The Dividing Range does not consist of a single continuousmountain chain, but is rather a combined complex (cordillera) ofmountain ranges,plateaus,hillyupland areas andescarpments with an ancient and complexgeological history. The physiographic division name for the landmass is called theEast Australian Cordillera. In some places the terrain is relatively flat, consisting of very low hills.[4] Typically the highlands range from 300 to 1,600 metres (980 to 5,250 ft) in height.[4] The mountains and plateaus, which consist oflimestones,sandstone,quartzite,schists anddolomite, have been created by faulting and folding processes.[5]
Thecrests of the Great Dividing Range is defined by thewatershed boundary between thedrainage basins ofriver systems east (the coastal orrainward side) and west (the inland orleeward side) of it. The higher and more rugged parts of the "range" do not necessarily form part of the crest of the range, but may be branches and offshoots from it. The term "Great Dividing Range" may refer specifically to the watershed crest of the range, or to the entire upland complex including all of the hills and mountains between the east coast of Australia and the central plains and lowlands. At some places it can be up to 400 km (249 mi) wide.[4] Notable ranges and other features which form part of the range complex have their own distinctive names.[citation needed]
The Monaro Plains (top right) are drier than the verdant western upslopes (bottom left) as they lie in a rain shadow. (View of theSnowy Mountains region)
The sharp rise between the coastal lowlands and the eastern uplands has affectedAustralia's climate, mainly due toorographic precipitation, and these areas of highest relief have revealed an impressive gorge country.[6] Areas to the east of the mountain range in southern NSW usually experience aFöhn effect, which is adry wind originating from the Great Dividing Range that abruptly raises the air temperature in the lee of that mountain range and reduces atmospheric moisture.[7] This dry wind, which elevatesfire danger in the warm months, occurs because of the partialorographic obstruction of relatively damp low-level air and the subsiding of drier upper-level air inleeward of the mountains. The drier air is then heated more because of theadiabatic compression as it comes down the lee slopes, forming arain shadow.[8]
Moreover,Oberon,Shooters Hill andSunny Corner are on the crest of the ranges and thus exposed from all directions, hence their evenly spread rainfall. The main ski resorts in New South Wales, such asThredbo Village,Perisher andCharlotte Pass, lie transitionally between the leeward and windward side (the former town being more leeward and the latter more windward). Although they receive substantial precipitation from over the crest of the ranges, they lack the persistent cloud cover which characterises truly windward locations on the western face, which are;Cabramurra,Kiandra,Mount Buller,Falls Creek,Mount Hotham,Mount Buffalo andMount Baw Baw.[11]
The Great Dividing Range was formed during theCarboniferous period—over 300 million years ago—when Australia collided with what are now parts of South America and New Zealand.[12] The range has experienced significant erosion since. (SeeGeology of Australia.)
For tens of thousands of years prior to British colonisation the ranges were home to variousAboriginal Australian nations and clans. Evidence remains in some places of their traditional way of life including decorated caves, campsites and trails used to travel between the coastal and inland regions. Many descendants of these nations still exist today, and some remain thetraditional owners and custodians of their lands.[citation needed]
After British colonisation in 1788, the ranges were an obstacle to exploration and settlement by the British settlers. Although not high, parts of the highlands were very rugged. Crossing theBlue Mountains was particularly challenging due to the mistaken idea that the creeks should be followed rather than the ridges, and almost impenetrable, labyrinthine, sandstone mountains.[13] The Blue Mountains actually lie to the east of the watershed that divides theHawkesbury–Nepean system and theMurray–Darling system, the true Great Dividing Range. The watershed in this area lies to the west ofLithgow, passing near the locality of Mt Lambie[14] and village ofCapertee.[15] There, as in some other places in New South Wales, the Great Divide is only a slight rise in the surrounding topography.
Knowing that local Aboriginal people had already established routes crossing the range and by making use of Aboriginal walking trails, a usable ridge-top route was finally discovered by Europeans directly westward from Sydney across the Blue Mountains toBathurst by anexpedition jointly led byGregory Blaxland,William Lawson andWilliam Charles Wentworth.[16][13] Towns in the Blue Mountains were later named after each of these men. This was the start of the development of the agricultural districts of inlandNew South Wales. A road was built toBlaxland by convicts within six months. Easier routes to inland New South Wales were discovered towardsGoulburn to the southwest, and westwards fromNewcastle.
By the late 1830s, the most fertile rangelands adjacent to the mountain ranges had been explored, appropriated from the traditional inhabitants and some settled. These included theGippsland andRiverina regions in the south, up to theLiverpool Plains and theDarling Downs in the north.[citation needed]
Various road and railway routes were subsequently established through many parts of the ranges, although many areas remain remote to this day. For example, in eastern Victoria there is only one major road crossing the highlands from north to south, theGreat Alpine Road.[citation needed]
All ofmainland Australia's alpine areas, including its highest mountain,Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 metres or 7,310 feetAHD), are part of this range, called theMain Range.[4] The highest areas in southern New South Wales and eastern Victoria are known as theAustralian Alps.
The central core of the Great Dividing Range is dotted with hundreds of peaks and is surrounded by many smaller mountain ranges or spurs,canyons,valleys and plains of regional significance. Some of the major plains include theHigh Plains of South-Eastern Australia, the Southern Highlands, theCentral Highlands andBogong High Plains of Victoria. Other tablelands considered part of the Great Dividing Range are theAtherton Tableland,Canberra wine region and theSouthern Tablelands.
TheDandenong Ranges,Barrington Tops,Bunya Mountains,Blue Mountains,Liverpool Range,McPherson Ranges and theMoonbi Range are some of the smaller spurs and ranges that make up the greater dividing range. Other notable ranges and tablelands which form part of the Great Dividing Range include theLiverpool Range,Mount Royal Range and theMonaro District. Whilst some of the peaks of the highlands reach heights of a little over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), the age of the range and its erosion mean that most of the mountains are not very steep, and virtually all peaks can be reached without mountaineering equipment.
In some areas, such as theSnowy Mountains,Victorian Alps, theScenic Rim and the eastern escarpments of theNew England region, the highlands form a significant barrier. The eastern escarpment is the site of many spectacular waterfalls which were formed by rivers plunging off the tablelands. In other areas the slopes are gentle and in places the range is barely perceptible.[3]
Major cities located on the upland areas of the range includeCanberra,Toowoomba and the outer suburbs ofSydney,Melbourne,Brisbane,Gold Coast andCairns in north Queensland. Many towns and cities are located on the range, and also in lowland areas and foothills adjacent to the highlands. There is a strong natural history and cultural attachment to the Dividing Range region in towns and on many, sometimes remote, landholdings.Some of the towns/cities located on or near the range include:
Some of the most spectacular waterfalls in Australia, such as Dangar Falls atDorrigo, New South Wales, are located along the Great Dividing Range.
The lower reaches are used for forestry, an activity that causes friction with conservationists. The range is also the source of virtually all of eastern Australia's water supply, both through runoff caught in dams, and throughout much of Queensland, through theGreat Artesian Basin.
A number of scenic railways, such as this one atScenic World,Katoomba, climb various shorter routes along the range
The engineers of early rail passages across the Great Dividing Range needed to find low sections of the range to cross, as well as suitable, "low" gradient paths up the mountains on either side. Rail passages include:
Sydney–Goulburn (1869), though the divide is actually a few kilometres further west near the crossing with Parkesbourne Road nearCullerin. The next 300 km descending toWagga Wagga was originally fast, but regrading in the 1920s introduced many curves.
Much of the range lies within a succession ofnational parks and otherreserves. Most of the national parks are listed below, and there are almost double that amount of state forests.[19][20]
The Great Dividing Range, as seen from nearMount Hotham,VictoriaView from the peak of Mount Feathertop, facing north-east, showing the Fainters and other mountains
In 2009 as part of theQ150 celebrations, the Great Dividing Range was announced as one of theQ150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "location".[21]
.JPG)
