SIMPSON DESERT

The Simpson Desert is a large, uninhabited arid region covering over 143,000 square km (55,000 sq miles) in central Australia.
Situated mainly in the south eastern corner of the Northern Territory, it spreads into Queensland and South Australia.
It is bounded by the Finke River in the west, the MacDonnell Ranges and Plenty River in the north, the Mulligan and
Diamantina rivers in the east, and Lake Eyre to the south. There are sand dunes about 450 metres apart and up to 37 metres high,
running parallel from north-west to south-east for about 160 km, with Ephemeral salt lakes common throughout the southern areas.

As the sands of the desert dunes age over time iron in the clay oxidises causing the grains of sand to become coated with iron oxide giving them a red colour; the longer weathering progress the darker red the sand appears.
The southern sand dunes are white (since they are not as old) and the dunes become progressively redder to the north, as they are much older.


The best known dune is “Big Red”, approximately 70 kilometres west of Birdsville, it is the one that is found most difficult to cross.
There is an alternative (angled) crossing for those that fail.

Simpson Desert Map

Simpson Desert Map - Tracks we have travelled

The tracks that are highlighted (Blue dots) are the ones that we have travelled, they include :-
Rig Road, QAA Line, French Line, WBY Line, Warburton Track, Knolls Track, Rocks Road and access to Alka-Seltzer Bore, Oasis Bore and the Everglades.


NOTE:-
We travelled these tracks between 1985 and 1995 and at that time there were many less restrictions on access to the Simpson Desert.
Some of these areas now have restricted access and many require special permission to enter.
Bill Chartres