Australia is believed to be the oldest landmass on Earth, with parts of its crust dating back 4.4 billion years.

       Scientists also believe its ancient rocks, found in Western Australia’s Jack Hills, could hold important clues about how Earth became habitable.

       Unlike other continents, Australia has remained geologically stable for much of its history.

       But despite its age, the landmass is still on the move and keeps drifting northeast at around seven centimetres per year, making it the fastest-moving continent on Earth.

       Earth itself is 4.5 billion years old, and researchers say Australia’s landmass was among the first to cool after the planet’s early lava oceans solidified.

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       The Jack Hills zircon crystals, discovered in Western Australia, have been dated to 4.374 billion years ago and are the oldest known rocks on the planet.

       Speaking about the findings back in 2014, Professor John Valley, a geoscientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said: "This confirms our view of how the Earth cooled and became habitable.

       "It may also help us understand how other habitable planets would form."

       MIT scientist Samuel Bowring also called the discovery a breakthrough. "The results show that single grains of ancient zircon can yield a rich history, the implications of which date back to the very earliest history of our planet," he said.

       The zircons contain radioactive elements that have allowed scientists to pinpoint their exact age.

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       They also suggest that Earth’s surface cooled far earlier than previously thought - possibly just 160 million years after the planet formed.

       Australia’s landscape is the lowest, flattest, and second-driest continent after Antarctica, and its geography has been reshaped over thousands of years due to changing sea levels.

       Around 18,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, New Guinea, Tasmania, and mainland Australia were connected as one landmass known as Sahul. Rising sea levels eventually separated them into the different regions seen today.

       Despite being ancient, Australia remains in motion. It sits on the Indo-Australian tectonic plate and drifts northeast at about 2.7 inches (7 cm) per year - a rate so significant that GPS coordinates must be updated regularly to keep maps accurate.

       While much of Australia’s interior remains largely uninhabited, the country is also home to big cities like Sydney and Melbourne.

       The continent also includes Papua New Guinea, one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse places in the world, and West Papua, home to dozens of uncontacted tribal groups.

       Scientists believe further research into Australia’s ancient crust could provide new insights into how planets evolve - and even offer clues about where life could exist elsewhere in the universe.