[1] In addition to Canberra, several regional cities make up part of the bioregion such as Lithgow and Bathurst in the north, Queanbeyan and Yass in the centre, Goulburn and Bowral in the east, and the towns of Bombala and Delegate in the south.

The South Eastern Highlands are an important source of gold, copper, tin, oil, and natural gas.

Having the Europeans settle in on this land not only affected the resources of the people, but started to spread dangerous diseases to the population.

It spreads to the Great Escarpment in the east and to the western slopes of the inland drainage basins, and continues into Victoria.

The Early Ordovician serpentinite rocks running from Gundagai past Tumut into the Snowy Mountains are the oldest.

These uncommon rocks were created in abyssal environments and were surfaced against the edge of Australia when a part of sea floor and an island arc closed.

This comprises diverse sediment placed from massive submarine landslides, also interblended with quartz sandstone and basaltic tuffs.

The Eastern Highlands encompass a sequence of mountains in the south crowned by Mount Kosciuszko and volcanic plugs, ash domes and flow remainders further north.

[3] Volcanic activity was extensive and there are enormous areas of related river sands and gravels in the mid-Shoalhaven valley, which are in the Cenozoic.

Mount Canobolas was a chief volcano 50 kilometres (31 mi) in diameter, now weather-beaten to disclose more than fifty leftover vents, plugs, dykes, and trachyte domes.

[4] In the Snowy Mountains, at Kiandra more precisely, an 18- to 20‑million-year-old hill top river gravels was driven for gold.

The landforms that are seen today are due to the lengthy, constant progressions of movement and erosion over millions of years, which escalate into a variation of landscapes across Australia.

Climate varies greatly across the South Eastern Highlands because of the topographic variation and its effect on atmospheric pressure, light, wind, and rain.

Eastern parts of the region are sheltered from the prevailing westerlies, making winters and springs significantly warmer and drier compared to corresponding elevations in the South West Slopes.

Both soils and vegetation are affected by the temperature through the distribution of species, which can be observed through sequences in the frost hollows.

Suggesting there has been little change in the high quality areas, but that gradual environmental degradation is occurring across the broader landscape.

These wetlands are exposed to many threats of exotic weed invasion, feral animals, grazing pressure, sedimentation and changed water regimes.