Elevations
Australia is the lowest continent in the world with an average elevation of only 330 metres. The highest points on the other continents are all more than twice the height of Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko which is 2228 metres above sea level. The world's highest mountain, Mount Everest is 8848 metres above sea level, almost four times the height of Mount Kosciuszko.
Highest and lowest points
| NAME |
STATE |
HEIGHT (m) |
| Mawson Peak |
Heard Island |
2 745 |
| Mt Kosciuszko |
NSW |
2 228 |
| Lake Eyre |
SA |
15 m below sea level |
| Source: Geoscience Australia GEODATA TOPO-250K, 1993. |
Elevation by percentage of land mass
| ELEVATION |
AREA (km2) |
PERCENTAGE OF AUSTRALIA* |
CUMULATIVE PERCENTAGE |
| Below sea level |
8 500 |
0.11 |
0.11 |
| 0 - 199m |
2 909 500 |
37.98 |
38.09 |
| 200 - 499m |
3 728 700 |
48.68 |
86.77 |
| 500 - 999m |
940 600 |
12.28 |
99.05 |
| 1000 - 1499m |
66 600 |
0.87 |
99.92 |
| 1500 - 1999m |
5 200 |
0.07 |
99.99 |
| 2000m + |
800 |
0.01 |
100.00 |
| * Excludes islands |
Highest cities and towns by State/Territory
| STATE/TERRITORY |
CITY/TOWN NAME |
HEIGHT (m) |
| New South Wales |
Perisher Valley |
1 740 |
| Victoria |
Hotham Heights |
1 700 |
| Tasmania |
Reynolds Neck |
1 100 |
| Queensland |
Ravenshoe |
930 |
| Western Australia |
Tom Price |
750 |
| Northern Territory |
Areyonga |
700 |
| South Australia |
Amata |
700 |
| Australian Capital Territory |
Canberra |
660 |
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Updated: 23 12 2009
