Simpson Desert

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.