Australia is the flattest inhabited continent, and its elevation records reflect that. The highest permanently inhabited places are alpine villages in the Snowy Mountains, and the highest substantial city would barely register as elevated in Colorado or Switzerland. These are the highest cities and towns in Australia, measured at each settlement centre.
What is my elevation? Check live →Australia's highest towns, ranked
| # | Town | State / Territory | Elevation (ft) | Elevation (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perisher Valley | New South Wales | 5,650 ft | 1,722 m |
| 2 | Thredbo | New South Wales | 4,491 ft | 1,369 m |
| 3 | Katoomba | New South Wales | 3,363 ft | 1,025 m |
| 4 | Armidale | New South Wales | 3,189 ft | 972 m |
| 5 | Jindabyne | New South Wales | 3,061 ft | 933 m |
| 6 | Orange | New South Wales | 2,838 ft | 865 m |
| 7 | Stanthorpe | Queensland | 2,618 ft | 798 m |
| 8 | Cooma | New South Wales | 2,602 ft | 793 m |
| 9 | Bathurst | New South Wales | 2,228 ft | 679 m |
| 10 | Goulburn | New South Wales | 2,100 ft | 640 m |
| 11 | Toowoomba | Queensland | 1,955 ft | 596 m |
| 12 | Alice Springs | Northern Territory | 1,906 ft | 581 m |
| 13 | Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | 1,870 ft | 570 m |
| 14 | Ballarat | Victoria | 1,470 ft | 448 m |
| 15 | Bendigo | Victoria | 728 ft | 222 m |
| 16 | Mount Gambier | South Australia | 141 ft | 43 m |
| 17 | Launceston | Tasmania | 39 ft | 12 m |
The alpine villages come first — but they are seasonal
Perisher Valley at roughly 1722 m and Thredbo at about 1369 m are the highest settlements in Australia, both in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. Neither is a normal town. Their populations swell during the ski season and shrink dramatically in summer, and both sit within Kosciuszko National Park under leasehold arrangements rather than ordinary land ownership.
Armidale: the highest real city
For a place with a permanent population, a university and a functioning year-round economy, Armidale in the New England region at roughly 972 m is Australia's highest city. Its altitude produces something genuinely rare in Australia: four distinct seasons, with regular winter frost and occasional snow — in a country where most people never see either.
Canberra: the highest capital
Canberra at about 570 m is the highest capital city in Australia, and the only major inland one. That was deliberate. When Melbourne and Sydney could not agree which should be the national capital, a compromise site was chosen inland between them, and the elevation came with the location. It gives Canberra a colder winter than any other Australian capital.
Why Australia is so flat
Australia's mean elevation is about 330 m, the lowest of any continent apart from Antarctica's ice-free areas. The reason is age: the Australian landmass is geologically ancient and tectonically quiet, sitting in the middle of its plate rather than at a colliding edge. It has had hundreds of millions of years of erosion without the mountain-building that continually renews the Andes or Himalaya. Mount Kosciuszko, the highest point, reaches only 2,228 m — lower than dozens of European ski lifts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest town in Australia?
Perisher Valley in the Snowy Mountains at roughly 1722 m, followed by Thredbo at about 1369 m. Both are alpine resort villages whose populations vary greatly with the season.
What is Australia's highest city with a permanent population?
Armidale, New South Wales at roughly 972 m. It has a university, a year-round economy and one of the few Australian climates with regular winter frost.
How high is Canberra?
About 570 m, making it Australia's highest capital city and its only major inland one. The elevation gives Canberra noticeably colder winters than the coastal capitals.
Why is Australia so flat?
The continent is geologically ancient and sits in the middle of its tectonic plate, so it has undergone hundreds of millions of years of erosion without new mountain-building. Its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, reaches only 2,228 m.