TSUNAMIS have devastated the likes of Indonesia and Japan in recent years and here in Australia they also pose a risk, and it’s bigger than we thought.

While this continent has been known to have been hit by tsunamis — with the largest in recent memory back in 2006 when waves reached almost 8 metres above sea level — research conducted by the University of New South Wales has uncovered that three-times the recorded number have actually slammed into our coastlines.

The findings have been published in the journal Progress in Physical Geography and reveals this lump of land has been struck by up to 145 possible tsunamis since prehistoric times, causing deaths that have gone previously unreported.

“Our research has led to an almost threefold increase in the number of events identified — up from 55 in 2007. NSW has the highest number of tsunamis in the database, with 57, followed by Tasmania with 40, Queensland with 26 and Western Australia with 23,” says Professor Goff, of the UNSW School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

With the number of incidents now being much higher than once thought this increased frequency raises the threat level.

In order to obtain this information to update Australia’s record of tsunami incidents, professors trawled through old newspapers, historical records, scientific papers and tsunami databases. The goal was to “better understand the tsunami hazard to Australia”.

But it seems Australia has come away relatively unscathed as “historical documents indicate that up to 11 possible tsunami-related deaths have occurred in Australia since 1883.”

The study also revealed Australia is home to the site of the world’s oldest known tsunami, which hit Pilbara in Western Australia caused by an asteroid impact 3.47 billion years ago.