Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, with around 3% of its population living in its arid zone. The desert covers about 1,371,000 km2 (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland, and is home to numerous Aboriginal communities, some of which have been inhabiting the land for tens of thousands of years. The Great Australian Desert, as it is collectively known, is a popular tourist destination, with nature-based and Indigenous-led experiences attracting both domestic and international travellers. While the desert is sparsely populated, with around 800,000 residents, it offers a range of attractions, from the famous Uluru (Ayers Rock) to the lesser-known Pedirka Desert in South Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of deserts in Australia | 10 |
| Extent of desert coverage in Australia | Covers about 1,371,000 km2 (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland. About 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain that it is practically desert. |
| Population of Australian deserts | About 800,000 residents, or less than 5% of the Australian population. |
| Indigenous population in Australian deserts | About 3% of the Australian population. |
| Tourist attractions in Australian deserts | Uluru (Ayers Rock), Riversleigh fossil site, Alice Springs Desert Park, Katjarra camping spots, and the Great Barrier Reef. |
| Languages spoken in Australian deserts | Arrernte, Warlpiri, Yankunytjatjara, Pitjantjatjara, Luritja, Pintupi-Luritja, Ngaatjatjatjara, Ngaanyatjarra, Alyawarra, Anmatyerre, and English. |
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What You'll Learn
Tourist attractions in the Australian deserts
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, with deserts covering about 1,371,000 square kilometres (529,000 square miles), or 18% of the Australian mainland. Despite the arid conditions, tourism is a major industry across the Great Australian Desert, with Outback Australia a sought-after destination for domestic and international travellers.
The Great Victoria Desert
The largest desert in Australia, the Great Victoria Desert, sweeps from the Eastern Goldfields region in Western Australia to the Gawler Ranges of South Australia, almost touching the Northern Territory border. It sits above the Nullarbor Plain and makes up around a quarter of South Australia. The desert was named by British explorer Ernest Giles, who crossed it in 1875. It is dedicated to Queen Victoria. The main people living in the desert are Aboriginal people of the Kogara, Mirning, and Pitjantjatjara groups. 31% of the Great Victoria Desert lies in protected areas, including the Great Victoria Desert Nature Reserve, Lake Gairdner National Park, Nullabor Regional Reserve, and Gawler Ranges National Park.
The Tirari Desert
The Tirari Desert is the second-smallest Australian desert, covering 15,000 square kilometres in the eastern part of the Far North region of South Australia. It was first settled by a small group of Aboriginal people, the Tirari, who are believed to be extinct. The area has been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for over 20,000 years, with over 25 tribal groups living in the Channel Country area. Tourist attractions include Cooper Creek, where early explorers Burke and Wills died, and the Mungerannie Hotel on the Birdsville Track.
The Great Sandy Desert
The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest Australian desert, covering 284,000 square kilometres in Western Australia's northwest. It receives more rain than a typical desert, averaging 250 mm annually, with higher amounts in the north. Tourist attractions include Purnululu National Park, known for its beehive-shaped sandstone formations called the Bungle Bungles, and Wolfe Creek Crater, the world’s second-largest meteorite crater.
The Little Sandy Desert
The Little Sandy Desert is the sixth-largest Australian desert, covering 111,000 square kilometres in Western Australia, bordering the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, and Gibson Deserts. It is considered one of the harshest deserts in Australia, so it is recommended that visitors hire an expert guide when exploring. From some angles, you can see the Carnarvon Ranges rising in the distance, known as Katjarra by the local Martu people.
The Strzelecki Desert
The Strzelecki Desert was named after explorer Paul Edmund de Strzelecki, who walked over 7,000 kilometres through Australia and discovered Mount Kosciusko. Covering over 80,000 square kilometres, the desert sprawls into South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales.
The Tanami Desert
The Tanami Desert is the third-largest Australian desert, spanning over 184,000 square kilometres across the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
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Indigenous communities in the Australian deserts
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, with about 35% of the Australian continent receiving so little rain that it is practically a desert. The desert covers about three-quarters of the continent and is home to around 800,000 residents, which is less than 5% of the Australian population.
Indigenous Australians have lived in the desert for at least 50,000 years and occupied all Outback regions, including the driest deserts, when Europeans first entered central Australia in the 1800s. Many Indigenous Australians retain strong physical and cultural links to their traditional country and are legally recognised as the traditional owners of large parts of the Outback under Commonwealth Native Title legislation. About a third of Australia's deserts are now Aboriginal lands, with a large part of it being managed by them as a nature reserve.
The Western Desert cultural bloc (WDCB) is a cultural region in central Australia covering about 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 sq mi). The term is used by anthropologists and linguists to describe the 40 or so Aboriginal groups that live there, who speak dialects of one language, often called the Western Desert language. The WDCB covers around 670,000 km2 (260,000 sq mi) and extends across much of Western Australia, parts of South Australia, and parts of the Northern Territory. It includes the Gibson Desert, the Great Victoria Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Little Sandy Desert. Most of the inhabitants of the area are Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous Australians in the desert regions include the Kogara, the Mirning, and the Pitjantjatjara. Aboriginal populations have been increasing in this region. Young Indigenous adults from the Gibson Desert region work in the Wilurarra Creative programs to maintain and develop their culture.
Tourism is a major industry across the Great Australian Desert, and commonwealth and state tourism agencies explicitly market Outback Australia as a sought-after destination for domestic and international travellers. In the 2015–2016 financial year, 815,000 visitors spent $988 million while on holidays in the Northern Territory alone. At Katjarra, there are two camping spots, and Indigenous rangers are available to show tourists the part of the range that is open to the public.
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The number of residents in the Australian deserts
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, with about 3% of its population living in its arid zone. The Australian desert covers about 1,371,000 square kilometres (529,000 square miles), or 18% of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain that it is practically desert. The Australian desert is collectively known as the Great Australian Desert and is distributed throughout the Western Plateau and interior lowlands of the country.
The Great Australian Desert is home to around 800,000 residents, or less than 5% of the Australian population. The desert regions include many towns and cities, such as Alice Springs, Port Hedland, Broken Hill, and Port Augusta. The desert is also home to numerous Aboriginal peoples who live in settlements and small Indigenous communities. The Aboriginal populations have been increasing in this region, and about a third of Australia's deserts are now Aboriginal lands. The main people living in the Great Victoria Desert, for example, are Aboriginal people of the Kogara, Mirning, and Pitjantjatjara groups.
Tourism is a major industry across the Great Australian Desert, with many tourists visiting sites such as Riversleigh in Queensland, one of Australia's most renowned fossil sites. In the 2015-2016 financial year, 815,000 visitors spent $988 million while on holidays in the Northern Territory alone.
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Accessibility of the Australian deserts
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world. The desert covers about 1,371,000 square kilometres (529,000 sq mi), or 18%, of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain, it is practically desert. The Great Australian Desert, as it is collectively known, is distributed throughout the Western Plateau and interior lowlands of the country, covering areas from South West Queensland, the Far West region of New South Wales, Sunraysia in Victoria, and Spencer Gulf in South Australia to the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley region in Western Australia.
The Australian deserts are accessible through various means, including road, rail, and air. The Stuart Highway runs from north to south through the centre of the continent, and the Tarcoola-Darwin railway line runs roughly parallel to it. There is also a proposal to develop roads from the south-west to the north-east to create an all-weather road named the Outback Highway, crossing the continent diagonally. Air transport is also relied on for mail delivery and workforce transportation in some areas due to sparse settlement and wet-season road closures. Most outback mines have an airstrip.
The best way to access some deserts, like the Tirari Desert, is via the unsealed but graded Birdsville Track between Marree, South Australia, and Birdsville, Queensland. This route offers a remote adventure, with only one place to stop for services at the Mungerannie Hotel. Australia's smallest desert, the Pedirka Desert, can be found in South Australia's north, near the Northern Territory border. This desert can be driven across in a 4WD and should take a few hours or less.
Tourism is a significant industry in the Great Australian Desert, with nature-based and Indigenous-led experiences being marketed to domestic and international travellers. In the 2015-2016 financial year, 815,000 visitors spent $988 million in the Northern Territory alone. Katjarra, for example, offers camping spots and Indigenous-led tours of the area. Riversleigh, Queensland, is another popular tourist destination, renowned for its fossil sites.
Indigenous Australians have lived in the desert for at least 50,000 years, and many retain strong physical and cultural links to their traditional country. They are legally recognised as the traditional owners of large parts of the Outback. Today, numerous Aboriginal peoples continue to live in settlements in the deserts, and Aboriginal populations in these regions are increasing.
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The smallest Australian desert
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, with ten distinct deserts covering around 1,371,000 square kilometres, or 18% of the Australian mainland. Despite the arid conditions, around 800,000 people, or 3% of the population, live in Australia's arid zone.
The smallest of Australia's ten deserts is the Pedirka Desert, located in South Australia's north, near the Northern Territory border. This desert features deep red sands and mulga woodlands, with sand dunes spread widely apart and sitting parallel to each other. These dunes are quite low-lying and eroded, and the desert is slowly being converted into pastoral land.
The Pedirka Desert is a remote area with limited access to essential amenities such as water sources, shops, and paved roads. As a result, visitors to the desert are advised to be self-sufficient and bring their own supplies. The desert can be crossed in a 4WD vehicle, and the journey typically takes a few hours or less.
The Tirari Desert, accessible via the Birdsville Track between Marree, South Australia, and Birdsville, Queensland, is another small and remote desert in Australia. This desert was first settled by a small group of Aboriginal people known as the Tirari, who are believed to be extinct. The area is now within the native title claim of the Dieri people.
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Frequently asked questions
The desert covers about three-quarters of the continent, but it only supports around 800,000 residents, which is less than 5% of the Australian population.
Tourism is a major industry across the Australian desert. In the 2015–2016 financial year, 815,000 visitors spent $988 million while on holidays in the Northern Territory alone.
Deserts cover about 18% of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain that it is practically desert.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world. Its unique landscape and nature-based and Indigenous-led experiences attract many tourists.
