Australia | World Heritage Explorer

Australia has been a State Party to the World Heritage Convention since 1974. With 21 inscribed properties, the country is one of the more prominent contributors to the World Heritage List. Its inscriptions include cultural and natural properties, representing a diverse heritage portfolio.

Australia as a State Party to the World Heritage Convention

State Party since: August 22, 1974

Status: Ratification

Mandates to the World Heritage Committee: 1976-1983, 1983-1989, 1995-2001, 2007-2011, 2017-2021

Total of Mandate Years: 27

Total of Mandates: 5

WHC Electoral Group: IV (Asia/Pacific)

World Heritage Sites in Australia (21)

Cultural: 5 | Natural: 12 | Mixed: 4

Australian Convict Sites · Cultural
Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) · Natural
Budj Bim Cultural Landscape · Cultural
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia · Natural
Great Barrier Reef · Natural
Greater Blue Mountains Area · Natural
Heard and McDonald Islands · Natural
Kakadu National Park · Mixed
K’gari (Fraser Island) · Natural
Lord Howe Island Group · Natural
Macquarie Island · Natural
Murujuga Cultural Landscape · Cultural
Ningaloo Coast · Natural
Purnululu National Park · Natural
Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens · Cultural
Shark Bay, Western Australia · Natural
Sydney Opera House · Cultural
Tasmanian Wilderness · Mixed
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park · Mixed
Wet Tropics of Queensland · Natural
Willandra Lakes Region · Mixed

Map of World Heritage Sites

This interactive map shows the location of all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Australia.

Tentative World Heritage Sites (8)

Victorian Goldfields · submitted: January 28, 2025
Australian Cornish Mining Sites: Burra and Moonta · submitted: September 3, 2024
Cultural Landscapes of Cape York Peninsula · submitted: June 18, 2024
Workers’ Assembly Halls · submitted: December 15, 2023
Parramatta Female Factory and Institutions Precinct · submitted: September 13, 2023
Flinders Ranges · submitted: April 15, 2021
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area (extension to existing property) · submitted: May 7, 2010
Great Sandy World Heritage Area · submitted: January 4, 2010

Source: UNESCO Tentative Lists

Country Profile Australia

Official Name: Commonwealth of Australia

Continent: Oceania

Subregion: Australia and New Zealand

UNESCO Region: Asia and the Pacific

Capital: Canberra

Population (2024): 27,204,809

Land Area: 7,692,020 km²

Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)

Country Data Sources

Links

UNESCO World Heritage Convention: State Party Australia

About States Parties

States Parties are countries that have joined the World Heritage Convention. They commit to identifying, nominating, and protecting properties of outstanding cultural or natural value on their territory. States Parties are also expected to monitor and report on the condition of inscribed sites.

World Heritage Insights

How Politics and Institutions Shape the UNESCO World Heritage List

The UNESCO World Heritage List is usually seen as a catalogue of the world’s most important cultural and natural places. Yet behind every inscription there is a structured decision process: countries must first join the Convention, run for a seat on the World Heritage Committee, prepare nominations through a fixed procedure, and finally obtain enough votes for inscription.

World Heritage Info

Background

Learn about UNESCO, the World Heritage Convention, Tentative Lists, and how World Heritage Sites are selected and preserved. Explore the history, structures, and processes that protect humanity’s cultural and natural treasures.

Portions of this page are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset. Changes made. Original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE) is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Commission. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.