Drifting Australia A Timeline

Australia: The Land Where Time Began

1.1 Ga	Australia first joined to Antarctica. At this time the the MacDonnell Ranges, Porongurup Ranges and East Mount Barren were formed, probably as a shock-absorbing mechanism of the weaker parts of the crust as the Australian continent slammed into Antarctica at the start of the formation of Rodinia.
750 Ma	Rodinia broke
700 Ma	The time that the controversial glacial phase called by some "snowball Earth" began that some believe was so widespread and intense that it may have come close to extermination life.
600 Ma	Pannotia, a supercontinent that is believed to have formed about 300 Ma and lasted for about 30 million years.
525 Ma.	Early Cambrian. Australia was at the northern end of Gondwana, as its eastern coast was facing north.
490 Ma	Tremadocian. Australia is still at the northern end of Gondwana, but has moved slightly south, its western coast now touches the Equator.
458 Ma	Middle Ordovician. Australia has moved a bit further south. The west coast is now south of the Equator.
435 Ma	Middle Silurian. About 1/3 of the continent is south of the Equator, which is on the north-south axis of the continent. The west coast still facing south.
400 Ma	Early Devonian. Australia is now south of the Equator in the orientation of the present with the tip of Cape York touching the Equator.
370 Ma	Late Devonian. Australia is now half way between the Equator and 45^oS latitude. It has a similar orientation to the present.
355 Ma	Early Carboniferous. Australia straddles the 45^oS latitude, the present north coast facing north.
306 Ma	Late Carboniferous. Australia is now south of the 45^o S
280 Ma	Sakmarian-Artinskian. Australia is still south of 45^oS close to the South Pole, on the eastern end of Gondwana.
255 Ma	Kazanian. Australia is still near the South Pole. The present north coast is tending to face north east.
235 Ma	Early Triassic. Partly above the 45^oS latitude, on the eastern end of Gondwana.
225 Ma	Pangaea formed
215 Ma	Late Triassic. The 45^oS latitude passes through about the middle of the continent along the north-south axis.
195 Ma	Early Jurassic. Australia hasn't changed position much, but has rotated slightly to the east.
180 Ma	Pangaea broke up.
160 Ma	Middle Jurassic. Australia has moved further south.
132 Ma	Valanginian. Australia has returned to near the South Pole.
110 Ma	Early Cretaceous-Sea level rose, reached a maximum level at about 110 million years ago as continents separated from Gondwana, then dropped again by the end of the Late Cretaceous
102 Ma	Albian. Australia has moved north so that the tips of northern Australia are just north of the 45^oS latitude.
70 Ma	Maastrichtian. Australia has moved further north so that northern Australia is north of 45^oS latitude. The break from Antarctica has begun.
43 Ma	Middle Eocene. Australia has moved further north, the 45^oS latitude now passes through the top 1/3 of the continent along the east-west axis. Has separated from Antarctica.
15 Ma	Middle Miocene. Has moved further north. Only Tasmania and parts of Victoria are south of the 45^oS latitude.