UNESCO
Australian Wonders
You’ve seen the emblem: the iconic square logo signifying a UNESCO World Heritage site. It graces those ‘must-see’ lists we all consult. But what does it mean for a place to earn this prestigious designation?
WORDS Patricia Maunder
Spectacular, amazing, beautiful. Words like these flow freely when explaining a destination, but you can be confident they apply when UNESCO decrees that a place has ‘outstanding universal value.’ The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization started its World Heritage list in 1978 with locations like the Galápagos Islands and Germany’s Aachen Cathedral. It now includes more than 1,200 ‘properties,’ as they are called.
After a country nominates a site or related group of sites, UNESCO determines whether it meets at least one of 10 cultural and natural criteria. For example, it might be a ‘masterpiece of human creative genius’ or contain ‘significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity.’ Most properties are either culturally or naturally exceptional, while some are both, or ‘mixed.’
Each July, UNESCO announces additions to the list and considers whether any existing properties risk losing their value. Threats like pollution, inappropriate development or poorly managed tourism can land a property on the World Heritage in Danger list or even see it delisted, a fate four sites have met. Visitor numbers often substantially increase with World Heritage status, providing valuable funding for preservation. However, authorities must ensure tourism doesn’t degrade what prompted UNESCO’s stamp of approval. As travellers, we share this responsibility. Choose reputable operators, minimise waste, and prioritise sustainable transport options like public transit, cycling, and walking. For places struggling with overtourism, visit during ‘shoulder’ seasons.
Many World Heritage properties, particularly those of natural importance – such as the Great Barrier Reef – are also at risk because of climate change. When UNESCO determines that a place should be preserved for future generations, it becomes a shared responsibility. It should also inspire us to experience these spectacular, amazing, and beautiful places, including Australia’s 20 World Heritage properties. Four of them are culturally significant: the Sydney Opera House (NSW), Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (Victoria), Australian Convict Sites (NSW, WA, Tasmania, Norfolk Island), and Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (Victoria). Four more are ‘mixed,’ or culturally and naturally significant, while the remaining 12 are naturally significant. Here are six spectacular properties below that you can easily reach and explore with Journey Beyond.
1.ULURU-KATA TJUTA NATIONAL PARK
Uluru is an unforgettable sight, an immense red rock rising 348 metres above central Australia’s flat, semi-arid plain. Nearby, the domes of Kata Tjuta rise in breathtaking splendour, completing a landscape that speaks of ancient power and enduring beauty. These natural wonders make Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park’s listing unsurprising, but as a ‘mixed’ property, UNESCO’s recognition is also due to its cultural significance. For millennia, the Anangu people have called this land home. Rock art whispers of their long journey, while Dreamtime stories, passed down through generations, reveal the ancestral beings who shaped Uluru and Kata Tjutu. These stories are still followed today, including hunting, gathering food, and land management, such as controlled burning. Visiting Uluru-Kata Tjuta is an invitation to connect with one of the world’s oldest living cultures. Aboriginal-guided tours, art galleries, and the park’s culturally significant visitor centre offer windows into Anangu knowledge and traditions. EXPERIENCE Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on Outback Spirit tours, including the Red Centre Explorer.
2.GREAT BARRIER REEF
The world’s most extensive coral reef system is so massive that it’s visible from space. Encompassing more than 2,900 reefs and 900 islands off Queensland’s coast, the Great Barrier Reef is also “one of the richest and most complex ecosystems on earth,” according to UNESCO. Accounting for around 10% of the world’s coral, the UNESCO property covers some 34.4 million hectares and is home to many species, including 6,000 molluscs, 1,625 fish, 1,400 coral and 215 birds. These facts aside, UNESCO further notes that the Great Barrier Reef has “superlative natural beauty above and below the water and provides some of the most spectacular scenery on earth.” Whether you snorkel, sail, or simply soak in the view from a white-sand beach, its azure wonders will leave you breathless.
CHOOSE your own Great Barrier Reef adventure with Cruise Whitsundays, including day tours on the reef, snorkel and sailing experiences and a hotel moored 39 nautical miles from Airlie Beach.
3.GREATER BLUE MOUNTAINS AREA
Did you know there’s a one-million-hectare UNESCO property on Sydney’s (Warrane’s) doorstep? Perhaps you’ve already been awed by Blue Mountains (Colomatta )National Park’s famous Three Sisters rock formation. Still, there’s more to explore across seven national parks and Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve’s magical caves. The Greater Blue Mountains Area is a sweeping landscape of sandstone plateaus, escarpments and gorges swathed in dense vegetation. UNESCO also recognises the diversity of flora: 152 plant families, 484 genera, and 1,500 species. Most remarkable are those that have endured in remote, inaccessible pockets since the age of dinosaurs – like the Wollemi pine, discovered in 1994 in Wollemi National Park.
SEE epic Blue Mountains vistas on an Indian Pacific Off Train Experience. Choose from four options: guided bushwalk, Aboriginal cultural experience, high tea or multiple scenic rides.
4.KAKADU NATIONAL PARK
Kakadu National Park, a vast wilderness in Australia’s Northern Territory, stands as a testament to natural grandeur and ancient cultural heritage. Spanning two million hectares, it boasts a breathtaking diversity of ecosystems, from mangrove-fringed coastlines and sprawling floodplains to rugged sandstone escarpments and ancient rock art galleries. For over more than 650,000 years, the Bininj/ and Mungguy people have lived in harmony with this land, their presence etched onto its very soultouching stone, soil and water alongside language, art and myth. Kakadu’’s rock art offers a glimpse into their beliefs, stories, and deep connection to country. Imagine vibrant depictions of ancestral beings, long-extinct creatures, and even early encounters with European explorers. Beyond its cultural treasures, Kakadu teems with life. Wetlands are home to migratory birds, while crocodiles lurk in its waterways and waterfalls cascade over towering escarpments. DISCOVER Kakadu’s wonders on Outback Spirit tours, including Simply Kakadu or the Ultimate Territory Tour. Visit outbackspirittours.com.au for more.
5.NINGALOO COAST
Australia’s other remarkable reef extends 300 kilometres along Western Australia’s coast, beginning mere metres from the beach. So you only need snorkelling gear to meet Ningaloo Reef’s abundant marine life. You can also swim with whale sharks when these spotted gentle giants gather from March through October; humpback whales migrate along the coast from June through November. The West Thalanyji-Yinigudara people know the region as Nyinggulu (meaning promontory). UNESCO recognises the region for its marine ecosystem, turquoise waters, white beaches, and dramatic, arid red landscape partly encompassed by Cape Range National Park. Some of Ningaloo’s most unusual animals are in hiding; ancient rainforest creatures and aquatic invertebrates lurk in an extensive system of caves, sinkholes and underground waterways.
EXPLORE Ningaloo’s reef and landscape on Outback Spirit’s Pilbara and West Coast Expedition or in your own time at Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef luxury beachfront camp.
6.TASMANIAN WILDERNESS
The Tasmanian Wilderness, a World Heritage site of astonishing richness, sprawls across a quarter of the island state. It is one of only two sites that meet seven of UNESCO’s ten criteria (the other is China’s Mt Taishan). This vast wilderness encompasses seven national parks, three reserves, and one of Earth’s largest remaining temperate rainforests. The landscape is breathtakingly diverse, from the iconic peak of Cradle Mountain (Wulinantikala) to the fern-draped waterfalls of Mt. Field National Park and the subterranean wonders of Mole Creek’s (Pallittorre’s) caves. UNESCO recognises its ‘outstanding significance’ for its natural beauty, distinctive landforms and remarkable species. This natural tapestry contains traces of 40,000 years of Aboriginal history: shell middens, cave markings, and ochre hand stencils, echoes of a culture deeply connected to this extraordinary land. HIT several highlights of this UNESCO property on Outback Spirit’s 12-day Tasmanian Wilderness Explorer tour: Cradle Mountain, Lake St Clair (Leeawuleena), the Gordon River and Russell Falls.