Why go
This geography helps explain why an east-coast trip feels unlike one through the interior. The Great Dividing Range lies close to the east coast, the Murray–Darling and Lake Eyre basins occupy lower country, and much of the west is a dry plateau broken by ranges.
The full story
Australia lies between the Indian and Pacific oceans and has no land borders. Its western half is dominated by the Western Plateau, generally low and dry but interrupted by ranges including the MacDonnell and Musgrave ranges. Surface water is limited across much of this region, though substantial rivers run through parts of the west and north. The Central Lowlands lie between the plateau and the Eastern Highlands. They include the Murray–Darling system, Lake Eyre Basin and Great Artesian Basin. Near the east coast, the Great Dividing Range separates a relatively narrow coastal plain from inland country. The east has higher relief, more rainfall and denser settlement than much of the continent's interior. Tasmania is a large mountainous island to the southeast. Off Queensland's northeast coast, the Great Barrier Reef forms an extensive coral reef system. The mainland's worn, often low landforms reflect a long geological history, so apparent flatness on a map can still conceal major differences in water, vegetation and terrain.