Twenty sets of elevation and gravity profiles across the Australian continent and its margins were prepared by computer from a data bank of 260 000 observations. Their concise and accurate presentation enables crustal blocks to be identified from their elevation and surface character. The profiles indicate that the continent consists of rigid crustal blocks containing the cratonised remnants of ancient mobile belts. Some blocks have been eroded to great depth, others are blanketed by sediments and many are undergoing passive isostatic adjustment. Differential vertical movements between adjacent small blocks suggest that some are not in isostatic equilibrium, and differences in regional free-air anomaly level over distances of up to 6 degrees of arc confirm that complete isostasy does not prevail. Around the outer zone of the continent, the dominant direction of movement is downwards, presumably in response to erosion of the base of the crust. However, horizontal compression may be preventing some of the blocks from subsiding, resulting in topographic features, including the Australian Alps.