by Editor Miro Susta 
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 11th of  February 2022

The fourth photo article in the series about the continents around the world is dedicated to Oceania. To avoid any misunderstandings, it is necessary to point out that Oceania is not a continent, but a geographical region consisting of four major sub-regions: Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, including more than 7'500 Pacific Islands.

'Cathedral Cove' by Yan Zhang

The true continents like Europe, Asia or Africa are lying on one continental plate, which is also called earth plate. In contrast, Oceania, with its islands spread across the Pacific Ocean, rests not on a single continental plate, but on several  tectonic plates.

Wow Oceania! Who would not like to go there and be captivated by the stunning nature?

'Springtime Rush' by Patrick Marson

Oceania includes islands belonging to the following Pacific Ocean countries: Australia-Papua New Guinea-New Zealand-Solomon Islands-Fiji-Vanuatu-Samoa-Kiribati-Tonga-Micronesia-Palau-Marshall Islands-Tuvalu-Nauru and some islands belonging to Chile, France, Indonesia, UK and USA.

'Uri Marine Reserve' by Pavol Stranak

The country with the most inhabitants and the largest area is Australia, followed by Papua New Guinea.

'Darling Harbour in Sydney' by Weihong Liu

A beautiful harbour, a breath-taking coastline, magnificent beaches, a warm and pleasant climate, a cosmopolitan culture... this is how the Australian city of Sydney can be described.

'Luna Park' by Miro Susta

Sydney is undoubtedly the most famous city in Australia, it is the oldest and with 4.5 million of population the biggest city in the country, it is the place where Captain James Cook and part of his crew landed in April 1770.

'Steavenson Falls' by Frank Ma

With five cascades 122 meters high, Steavenson Waterfall, located on the way from Melbourne to the town of Marysville, is one of the highest waterfalls in the state of Victoria. In the dense forest around the waterfall the most amazing Lyrebird of Australia lives, it can perfectly imitate all sounds.

'Travel to the past' by Gemma Yang

The Puffing Billy Railway is a 762 mm narrow gauge heritage railroad located in the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne; it was opened in 1900. The line was originally one of four experimental narrow-gauge railroads operated by Victorian Railways in the early 20th century. It runs through the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges from Belgrave to Gembrook. Today it is one of the most famous steam railroad museum trails in the world, attracting tourists from all over Australia and overseas.

'Ulluru at sunset' by Matej Krajnc

The Aborigines consider Mount Uluru, red coloured hill situated in the middle of a national park in the desert of Northern Territory state in central Australia, to be a sacred place. After years of struggle, they have succeeded in having its summit closed to tourists since October 2019.

'Deciphering an Enigma' by Christian Klepp

With over 6'000 square kilometres the Karijini National Park is Western Australia's second largest National Park, located in the north-western part of the Pilbara region, about 1'350 km north of the state Capital Perth.

'Karijini National Park' by Yan Zhang

Stunning steep gorges with waterfalls and cool pools offer incredible views from above, a variety of hiking trails of varying difficulty, and also equally stunning views from below.

'Shark Bay' by Jocelyn Manning

Shark Bay is located at the most Western tip of Australia, about 650 km north of Perth. The vast, shallow waters are home to some of the world's most unique species, including sharks, dolphins and some of the oldest aquatic organisms on the planet, which is why the bay was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

'Green Paradise' by Marcel Rebro

Papua New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean, comprises the eastern part of the New Guinea island and about 1’400 smaller islands in the north and east of New Guinea. It is located just north of Australia and is the third largest island nation in the world.

'Boygroup' by Norbert Becke

This Pacific Island nation is considered the end of the populous world, where its own rules prevail. Superstition is widespread among the Papuans, and the customs and traditions cultivated there take more than a little getting used to for us.

'Mount Taranaki' by Yan Zhang

New Zealand's Taranaki: A sacred, 2’518 m high mountain is the world's most perfect volcanic cone surrounded by a 20 km circle of untouched nature.

'Lake Matheson' by Hua Zhu

At Lake Matheson near Fox Glacier in the Westland Tai Pountini National Park the nature creates truly breath-taking picture examples of New Zealand finest landscapes. The high white peaks of the Aoraki (Mount Cook) and Mount Tasman rise majestically above the lake and reflect magnificently in the lake waters.

'Morning Glow' by Renee Doyle

Wanaka, the New Zealand's fourth largest lake was carved out by a massive glacier. It is surrounded by mountain peaks with breath-taking views of the lake. The lake is world famous thanks to the tree that grows naturally in the water.

'Passions on Fiji' by Andrey Narchuk

Tropical Fiji is one of the ideal destinations for individual travellers which want to spend an active vacation in the South Pacific. Due to the rich underwater world, scuba diving is undoubtedly one of the most popular tourist activities on the island.

'rom dance: still living tradition' by Pavol Stranak

Vanuatu is a small archipelago in the middle of the dark Pacific waters. Its geographic and cultural isolation makes it a good candidate if anyone is looking for authenticity and adventure on their travels.

'Return to Paradise' by Richard Vandewalle

The Samoan Archipelago consists of thirteen volcanic islands in Polynesia. The lagoons and reefs around the islands are home to some nine hundred species of fish and more than two hundred varieties of coral. Popular beaches include Return to Paradise Beach, made famous by the memorable 1951 Gary Cooper film, and Aganoa Black Sand Beach.

'Baby humpback' by Reiko Takahashi

Whale diving is one of the few permitted activities in Tonga, this should attract tourists and convince the government that tourism revenues will be higher than those from the resumption of whaling, which has yet to be decided.

Something else interesting: in late 2014 and early 2015, a series of eruptions of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano created a new island about fifty kilometres north of Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, and after the last eruption of the underwater volcano in January 2022, Tonga looks unfortunately like a "moonscape" covered under a layer of ash.

'Green Turtle' by Ilan Ben Tov

Beaches dotted with white sand, lined with palm trees, blooming orchids and amazing underwater life. All this can be experienced in Palau with its twenty-six islands and three hundred islets in southwestern Micronesia.

'Oddworld' by Piron Xavier

Palau is one of the best diving destinations in the world. The multi-layered hard and soft corals are populated by a stunning variety of marine life, including turtles, sharks, sea snakes, giant clams and rays. More than three-quarters of the landscape is shrouded in native forest and mangroves offering the chance to hike to waterfalls and Polynesian stone monuments. With destroyed military vehicles commemorating the fighting between the Americans and Japanese, Palau is also something of a World War II Museum.

'Dawn Fog Army' by Karsten Wrobel

The Easter Islands, officially part of Chile and also known by their Polynesian name Rapa Nui, are located about 3'300 kilometres off the South American coast. They are home to large numbers of megalithic architectural stone elements, the Moai statues, many of which are scattered along the coastline. All but 53 of the more than 900 moai known to date were carved from the compressed volcanic ash of Rano Raraku. Today, 394 moai can still be seen in varying states of preservation. The moai statues in the Tongariki area are the most famous landmark of Easter Island.

'Tahiti Spikes' by Karsten Wrobel

French Polynesia comprises 118 islands and atolls scattered over an area the size of Europe. The islands of Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora are a perfect example of an exotic paradise with palm trees towering over a turquoise lagoon. Interestingly, fewer people visit French Polynesia in a year than Hawaii in a day.

'Sky Hook' by Karsten Wrobel

New Caledonia is located about 1'270 km from Australia and over 16'000 km from "Mother" France. The former French penal colony is now a tropical paradise. However, between beautiful sandy beaches and rainforest-covered mountain peaks, native villages can be found in which time seems to have stood still, as in the Stone Age. On December 12, 2021, New Caledonia held an independence referendum, but voters overwhelmingly rejected independence by 96.50%.

'Hawaii' by Fabio Palmerini

The Hawaiian Islands archipelago consists of 132 islands of volcanic origin in an island chain 2’400 kilometres long, of which the eight main islands - Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Niihau, Lanai, Kahoolawe - are the most important.

'The Explosion' by Ryan Dyar

The Hawaiian Islands take their name from their largest island, Hawaii, also called the Big Island.

'sunrise surf' by Anders Carlson

Hawaii was admitted to the United States of America on August 20, 1959 as the 50th state.

'Breaking Surf' by Karsten Wrobel

Now you have enough insights and information about Australia and Oceania. I hope you enjoyed this photo article and that it whetted your appetite for a trip to this exotic and beautiful region.

'Lone Tree Not Alone' by Stanley Loong

But this is not an end of our trip around the world, we will visit Americas in the next article.

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Links to previous articles

A Journey through Europe's Beauty and Diversity (1x.com)
Incredible Asia (1x.com)
The 'unknown' Africa: an amazing continent (1x.com)