelicans arrive at Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre when floodwater reaches the salt lake, and at Lake Mungo people buried their dead more than 40,000 years ago. New Zealand adds the active volcanic plateau of Tongariro and the fiords and high peaks of the South Island. The Tongariro Crossing is best from December to March; the inland desert, from April.
All 25
KaikōuraCanterbury, New ZealandPhotograph: Whale Watch Kaikoura / Destination Kaikōura via Destination Kaikoura, CC BY 4.0
Lord Howe IslandNew South Wales, AustraliaPhotograph: HeijiD, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Coober PedySouth AustraliaPhotograph: Peter Myers via Flickr, The Strange Town of Coober Pedy, CC BY 2.0, cropped
Hamelin PoolShark Bay, Western AustraliaPhotograph: Halooch, History - panoramio - Halooch, CC BY 3.0, cropped
PurnululuEast Kimberley, Western AustraliaPhotograph: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0
TongariroCentral North IslandPhotograph: Follash, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
RakiuraSouthlandPhotograph: Jake Osborne, Ruggedy Mountains, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
Kati Thanda–Lake EyreFar North, South AustraliaPhotograph: Stephan Ridgway, Lake Eyre North Panorama 2014, CC BY 2.0, cropped
The Great Barrier ReefQueensland, AustraliaPhotograph: Ayanadak123, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Milford Sound / PiopiotahiFiordland, Southland, New ZealandPhotograph: Szilas, Public domain
The Twelve ApostlesPort Campbell National Park, Victoria, AustraliaPhotograph: Christopher Harriot, ApostleS, CC BY 2.0
Aoraki / Mount CookCanterbury, New ZealandPhotograph: Pseudopanax, Public domain
The Blue MountainsNew South Wales, Australia
The PinnaclesNambung National Park, Western AustraliaPhotograph: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Horizontal FallsKimberley, Western AustraliaPhotograph: Reefpix (Pete Heatherwick), CC BY-SA 4.0
Maria IslandTasmania, AustraliaPhotograph: Christopher Harriot, Painted Cliffs, CC BY 2.0
Chatham IslandsChatham Islands Territory, New ZealandPhotograph: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner, Wharekauri Beach, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
Christmas Island (Indian Ocean)Territory of Christmas Island, AustraliaPhotograph: Raphael Bick via Unsplash, Unsplash licence
Aotea / Great Barrier IslandHauraki Gulf, Auckland, New ZealandPhotograph: LBM1948, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Norfolk IslandNorfolk Island, Australia (external territory)Photograph: Grant Charsley via Unsplash, Unsplash licence
Waitomo Glowworm CavesWaitomo, King Country, Waikato, New ZealandPhotograph: Karora, Public domain, cropped
Lake MungoMungo National Park, New South Wales, AustraliaPhotograph: Caroline Jones, CC0, cropped
QueenstownOtago, South Island, New ZealandPhotograph: Sarah Precious via Unsplash, Unsplash licence, cropped
Wineglass Bay and FreycinetEast coast, Tasmania, AustraliaPhotograph: Tim Hart via Unsplash, Unsplash licence
The DaintreeFar North Queensland, AustraliaPhotograph: David Clode via Unsplash, Unsplash licence, cropped
About this collection
Notes on sources. This Collection groups existing Field Guide entries; each entry carries its own sources. Written and fact-checked by SockMonkey.com. Last reviewed 29 September 2026.
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- Oceania & the Pacific (region, 25 of these)
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