5 Rare Wonders of Western Australia

5 Rare Wonders of Western Australia

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Posted 2018-12-05 by finyfollow
There are many rare wonders in the state of Western Australia. Some are very different and most are really worth travelling to despite the long distances that separate this large state.

This list is some of these worthwhile wonders.

[b]LEANING TREES**
The coastal winds in Western Australia are known for their strong and unrelenting fury, but at Greenough Flats near Geraldton, the power of the wind is bought into stark display.

Situated on the Brand Highway, there is a stretch of River Gum trees which are growing horizontally instead of vertically! They are bent over at their trunks from the constant battering by these strong and salty southerly winds.

However, despite the odd appearance, these trees are still very much alive, thriving and otherwise in great condition. At this site of these trees, there is a car park where you can take delightful photos of this phenomena!

These leaning trees are around 20km south of Geraldton.



[b]KING TIDE**
A king tide is a natural event where tidal waters rise to a very high level. This happens in WA's North West and here there are some of the greatest tides on earth. The highest tides actually happen with the coming of the full and new moons and some people believe these natural events coincide with a rise in madness!

At King Sound, near Derby, they have one of the world's biggest king tides, with waters rising nearly 12m. These huge tidal events occur in late March and late April each year.

These huge tides also create incredible whirlpools in these coastal waters. Tidal changes are caused by the movement of water by the gravitational force of the moon and sun, but the tide is further made larger in the Kimberley coast because of the large continental shelf off-shore. This causes a spectacular effect on the high tides.

This incredible phenomenon is best seen against the backdrop of the very LONG jetty – but beware, there are crocodiles and sharks lurking in these muddied waters below!



[b]AURORA AUSTRALIS**
The southern hemisphere has its own version of the dazzling northern lights. This is called the southern lights or the Aurora Australis, and it is a rare phenomenon that you can sometimes see in southern WA skies.

This event is created by a collision of particles and gases in the Earth's atmosphere and these, in turn, create multicoloured lights in the night sky.

You can check out this link, or here to find out your chance of seeing this.

We are fortunate here in WA that it is possible to see it across the southern part of the State - in fact, the further south the better. It has however also been recorded in the Perth Hills and built-up areas like Mandurah. In order to see this, you need as little light pollution as possible, and you need moonlight and a cloudless night sky.



[b]DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS**
Around 130 million years ago, dinosaurs were walking through the area we now know as Gantheaume Point near Broome, in our North.

Here they left tracks in muddy riverbeds, and over a period of time those dinosaur footprints hardened and turned to rock. Nowadays when there is a very low tide, these dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point can be seen just as they were left!

Broome and the surrounding region has the biggest variegation of dinosaur tracks. Here there are footprints at different sites from four different dinosaur species, including the long-tailed sauropods. Many of these prints are longer than 1.5m, possibly being from a dinosaur of about 30 m in length. These are actually some of the biggest to ever walk the earth!



[b]STAIRCASE TO THE MOON**
Once again this phenomenon is up North along the Pilbara and Kimberley coastline. From April to October, the rising full moon will reflect in pools of water in the tidal mudflat corrugations. This will then create the effect of a [i]"long, shimmering streak."[/i] The golden staircase then appears to stretch from the horizon all the way to the shore.

Roebuck Bay in Broome is generally known as the best place to see this, however, it also occurs at other spots in the North West including Onslow, Dampier, Cossack and Port Hedland.

You can only see this staircase when the tide is low and when there is a full moon. Click on this link to find out more and see the dates for upcoming full moons in the region.



#child_friendly
#environment
#family_attractions
#lists
#nature
#places_of_interest
#travel
#western_australia
%wnperth
182026 - 2023-06-16 01:52:59

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