Geology in Australia

Discover 40 places to experience unusual geology in Australia.

Clifton, Australia

Lake Clifton Thrombolites

An impressive site containing some of the earth’s rarest living fossils.

Lake Eacham, Australia

Lake Eacham

A pristine crater lake 12,000 years in the making, with waters like cut glass.

Deakin, Australia

Deakin Anticline

This fascinating and unusual geological formation dominates a suburb of Canberra.

Caiguna, Australia

Caiguna Blowhole

One of the breathing caves of Australia's Nullarbor Plain.

Mortana, Australia

Murphy’s Haystacks

These oddly shaped pink granite formations got their name after being mistaken for massive piles of hay.

Jewel Cave

Deepdene, Australia

Jewel Cave

This ancient limestone cave system contains many impressive geological features.

Tasmans Arch

Eaglehawk Neck, Australia

Tasmans Arch

A natural rock bridge towers above the sea.

Devon Meadows, Australia

Crystal World Exhibition Centre

A potpourri of rocks, fossils, and crystals is rounded out by a dinosaur garden and a 15-foot great white shark.

Sovereign Hill

Golden Point, Australia

Sovereign Hill

This outdoor museum harkens back to the height of the gold rush.

Buchan Caves Reserve

Buchan, Australia

Buchan Caves Reserve

These 400 million-year-old caves feature honeycomb limestone formations.

Lightning Ridge Baths

Lightning Ridge, Australia

Lightning Ridge Artesian Bore Baths

On the outskirts of an opal-mining town, these baths fed by a massive underground aquifer are a natural spa.

Heatherlie Quarry

Ledcourt, Australia

Heatherlie Quarry

Stone mined from this quarry was used in many prominent structures around Melbourne.

Macquarie Island lengthwise, the research station at center.

Macquarie Island

One of the only places where Earth’s mantle lies above water.

The museum has other letters, mementoes and equipment.

Brisbane, Australia

Museum of Lands, Mapping, and Surveying

Its collection highlights the monumental tasks undertaken to map Queensland.

The Totem Pole

Fortescue, Australia

Totem Pole

Many rock climbers have come to conquer this slender sea stack, with various degrees of success.

Black Mountain and its boulders.

Rossville, Australia

Black Mountain

Legend says entire herds of cattle have disappeared within this boulder-strewn landscape.