Australia, World Heritage Areas

##### Abstract World Heritage sites have universal value that transcends the importance they hold for one particular nation. These qualities are expressed in the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (the World Heritage Convention). The World Heritage Convention aims to promote cooperation among nations to protect heritage from around the world that is of such outstanding universal value that its conservation is important for current and future generations. There are currently twenty-one (21) Australian properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. A single Australian World Heritage Areas database has been created by combining data which was historically stored as a separate data for each property. World Heritage Area buffer zones are also included in this dataset where they exist for some properties and are distinguished from the Declared Property boundary in the data. Four properties (Kakadu National Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Willandra Lakes Region and the Tasmanian Wilderness) are inscribed for both natural and cultural criteria. The Great Barrier Reef, the Tasmanian Wilderness, the Wet Tropics of Queensland and Shark Bay meet all four World Heritage criteria for natural heritage see [http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria] or [http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/about/world/world-heritage-criteria]. 16 properties are listed under the World Heritage criteria for natural heritage: * the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Naracoorte/Riversleigh), * Lord Howe Island Group, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, * K'gari (Fraser Island), * Macquarie Island, * Heard and McDonald Islands, * the Greater Blue Mountains Area and Purnululu National Park, * Shark Bay and the Ningaloo Coast. 9 properties are inscribed for cultural values: * Kakadu National Park, * Tasmanian Wilderness, * Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park, * Willandra Lakes Region, * Australian Convict Sites, * Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, * Sydney Opera House * Budj Bim Cultural Landscape and the Murujuga Cultural Landscape. Four (4) properties are considered serial listing where the properties comprise more than one distinct geographical areas. There are 11 sites that constitute the Australian Convict Sites. The Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Naracoorte/Riversleigh), Gondwana Rainforests of Australia comprise multiple parts and the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape. ##### Currency Date modified: 24 February 2026 Modification frequency: As needed ##### Data extent Spatial extent North: -10.681889° South: -55.322817° East: 167.972839° West: 72.246193° ##### Source information This dataset is provided by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water * [Map Server] * [Metadata] * [Public listing] ##### Lineage statement Data are derived by digital cadastre at the time of inscription, and potentially updated as required using data from Property Manager agencies to reflect improvements in boundary accuracy. World Heritage Area buffer zones are delineated in this dataset using the STATUS field = "Buffer Zone". ##### Data dictionary All layers ──────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Attribute name│Description ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── NAME │The official name of the protected area ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ADDRESS │Human-readable description ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── BIOGEOPROV │Environment type ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── CULTURAL │Heritage cultural criterion ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── FILE_ │Contains location information for the listed area ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── HECTARES │Enclosed area of the listed location in hectares ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── INSCRIBED │Heritage years in which this ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── IUCN_MGT │IUCN protected area category ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── NATURAL │Heritage natural criterion ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PLACE_ID │Unique identifier for listing ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── STATE │State (or Territory) in which the listed area is located ──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── STATUS │Current heritage status for the location ──────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ##### Contact Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, [GeoSpatial@dcceew.gov.au]