62 oxford big ideas geography history 7: australian curriculum

Tropic of Capricorn
Brisbane
Sydney
Melbourne
Hobart
Adelaide
Perth
Darwin
Tully
Alice Springs
Canberra
Lake Eyre
Over 2400
Average annual rainfall
(millimetres)
1600 to 2400
1200 to 1600
600 to 1200
200 to 600
Under 200
Great Artesian
Basin
L E G E N D
0 400 800 km
New South
Wal es
Vi ctori a
Western
Austral i a
Queensl and
South
Austral i a
ACT
Tasmani a
Northern
Terri tory
0
Rainfall Average temperature
Month
400
300
200
100
350
250
150
50
R
a
i
n
f
a
l
l

(
m
m
)
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)
40
450 45
35
30
25
15
5
20
10
0
J F M A M J J A S ON D
Darwin
0
Rainfall Average temperature
Month
400
300
200
100
350
250
150
50
R
a
i
n
f
a
l
l

(
m
m
)
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)
40
450 45
35
30
25
15
5
20
10
0
J F M A M J J A S ON D
Adelaide
0
Rainfall Average temperature
Month
400
300
200
100
350
250
150
50
R
a
i
n
f
a
l
l

(
m
m
)
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)
40
450 45
35
30
25
15
5
20
10
0
J F M A M J J A S ON D
Alice Springs
0
Rainfall Average temperature
Month
400
300
200
100
350
250
150
50
R
a
i
n
f
a
l
l

(
m
m
)
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)
40
450 45
35
30
25
15
5
20
10
0
J F M A M J J A S ON D
Sydney
1.3 How much water do we have?
Water in Australia
Rainfall distribution in Australia
Much of the Australian continent is dry. It is only the
northern, eastern and south-western coastal regions that
receive good annual rainfall. The climate of the eastern
half of Australia is inuenced by the Great Dividing
Range. It extends 3500 kilometres from the northern tip
of Cape York to southern Victoria. Moisture-rich winds
from the south-east push warm, moist air over the land.
Forced to rise and cool, the water droplets fall onto the
east coast as rain but as the air descends to the west, it
becomes warmer and drier.
Australia has the lowest volume of water in rivers and the
smallest number of permanent wetlands of any continent
except Antarctica. Australias water supplies are not evenly
distributed. The northern third of the continent lies in
the tropics and receives heavy rainfall with monsoons in
the summer. It is a water-rich area. By comparison, vast
areas of the interior receive very little rain.
Virtually all of Australias large cities and towns are
positioned on the coast, especially in the east and south-
east. While most of these areas receive good, reliable
rainfall, pressure from a large number of water users has
put great strain on water resources in theseareas.
Source 1.33 Source: Oxford University Press
AUSTRALIA: AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL (CLIMATE GRAPHS
FOR SELECTED LOCATIONS)
U
N
C
O
R
R
E
C
T
E
D

P
A
G
E

P
R
O
O
F
S