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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TOURISTS CLIMB AYERS ROCK IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA

A line of tourists use a chain to climb the world's largest monolith, Ayers Rock, about 350 kms (220 miles) southwest of the central Australian town of Alice Springs in this photograph taken on April 20, 2004. Ayers Rock, known by local Aboriginals as Uluru, received around 1,000 tourists annually 40 years ago. Since then, it has become one of Australia's major tourist destinations, attracting 400,000 visitors every year. Many tourists climb the 318 meter (1043 feet) rock, although the local Aboriginal owners request that visitors respect their sacred site and view it only from the ground. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne TBW/JV - RP4DRIGYKSAA

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