Consider the following statements with regard to Australia : 1. The Coral Sea separates the Great Barrier Reef from the South Pacific. 2. The Great Dividing Range extends from Melbourne to Perth in Australia. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statement 1 is correct as the Coral Sea is located off the northeastern coast of Queensland and serves as the body of water that separates the Great Barrier Reef from the open South Pacific Ocean [2]. It acts as a critical link between the western Pacific and the reef ecosystem [1]. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Great Dividing Range (also known as the Eastern Highlands) is located exclusively in eastern Australia. It runs parallel to the coast from the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, through New South Wales, and into central Victoria. It does not extend to Perth, which is located on the western coast of Australia, separated from the eastern ranges by the massive Western Plateau and the central outback. Therefore, only the first statement is geographically accurate.

Sources

1. [2] https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/landforms/australian-landforms-and-their-history
2. [1] https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/protecting-coral-sea-cradle-great-barrier-reef