Simpson Desert

The Simpson Desert is in central Australia. It is a very big, dry place. The sand is bright red.

There are very long hills made of sand.

These are called dunes. Plants help hold the dunes in place.

It is very hot in the desert. Sometimes it is even hotter!

Large sand storms can happen too.

Many animals live here. You might see a red kangaroo. You might see an emu, too.

People have lived here for a long time. It is a very special place.

The Simpson Desert is in central Australia. It sits in the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Queensland. This desert is a large area of red sand. It is the fourth-largest desert in Australia.

The desert has very long sand dunes.

These dunes run north to south. They stay in place because of plants. The largest dune is called Big Red. It is very tall.

It is a very hot and dry place.

Most rain falls in the summer. Summer heat can reach 50 degrees Celsius. Large sand storms can happen here, too.

Aboriginal people have lived here for 5,000 years. The Wangkangurru Yarluyandi people call this area Munga-Thirri. They used hand-dug wells for water. Many animals live in the desert.

You might see a red kangaroo or an emu. Some frogs live here, too. They can hold water in their bodies.

People visit the desert to see landmarks. One famous spot is Poeppel Corner.

This is where three states meet.

The Simpson Desert is a huge area of red sand and dunes. It sits in central Australia across three different places. These are the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Queensland. It is the fourth-largest desert in the whole country. The Wangkangurru Yarluyandi people call this land Munga-Thirri. Deep under the sand lies the Great Artesian Basin. This is one of the biggest inland water areas in the world.

This desert is an erg, which means it is made of sand. It has the longest parallel sand dunes in the world.

These dunes run from north to south. Plants help hold the dunes in their places. The dunes change in height as you travel. They are shorter in the west and taller in the east. The biggest dune is called Nappanerica, or Big Red.

It is a very tall landmark in the sand.

Aboriginal people have lived here for at least 5,000 years. They still live in the area today. Long ago, the Wangkangurru people used hand-dug wells called mikiri. They ate seeds from plants like Nardoo and Pigweed. They also hunted animals like kangaroos, wallabies, and dingoes.

In the late 1800s, Europeans arrived. They thought the desert was too dry for people to live. Many explorers later traveled through the hot sand.

Many people have tried to cross this vast land. Charles Sturt was the first European to see it. In 1936, Ted Colson crossed the whole desert on camels.

Later, Bob Beer ran across it in 1980. He ran 420 km in just 6.5 days.

In 1962, a family finished the first trip in a car. Even today, people cross it by bike or on foot. They must be very careful with water and fuel.

The weather here is very hot and very dry.

It only gets about 150 mm of rain each year. Summer temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius. Large sand storms often blow across the dunes. Some animals, like the water-holding frog, have found ways to survive.

Other animals include the red kangaroo and the echidna. When it rains a lot, the desert can burst into life.

The Simpson Desert is a vast landscape of red sand and dunes. It is located in central Australia. The desert stretches across three different regions: the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Queensland. It holds the title of the fourth-largest desert in Australia. The Wangkangurru Yarluyandi people call this area Munga-Thirri. The desert is part of the Lake Eyre basin. It also sits above the Great Artesian Basin. This is one of the largest inland drainage areas on Earth.

This desert is classified as an erg. An erg is a large area covered by sand dunes. The Simpson Desert contains the longest parallel sand dunes in the world. These dunes run in a north-south direction. Vegetation plays a vital role in this system. Plants help hold the dunes in place so they remain static. The dunes change in height across the desert. They are shorter in the west. They become much taller as you move toward the east. The largest dune is named Nappanerica, or Big Red.

Aboriginal peoples have lived in this desert for at least 5,000 years. They continue to live in the region today. The Lower Southern Arrernte and Eastern Arrernte communities lived in the west. The Karangura and Wanggamala people resided in the east. Before European colonization, the Wangkangurru people used hand-dug wells called mikiri. Their diet included seed patties made from Nardoo and Pigweed. They also hunted various animals. These included kangaroos, wallabies, bandicoots, and dingoes.

European contact with the desert began in the mid-1800s. Charles Sturt was the first European to see the desert. He visited the region between 1844 and 1846. In 1880, a surveyor named Augustus Poeppel marked the border between Queensland and South Australia. His surveyor's chain was stretched, so his mark was 300 meters too far west. Larry Wells moved the post to the correct position in 1884. This location is now known as Poeppel Corner.

Many explorers have tested their limits in the Simpson Desert. Ted Colson was the first nonindigenous person to cross the entire desert. He did this in 1936 using camels.

In 1962, Reg Sprigg and his family made the first vehicular crossing. In 1980, Bob Beer ran 420 km across the desert in 6.5 days. Dennis Bartel later became the first white man to walk solo and unsupported. He relied on old Aboriginal wells for water.

The climate is extremely hot and dry. Rainfall is minimal, averaging only about 150 mm per year. Most rain falls during the summer. Summer temperatures average 28 degrees Celsius. However, temperatures can climb as high as 50 degrees Celsius. Large sand storms are common in this environment. When heavy rain does fall, the desert changes. In 2010, Birdsville recorded more rain in one day than is usual for a whole year. This caused the desert to burst into life and color.

Specialized plants and animals live in this ecoregion. The flora includes drought-resistant shrubs and grasses. Zygochloa paradoxa grass is important because it holds the dunes together. Other plants include spinifex grass. The wildlife is also well-adapted to the heat. The water-holding frog is one such animal. Endemic mammals include the red kangaroo, dingo, echidna, and kowari.

Birds like the grey grasswren and Eyrean grasswren also live here. The desert also features the Channel Country to the northeast. This area includes low hills and rivers lined with coolabah trees.