The Great Dividing Range

The Great Dividing Range is like Australia's super-long backbone, stretching all the way down the east coast. It's not just one mountain, but lots of hills, plateaus, and mountains all joined together. It's so big, it's the fifth-longest mountain chain in the whole world!

Think of it as a giant wall that helps decide where rivers flow. It's the most important bumpy bit of land on mainland Australia.

This amazing range started forming a super, super long time ago, even before dinosaurs! It's been shaped by nature over millions of years. It begins way up north near tiny islands and goes all the way down the eastern side of Australia. Sometimes it's wide, like a big road, and sometimes it's narrower. It's a truly ancient part of our planet, holding secrets from the past.

The Great Dividing Range is like a giant water-watcher! It makes sure that rain falling on one side goes into rivers that flow to the west, and rain on the other side flows to the east, towards the ocean. This is super important for all the plants, animals, and even people who live nearby.

It also has some of the highest places in Australia, like Mount Kosciuszko, which is taller than 200 giraffes stacked on top of each other!

On this giant range, you can find some really special places. There are rainforests that are so old, they're called Gondwana Rainforests, and they are like living museums of plants. There are also amazing tropical forests in Queensland. These places are home to unique animals and plants that you can't find anywhere else. It's a treasure chest of nature!