Australia Gallery

Wider Image - Great Barrier Reef At Risk

Homes can be seen along a creek and inlet in the coastal town of Hervey Bay, north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, June 9, 2015. UNESCO World Heritage delegates recently snorkelled on Australias Great Barrier Reef, thousands of coral reefs, which stretch over 2,000 km off the northeast coast. Surrounded by manta rays, dolphins and reef sharks, their mission was to check the health of the world's largest living ecosystem, which brings in billions of dollars a year in tourism. Some coral has been badly damaged and animal species, including dugong and large green turtles, are threatened. UNESCO will say on Wednesday whether it will place the reef on a list of endangered World Heritage sites, a move the Australian government wants to avoid at all costs, having lobbied hard overseas. Earlier this year, UNESCO said the reef's outlook was "poor". REUTERS/David Gray TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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A baby Koala named "Cooee" is held by its mother at Sydney's Taronga Zoo in Sydney

A baby Koala named "Cooee" is held by its mother at Sydney's Taronga Zoo in Sydney July 26, 2004. Animal activists have urged governments to make koala protection an election issue, as evidence suggests that urban sprawl is driving the marsupial towards possible extinction. The Australian Koala Foundation delivered evidence to scientists to support its prediction that koalas will disappear from the populous eastern seaboard within 15 years if the eucalyptus trees whose leaves they eat continue to be cleared to make way for new homes and farmland. Picture taken July 26, 2004. NO RIGHTS CLEARANCES OR PERMISSIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS IMAGE. REUTERS/David Gray DG/FA - RP5DRHYSOJAA

Tourists ride on camels belonging to Port Macquarie Camel Safaris alongside the Pacific

Tourists ride on a camel safari alongside the Pacific Ocean on Lighthouse Beach, north of Sydney, December 4, 2014. For 25 years camel rides offered by Port Macquarie Camel Safaris have given visitors to Australia's holiday coast a rare experience available only in a handful of locations in the country. Australia's long history with the 'ships of the desert' goes back to the 1800s when they were imported from Afghanistan and India for use as transportation across Australia's vast deserts before being released into the wild following their replacement by motorised transport. Picture taken December 4, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Reed (AUSTRALIA - Tags: SOCIETY ANIMALS TRAVEL) - GM1EAC50LIQ01