Editing Great Dividing Range (section)

==Geography==
The Dividing Range does not consist of a single continuous [[mountain chain]], but is rather a combined complex ([[cordillera]]) of [[mountain range]]s, [[plateau]]s, [[hill]]y [[highland|upland]] areas and [[escarpment]]s with an ancient and complex [[Historical geology|geological history]]. The physiographic division name for the landmass is called the ''East Australian Cordillera''. In some places the terrain is relatively flat, consisting of very low hills.<ref name="goa"/> Typically the highlands range from {{convert|300|to|1600|m}} in height.<ref name="goa"/>  The mountains and plateaus, which consist of [[limestone]]s, [[sandstone]], [[quartzite]], [[schist]]s and [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]], have been created by faulting and folding processes.<ref name="eowg">{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of World Geography |last=Haggett |first=Peter |year=2001 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=0-7614-7289-4 |page=3211 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_1mrjk0IY8C |access-date=23 December 2012 }}</ref>

The [[mountain crest|crest]]s of the Great Dividing Range is defined by the [[drainage divide|watershed boundary]] between the [[drainage basin]]s of [[river system]]s east (the coastal or [[windward|rainward]] side) and west (the inland or [[leeward]] side) of it.  The higher and more rugged parts of the "range" do not necessarily form part of the crest of the range, but may be branches and offshoots from it. The term "Great Dividing Range" may refer specifically to the watershed crest of the range, or to the entire upland complex including all of the hills and mountains between the east coast of Australia and the central plains and lowlands.  At some places it can be up to {{convert|400|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} wide.<ref name="goa"/> Notable ranges and other features which form part of the range complex have their own distinctive names.{{citation needed |date=May 2025}}

As a [[rule of thumb]], rivers east/southeast of the Dividing Range drain directly eastward into the [[South Pacific Ocean|South Pacific]] and the [[Tasman Sea]], or southward into the [[Bass Strait]].  Rivers west of the Dividing Range drain in various westerly directions according to latitudes: the [[Murray–Darling basin]] in southeastern Australia ([[Darling Downs]]/eastern [[South West Queensland]], West/Central [[New South Wales]], [[Northern Victoria Region|Northern Victoria]] and the [[Murraylands]]/[[Riverland]] region of southeastern [[South Australia]]) drain southwestwards into the [[Great Australian Bight]] via the coastal [[Lake Alexandrina (South Australia)|Lake Alexandrina]];<ref name="goa">{{cite book |title=The Geology of Australia |last=Johnson |first=David |year=2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-76741-5 |page=202 }}</ref> the eastern half of the [[Lake Eyre basin]] in east central Australia (the [[Cooper Creek]] and [[Warburton River]] systems in [[Central Queensland|Central]]/western [[South West Queensland]] and eastern [[Far North (South Australia)|Far North]] of South Australia) drain southwestwards into the [[endorheic lake|endorheic]] [[Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre]]; the numerous rivers of western [[Cape York Peninsula]] in northeastern Australia ([[North Queensland|North]]/[[Far North Queensland]]) drain westwards or northwestwards directly into the [[Gulf of Carpentaria]].{{citation needed |date=May 2025}}