The Simpson Desert is a longitudinal sand dune desert that that occupies an area of 170,000 square kilometres just east of the geographical center of Australia. The southern edge of the desert is bordered by Lake Eyre, to the west stony tablelands and the rivers of the Finke, Macumba, Sevenson and Todd Rivers, to the north the Plenty Highway, and to the east the rivers of the Diamantina, Georgina, Warburton and Goyder's Lagoon. Witjira National Park is on the western boundary, Simpson Desert National Park on the eastern.
The original inhabitants were Wangkangurru Aboriginal people who lived at wells called Mikiri. The main tracks across the Simpson Desert are the French Line, the Rig Road, the WAA Line and the QAA Line. Most of these follow straight lines as they were made by bulldozers following compass bearings, hence they being named lines. The most popular trek through the Simpson Desert is from Oodnadatta to Birdsville. There are other tracks into the desert, some requiring special permission to enter, like the Colson Track and the Hay River Track. There are also endless disused lines, some going nowhere. Whilst the desert has a uniform topography and a severe climate - from below freezing on winter nights to temperatures reaching into the sixty degree Celsius range in summer, it is a place of extraordinary beauty and contains a great diversity of flora and fauna.
Diamantina offer in depth expeditions to the Simpson Desert from March to October every year |
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