There are some places in this world where you really do feel like you have stepped back into a different epoch. Once a part of the supercontinent Gondwana, the Australian and Antarctic plates were the last of the major Gondwanan continental plates to split, 45 million years ago. The subsequent isolation of Tasmania from the mainland of Australia resulted in remnant temperate rainforest with an incredibly diverse range of species descended from stock once widespread across Gondwana. Continental drift is much faster than people realize and the Australian continental plate, the fastest moving in the world, is currently moving to the north (with a slight clockwise rotation) at a rate of 7cm (2.7 inches) per year. This is has caused significant accuracy issues with the current fixed coordinate GPS satellite system in as little as two decades. Russell Falls, Mount Field National Park. Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Tasmania, Australia
The white sand and tranquil waters of Hopeground Beach are found on Maria Island, a remote mountainous island located in the Tasman Sea off the east coast of Tasmania, Australia. Said to have more beaches than any other country, Australia has 10,685 beaches (if defined as a stretch of sand longer than 20 metres (66ft) and remaining dry at high tide) so you could visit a new beach every day for almost 30 years. Maria Island was named in 1642 by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman after Maria van Diemen (née van Aelst). Tasmania, Australia
