Australia’s plateau country is not one single raised block. It is a set of broad old shields, dissected tablelands, volcanic uplands, limestone plains, desert high ground and cool eastern highlands. The best starting point is simple: the Western Plateau is the largest plateau region, while the Eastern Highlands hold the highest and wettest upland country.

Many Australian plateaus look lower than famous plateaus in Asia, Africa or South America. That can be misleading. Australia is the lowest continent on average, so a plateau here may stand only a few hundred metres above sea level but still shape deserts, river basins, escarpments, soils, farming zones and settlement patterns across a wide area.

Major plateau and upland regions in Australia, with their broad location, landform type and map value.

Plateau or Upland Region	Main Location	Main States or Territories	Approximate Elevation	Landform Type	Known For
Western Plateau	Western and central Australia	WA, NT, SA, parts of QLD	Often a few hundred metres; many broad surfaces near about 500 m	Ancient shield, desert plateau, low tableland	Australia’s largest plateau region, old cratons, deserts, internal drainage
Kimberley Plateau	Far north-west Australia	WA	Mostly several hundred metres, with rugged uplands	Dissected sandstone plateau	Gorges, escarpments, monsoonal rivers, ancient rock surfaces
Pilbara and Hamersley Uplands	North-west interior	WA	Broadly 500–1,200 m in many upland areas	Ancient craton and iron-rich uplands	Banded iron ranges, dry valleys, old shield terrain
Yilgarn Plateau	South-west interior	WA	Mostly low to moderate upland	Old craton surface	Salt lakes, lateritic surfaces, subdued relief
Nullarbor Plain	Southern Australia	WA and SA	Low plateau-like limestone plain	Uplifted limestone plain and karst surface	Very flat ground, caves, blowholes, dry treeless landscapes
Barkly Tableland	North-central interior	NT and QLD	About 300 m on average	Flat grassy tableland	Savanna grassland, seasonal watercourses, subartesian water
Atherton Tableland	North-eastern Queensland	QLD	About 600–900 m on average	Volcanic tableland and highland plateau	Basalt soils, rainforest edges, crater lakes, Barron River
New England Tableland	Northern New South Wales	NSW	Large areas above about 900 m	High plateau within the Eastern Highlands	Cool climate, granite country, escarpments, river headwaters
Australian Alps and High Plains	South-eastern high country	NSW, VIC, ACT	High plains, ridges and peaks; Mount Kosciuszko reaches 2,228 m	Alpine and subalpine uplands	Mainland Australia’s highest land, snow country, river sources
Central Plateau of Tasmania	Central Tasmania	TAS	Commonly around 900–1,200 m, with higher nearby ground	Subalpine plateau and lake country	Tarns, Great Lake, dolerite country, Great Western Tiers escarpment

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How Australia’s Plateau Regions Fit the Continent

Australia is often divided into three broad physical regions: the Western Plateau, the Central Lowlands and the Eastern Highlands. A fourth map layer, the coastal plains, is also useful along the margins. This layout explains why many Australian uplands run as long belts, wide shields or tablelands rather than sharp high mountain chains.

The Western Plateau covers more than half of the continent. It includes old rock shields, dry basins, desert surfaces, low ranges, sandstone plateaus and several regional uplands. It is wide, old and mostly dry.

The Central Lowlands sit between the western and eastern uplands. They include large drainage areas such as the Lake Eyre Basin, the Murray–Darling Basin, the Carpentaria low country and the Great Artesian Basin. These lowlands matter because they collect water and sediment from higher ground.

The Eastern Highlands rise along the eastern side of the continent. This region includes the Great Dividing Range, the Australian Alps, several tablelands and many river headwaters. It is narrower than the Western Plateau, but it reaches higher elevations and receives more rainfall in many places.

Why Australian Plateaus Are Often Broad, Low and Old

Many plateaus in Australia formed from long uplift, erosion and weathering rather than one simple mountain-building event. The land has been worn down over vast periods. In many places, old rock surfaces were lifted, tilted, cut by rivers or covered by younger sediments.

This is why Australian plateau country may look calm on a map but varied in the field. A “flat” plateau can include stony desert, salt lakes, low ranges, mesas, escarpments, lava plains, dry river channels and deep gorges.

Australia’s average elevation is only about 330 metres, and its highest mainland peak, Mount Kosciuszko, reaches 2,228 metres. Those figures help explain why Australian plateaus are not usually towering landforms. Their size, age and drainage role often matter more than their height.

The Western Plateau: Australia’s Largest Plateau Region

The Western Plateau, also called the Great Western Plateau in some geography texts, is the main plateau region of Australia. It spreads across much of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and parts of the inland north and centre.

This region is not one smooth table. It is a huge collection of old surfaces, dry basins, cratons, low ranges and desert plains. The Kimberley, Pilbara, Hamersley, Yilgarn, Nullarbor, MacDonnell and Musgrave areas all help make the western and central plateau country more varied than a simple classroom map suggests.

Location and Shape

The Western Plateau occupies much of the continent west of the Central Lowlands. It reaches from the north-west coast and the Kimberley region through dry interior lands toward the Nullarbor and the south-west.

On a physical map, it often appears as a broad area of modest elevation. It is not as steep or wet as the Eastern Highlands, but it is far larger. Its edges can be hard to see unless the map shows elevation, drainage basins or escarpments.

Formation and Geology

Much of the Western Plateau sits on very old continental crust. Parts of it include ancient cratons such as the Pilbara Craton and Yilgarn Craton. These are among the oldest stable rock areas in Australia.

Over time, weathering, erosion, uplift and sediment movement shaped the surface. In some places, resistant rock remained as ranges, mesas or isolated hills. In others, older drainage lines became salt lakes or dry channels as climate and sea level changed.

Climate and Landscape

The Western Plateau is strongly linked with Australia’s dry interior. It includes stony deserts, sandy deserts, gibber plains, salt lakes and seasonal watercourses. Rainfall is often low or uneven, but short heavy rain can still move sediment quickly across bare or sparse ground.

The result is a landscape where water may be rare for long periods, then very active for a short time. Dry river beds, alluvial fans and salt pans show how water still shapes plateau country even in arid zones.

Rivers and Drainage

Many western plateau drainage systems are internal or poorly connected. Instead of flowing to the sea, water may end in salt lakes, shallow basins or temporary wetlands. This is a major difference from the Eastern Highlands, where many streams flow toward the Pacific, the Tasman Sea, Bass Strait or the Murray–Darling system.

In central Australia, old rivers and dry channels show that some drainage patterns began under wetter past climates. The Finke River is often described as one of the world’s old river systems, and it helps show how long landscape memory can survive in the Australian interior.

Kimberley Plateau: Sandstone Uplands and Monsoonal Rivers

The Kimberley Plateau sits in far north-western Australia, north of the Great Sandy Desert and inland from a rugged coast. It is one of the clearest examples of a dissected plateau in Australia.

Its surface includes old sandstone, escarpments, deeply cut valleys and isolated upland blocks. Rivers such as the Ord, Durack and Chamberlain cut northward and north-westward through the region toward the coast and the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf area.

What Makes the Kimberley Plateau Different

The Kimberley is not a flat desert tableland. It is a plateau region cut by river valleys and seasonal drainage. Its monsoonal climate gives it a wet season and a dry season, so water can carve deep gorges even where the land looks dry for much of the year.

That mix of old sandstone, seasonal rain and resistant rock gives the Kimberley a stronger escarpment-and-gorge character than many lower inland plateaus.

Pilbara and Hamersley Uplands: Ancient Craton Country

The Pilbara and Hamersley uplands form a dry, iron-rich part of north-western Australia. They sit within the wider Western Plateau and are linked with some of the oldest crustal rocks on the continent.

The Hamersley Range is one of the better-known upland belts in this region. It includes steep-sided hills, dry valleys, iron-rich rock layers and long ridgelines. Elevations vary, but many upland areas sit well above the surrounding plains, with some peaks rising above 1,200 metres.

Landform Character

This is not a soft rolling plateau. It is a rugged upland made from hard, resistant rocks, including banded iron formations. Erosion has cut valleys and left ridges standing above lower ground.

The Pilbara and Hamersley uplands show how a plateau region can include strong relief even when it belongs to an old and largely stable shield.

Yilgarn Plateau: Low Relief, Salt Lakes and Old Drainage

The Yilgarn Plateau lies in south-western Western Australia. It is part of the larger Western Plateau and is tied to the Yilgarn Craton, an old stable area of continental crust.

Compared with the Kimberley or Hamersley areas, the Yilgarn has more subdued relief. Its landscape includes broad uplands, weathered surfaces, low ridges, lateritic caps and many salt lakes.

Why the Yilgarn Matters on a Map

The Yilgarn helps explain why not every plateau looks dramatic. Some plateaus are broad, old and gently rolling. Their identity comes from elevation, bedrock, drainage and weathering history, not from cliffs alone.

Many salt lakes in this region mark old drainage lines. These features show how past river systems, climate shifts and long weathering can leave a pattern that still appears clearly on satellite images and physical maps.

Nullarbor Plain: A Limestone Plateau-Like Surface

The Nullarbor Plain spreads across southern Australia, mainly in Western Australia and South Australia. It is often grouped with plateau country because it is a broad, raised limestone surface, but it is different from a volcanic plateau or tectonically uplifted mountain plateau.

The Nullarbor is an uplifted former shallow sea floor made largely of limestone. It is also one of Australia’s best-known karst landscapes, with caves, sinkholes and blowholes connected to dissolved limestone below the surface.

Why It Looks So Flat

The Nullarbor’s flatness is one of its defining traits. It has very little surface drainage in many places because water can move through limestone openings underground. This makes it different from sandstone plateaus that are deeply cut by river gorges.

Its name is often linked with treelessness, but the landform lesson is more precise: the Nullarbor is a low limestone plain with plateau-like elevation and karst drainage.

Barkly Tableland: Grassland Between Plateau and Lowland Country

The Barkly Tableland lies in the north-central interior, mainly in the Northern Territory and extending into western Queensland. It is a broad grassy tableland south of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Its average elevation is often given near about 300 metres. That makes it much lower than the Australian Alps or New England Tableland, but it still forms a large, gently undulating upland surface.

Landscape and Water

The Barkly is known for open grassland, seasonal watercourses and groundwater from subartesian sources. It does not have the sharp plateau edges that many people expect from the word “tableland.”

Its value in Australian geography is that it sits near a transition zone: between northern drainage toward the Gulf, drier interior basins and broad pastoral country.

Eastern Highlands: Australia’s Long Upland Spine

The Eastern Highlands run along the eastern side of Australia. They include the Great Dividing Range, many tablelands, upland basins, ridges, escarpments, high plains and volcanic remnants.

The Great Divide extends almost 4,000 kilometres from Cape York Peninsula in Queensland toward the Grampians area of Victoria. It separates many rivers that flow toward the Pacific or Tasman Sea from rivers that flow inland or toward the Murray–Darling Basin.

Why the Eastern Highlands Are Not Just Mountains

The Eastern Highlands are often called a range, but they are not one continuous wall of sharp peaks. In many areas they are a mix of plateaus, tablelands, rolling uplands and escarpments.

This matters because much of the eastern high country is useful for map reading. A river may begin on a tableland, cross an escarpment, then cut down toward a coastal plain. Another river may start nearby but flow west into an inland basin.

Atherton Tableland: Volcanic Upland in Tropical Queensland

The Atherton Tableland lies west and south-west of Cairns in north-eastern Queensland. It is part of the wider Eastern Highlands and sits near the Wet Tropics and the Great Dividing Range.

Average elevations are commonly about 600–900 metres. This height helps create a cooler and wetter setting than nearby lowlands. The tableland also has rich volcanic soils in many areas, which help support farming and dense vegetation.

Formation and Rivers

The Atherton Tableland includes volcanic features such as basalt flows, crater lakes and old volcanic cones. Its soils and landforms come from a mix of uplift, erosion and volcanic activity.

The Barron River is one of the main rivers linked with the plateau. Lake Tinaroo, a reservoir on the Barron system, is also tied to the water and farming geography of the region.

New England Tableland: High Country of Northern New South Wales

The New England Tableland, also called the Northern Tablelands, lies in northern New South Wales within the Eastern Highlands. It is one of Australia’s major high plateau regions.

Large parts of the tableland sit above about 900 metres. The higher elevation gives the region a cooler climate than nearby coastal and inland lowlands. It also creates headwater areas for rivers flowing in different directions.

Escarpments and River Divides

The New England Tableland is bordered in places by steep escarpments and rugged gorge country. Rivers cut through the upland margins, while other streams begin on the high surface and flow inland or toward the coast.

This makes the region a good example of how a tableland can act as both high ground and drainage divide. It is not just a flat surface; it is a source area, a climate break and a map boundary.

Australian Alps and High Plains: The Highest Upland Region

The Australian Alps form the highest part of mainland Australia. They stretch across parts of New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory and include high ridges, peaks, valleys, subalpine plains and snow-prone uplands.

Mount Kosciuszko reaches 2,228 metres, the highest point on the Australian mainland. The protected Australian Alps area covers about 1.6 million hectares across a set of national parks and reserves.

Plateau or Mountain Region?

The Australian Alps are not a simple plateau. They include peaks and ridges, but also high plains and broad upland surfaces. Some parts are better described as alpine or subalpine uplands rather than one level tableland.

Their importance in plateau geography comes from water and elevation. Snowmelt, rainfall and high-country streams feed river systems that support landscapes far beyond the mountains themselves.

Central Plateau of Tasmania: Lakes, Tarns and Dolerite Country

The Central Plateau of Tasmania lies in the island’s high interior. It is a cool, subalpine plateau with thousands of lakes, tarns and wetlands, especially near the northern edge of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Much of the plateau sits around 900–1,200 metres, with higher nearby ridges and peaks. Great Lake lies on this high country, and the Great Western Tiers mark a strong escarpment edge along part of the plateau.

How It Differs from Mainland Plateaus

Tasmania’s Central Plateau is wetter, cooler and more lake-rich than most of the Western Plateau on the mainland. It also shows stronger glacial and cold-climate influence in places, especially compared with the dry uplands of Western Australia.

The plateau is closely linked with dolerite landforms, subalpine moorlands, shallow lakes and rocky escarpments. On a map, it reads as a high interior block rather than a desert shield.

How Plateaus Shape Australian Rivers and Basins

Plateaus guide water because elevation controls flow. In Australia, this rule is especially clear because many rivers begin on uplands but cross very different climate zones on their way to lowlands, basins or coasts.

• Western Plateau: many streams are seasonal and may end in salt lakes or internal basins.
• Eastern Highlands: many rivers flow east to the coast or west into the Murray–Darling system.
• Australian Alps: high-country streams feed major south-eastern river systems.
• Atherton Tableland: upland rainfall, volcanic soils and river systems support farming and reservoirs.
• Tasmania Central Plateau: lakes and tarns hold water across cool high country.

The Central Lowlands are part of the same story even though they are not plateau country. They receive water and sediment from higher land and contain several of Australia’s major basins.

How Plateaus Shape Climate and Landscape

Elevation changes temperature, rainfall and vegetation. A plateau in northern Queensland may be wetter and cooler than nearby coastal lowlands. A plateau in Western Australia may be dry, stony and sparsely vegetated. A plateau in Tasmania may be cold, lake-rich and exposed to strong winds.

Australian plateaus often shape climate in three ways:

1. Elevation cools the air. Higher tablelands are often cooler than nearby lowlands.
2. Escarpments change rainfall. Upland edges can lift moist air and create wetter slopes.
3. Interior distance dries the land. Western and central plateaus are far from reliable ocean moisture.

This is why the Atherton Tableland, New England Tableland, Nullarbor Plain and Kimberley Plateau do not share one climate type. They are all plateau or plateau-like regions, but latitude, ocean distance, elevation and geology make each one different.

Plateau, Tableland, Highland and Escarpment: Simple Differences

Common landform terms used for Australian plateau and upland regions.

Term	Simple Meaning	Australian Example	How to Tell It Apart
Plateau	A raised landform with a broad surface	Western Plateau, Kimberley Plateau	Look for wide elevated ground, not just one peak
Tableland	A plateau-like upland, often with a fairly level surface	Atherton Tableland, New England Tableland	Often used for named regional uplands in eastern and northern Australia
Highland	Higher land with hills, ridges, plateaus or mountains	Eastern Highlands	Broader term; may include plateaus and ranges together
Escarpment	A steep edge or slope between higher and lower land	Great Escarpment, Great Western Tiers	It is an edge, not the whole plateau surface
Plain	Broad low or level land	Nullarbor Plain	May be plateau-like if raised, but plain describes the flat surface

How to Read Australian Plateaus on a Map

A physical map of Australia can make plateau country easier to understand if four clues are used together: elevation colour, river direction, escarpment lines and desert or vegetation zones.

Start with Elevation Colour

Raised areas often appear as warmer or darker elevation shades. The Western Plateau appears as a huge area of modest elevation, while the Eastern Highlands form a long narrow uplift along the east.

Follow the Rivers

River direction often reveals the divide. In eastern Australia, streams may begin near each other but flow in opposite directions because the Great Divide separates coastal drainage from inland drainage.

Look for Escarpments

Escarpments mark sharp changes in height. The Great Escarpment along parts of eastern Australia and the Great Western Tiers in Tasmania are good examples of plateau edges that help define high country.

Check Climate and Surface Type

A plateau is not identified by elevation alone. The Nullarbor’s limestone surface, the Atherton’s volcanic soils, the Kimberley’s sandstone gorges and the Yilgarn’s salt lakes all show different plateau stories.

Major Australian Plateaus by Broad Region

Australian plateau regions grouped by their broad map setting.

Broad Region	Main Plateau or Upland Areas	Typical Landscape	Main Drainage Pattern
North-west Australia	Kimberley Plateau, Pilbara uplands, Hamersley Range	Sandstone uplands, iron-rich ridges, dry valleys, monsoonal gorges	Seasonal rivers to the coast or inland dry channels
Western and south-west interior	Yilgarn Plateau, parts of the Western Plateau	Low relief uplands, salt lakes, lateritic surfaces	Internal drainage and disrupted old river systems
Southern Australia	Nullarbor Plain	Flat limestone plain, caves, karst, dry treeless stretches	Limited surface drainage; much water moves through limestone
North-central interior	Barkly Tableland	Flat to gently rolling grassland	Seasonal drainage, shallow basins, groundwater influence
Eastern Australia	Eastern Highlands, Atherton Tableland, New England Tableland, Southern Tablelands	Tablelands, escarpments, ridges, volcanic uplands	Coastal rivers and inland Murray–Darling headwaters
South-eastern high country	Australian Alps and high plains	Alpine and subalpine uplands, snow-prone peaks, valleys	Headwaters for major south-eastern river systems
Tasmania	Central Plateau	Subalpine plateau, lakes, tarns, dolerite edges	Lakes, short rivers and highland catchments

Why Australian Plateaus Matter in Geography

Australia’s plateaus shape far more than relief. They affect where rivers begin, where dry basins form, which areas stay cooler, where soils are useful for farming and how people move across the continent.

The Atherton Tableland, for example, links elevation, rainfall, volcanic soils and farming. The Western Plateau shows how dry interior land can preserve old surfaces and internal drainage. The Australian Alps show how a small highland area can support river systems that reach far beyond the high country.

For geography, the main lesson is clear: Australian plateaus are best read as landform systems, not just flat high places. Each one connects rock, height, climate, water and human use in a different way.

Common Misconceptions About Plateaus in Australia

“All Australian Plateaus Are Deserts”

Many western and central plateau areas are dry, but not all Australian plateaus are desert landscapes. The Atherton Tableland is moist and volcanic. The New England Tableland is cool and elevated. Tasmania’s Central Plateau is subalpine and lake-rich.

“The Great Dividing Range Is Only a Mountain Range”

The Great Dividing Range includes mountains, but it also includes plateaus, tablelands, basins, ridges and escarpments. The name “range” can hide how varied the Eastern Highlands really are.

“The Highest Plateau Must Be the Largest”

Height and area are different map facts. The Western Plateau is the largest plateau region, while the Australian Alps include the highest land on the mainland. The New England Tableland is one of the major high plateau surfaces in eastern Australia.

“A Tableland Is Not a Plateau”

In Australian geography, a tableland is often a type of plateau or plateau-like upland. The name is regional and descriptive. Atherton Tableland and New England Tableland are both useful examples.

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Mini FAQ

What is the largest plateau region in Australia?

The largest plateau region in Australia is the Western Plateau. It covers more than half of the continent and includes many smaller plateau and upland areas such as the Kimberley, Pilbara, Hamersley, Yilgarn and parts of central Australia.

Is the Great Dividing Range a plateau?

The Great Dividing Range is not one single plateau. It is a long eastern upland system that includes mountain ranges, tablelands, plateaus, escarpments, basins and high plains. Some of its parts, such as the New England Tableland and Atherton Tableland, are plateau-like regions.

Which Australian plateau region is the highest?

The highest upland region on mainland Australia is the Australian Alps area, where Mount Kosciuszko reaches 2,228 metres. It is not a simple flat plateau, but it includes high plains and subalpine uplands within the Eastern Highlands.

Is the Nullarbor Plain a plateau?

The Nullarbor Plain is best described as a broad uplifted limestone plain with plateau-like qualities. It is wide, flat and raised, but it is not a high mountain plateau. Its karst caves, blowholes and limited surface drainage make it different from sandstone or volcanic plateaus.

Why does Australia have so many tablelands?

Australia has many tablelands because large areas of old crust, uplifted surfaces and eroded high country have been worn into broad uplands. In eastern Australia, tablelands often sit within the Great Dividing Range and act as cooler, elevated regions above nearby lowlands.

How do Australian plateaus affect rivers?

Australian plateaus affect rivers by setting drainage divides, raising river headwaters and guiding water toward coasts, inland basins or salt lakes. The Eastern Highlands feed many coastal and inland rivers, while much of the Western Plateau has seasonal or internal drainage.