Australia's Great Dividing Range stretches 3,500 km along the east coast, peaking at Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m) in the Snowy Mountains—the highest point—with glacial cirques from Pleistocene ice ages. The MacDonnell Ranges in the center rise to 1,531 m at Mount Ziel, ancient quartzite from 800 million years ago. Western plateaus average 500 m, dissected by the Todd River's gorges. Formed by Gondwanan rifting 160 million years ago, Uluru (348 m) stands as a monolith in the red desert. The Flinders Ranges feature Wilpena Pound—a 800 km² natural amphitheater. This arid topography hosts 16 national parks with kangaroos and eucalyptus forests covering 75% of the land.
