Damon Mcknight
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, with 70% of the mainland receiving less than 500mm of rain annually. This arid climate, coupled with its geographical positioning, has created prime conditions for a multitude of deserts, with around 18% of Australia's landmass being classified as desert. One of the largest of these is the Great Victoria Desert, which spans an area of 348,750 square kilometres. This desert is characterised by gravel-covered terrain, undulating red sand plains, and dune fields. The Gibson Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Tanami Desert are also notable large deserts in Southern Australia.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Victoria Desert |
| Location | South Australia |
| Size | 348,750 square km |
| Terrain | Gravel-covered terrains, thin desert grasses, undulating red sand plains, low rocky/gravelly ridges, substantial upland portions with a high degree of laterite formation |
| Climate | Summer temperatures above 35°C, winter temperatures above 10°C |
| Precipitation | Less than 250mm of rain per year |
| Wildlife | Lizards (great desert skink, Central Ranges taipan), small marsupials (sandhill dunnart, crest-tailed mulgara), southern marsupial mole, water-holding frog, woma python, thorny devil, bearded dragon, monitor lizard, frilled dragon, geckos, desert trilling frog, desert tree frog |
| Indigenous Communities | The Spinifex People |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Victoria Desert is the largest desert in Australia
The Great Victoria Desert was first crossed by British-born Australian explorer Ernest Giles in 1875, who named it after the then-reigning monarch, Queen Victoria. It consists of many small sandhills, grassland plains, areas with a closely packed surface of pebbles (called desert pavement or gibber plains), and salt lakes. The landscape also features gravel-covered terrains, rocky ridges, dune fields, and undulating red sand plains.
The desert has a hot and dry climate, with summer temperatures reaching above 35 degrees Celsius, and occasionally exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. However, the dry heat is not as uncomfortable as the humid swelter of tropical Australia. Winter temperatures range from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius during the day, but nights can be freezing. The rainfall in the region is unreliable, ranging from 200 to 250 mm per year, with the southern parts receiving slightly more rainfall during winter.
Despite the harsh conditions, the Great Victoria Desert is home to a variety of wildlife and plants. The wildlife includes large birds or mammals such as emus and red kangaroos, as well as lizards like the great desert skink and the Central Ranges taipan. Small marsupials, such as the sandhill dunnart and the crest-tailed mulgara, also inhabit the region. The desert provides a habitat for the southern marsupial mole and the water-holding frog, which burrow into the sand to survive.
The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely populated region, with the majority of its inhabitants being Indigenous Australians from various groups, including the Kogara, the Mirning, and the Pitjantjatjara. The region has seen some human activity, including mining and nuclear weapons testing. The desert also holds cultural significance, with 31% of it lying within protected areas such as the Mamungari Conservation Park in South Australia, which is one of the 14 World Biosphere Reserves in the country.
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The Simpson Desert is home to the water-holding frog
The Simpson Desert is one of the ten deserts that make up almost a fifth of Australia. It is home to a variety of animals, including the water-holding frog. This frog is a large, robust amphibian with a flattened appearance. It survives in the desert by collecting and storing small amounts of water. The water-holding frog's habitats include grasslands, temporary swamps, claypans, and billabongs.
The Simpson Desert is located in Southern Australia and is known for its gravel-covered terrains, red sand plains, and dunefields. The desert covers an area of 176,500 square kilometres and is the second-largest desert in the country, after the Great Victoria Desert. The Great Victoria Desert, covering 348,750 square kilometres, is located in Western Australia and South Australia. It is characterised by deep red sand dunes and dense mulga woodlands.
The Simpson Desert is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including at least 34 native mammals, 231 bird species, 22 amphibian species, 13 fish species, and 125 reptile species. Some of the bird species found in the Simpson Desert include the Eyrean grasswren, the grey grasswren, the freckled duck, the silver gull, the musk duck, the Australian pelican, the glossy ibis, and the great egret.
The desert is also known for its seasonal wetlands, which are formed due to the high rate of precipitation in certain areas. These wetlands provide a habitat for various water birds, such as the musk duck, glossy ibis, great egret, and banded stilt. The Simpson Desert is an important ecological region, supporting a wide array of animal and plant life that have adapted to the harsh desert conditions.
The Dieri tribe has inhabited a large area of the Simpson Desert, along with the Strzelecki and Tirari deserts, for thousands of years. The rock art and archaeological site at Karnatukul within the desert are estimated to have been inhabited for up to 25,000 years. This site showcases one of the earliest uses of firewood and continued to be inhabited during periods of extreme climate change and desertification.
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The Gibson Desert is named after an explorer who went missing in 1874
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, with 70% of the mainland receiving less than 500mm of rain annually. This arid climate, combined with its vast land area, means that Australia has some of the world's largest and most notable deserts. The country has ten deserts in total, with the Great Victoria Desert being the largest, spanning 348,750 square kilometres.
The Gibson Desert is the fifth-largest desert in Australia, occupying an extensive area of about 155,000 square kilometres in Western Australia. The desert is named after Alfred Gibson, an explorer who went missing in 1874 and was presumed dead. Gibson was attempting to cross the desert with Ernest Giles, after whom the desert is named. Gibson was never found, and his brother William had previously disappeared with the Franklin Expedition.
The Gibson Desert is bordered by the Little Sandy Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Great Victoria Desert. The landscape features gravel-covered terrain with thin desert grasses, rocky ridges, and undulating red sand plains. The altitude of the desert rises to just above 500 metres (1,600 feet) in certain locations. The desert is largely pristine, with a hot climate that sees summer temperatures soaring above 40°C.
The Gibson Desert is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. The sandy soil of the lateritic buckshot plains is rich in iron, and several isolated saltwater lakes dot the region. The desert also features dune fields, upland areas, and small lakes following paleo-drainage features.
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The Tirari Desert is located in South Australia's Far North region
The Tirari Desert is located in the Far North region of South Australia, covering an area of 15,250 square kilometres. It is characterised by salt lakes and large sand dunes running from north to south. The desert experiences harsh conditions, with high temperatures and very low rainfall, receiving less than 125 millimetres of rain annually. The main access to the Tirari Desert is through the unpaved Birdsville Track, which starts from Marree and heads north to Birdsville.
The Tirari Desert is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including lizards, small marsupials, and frogs. The southern marsupial mole and the water-holding frog are well adapted to the desert environment by burrowing into the sand. The desert also features a number of large cattle stations, such as Dulkaninna Station and Etadunna Station, which serve as stopping points for the Channel Country aviation mail run.
The region holds cultural significance for the Dieri tribe, who have inhabited the area for thousands of years. The rock art and archaeological site at Karnatukul within the desert are estimated to have been occupied for up to 25,000 years. Additionally, the Tirari Desert was once home to a small tribe known as the Tirari people, as reported by anthropologist Norman Tindale.
The Tirari Desert is surrounded by other notable deserts, including the Simpson Desert to the north, the Strzelecki Desert to the east, and the Sturt Stony Desert to the northeast, contributing to the arid climate of the region. The desert's landscape is primarily dominated by Sandhill Wattle and Sandhill Cane-grass, which thrive in the dune fields.
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The Sturt Stony Desert is in South Australia
The Sturt Stony Desert is located between the larger Simpson Desert to the west and the Strzelecki Desert to the southeast. The Gason Dome sits between these two dunefields, and the Sturt Stony Desert sits on top of it. The Tirari Desert is located to the southwest of the Sturt Stony Desert. The Birdsville Track is a route that runs between Marree in South Australia and Birdsville in Queensland. Much of the Sturt Stony Desert is covered by gibber, and it is part of the Tirari-Sturt stony desert ecoregion.
The desert is home to the kowari, a small nocturnal carnivorous marsupial that hunts on the vast gibber plains. Other animals that inhabit the desert include the vulnerable great desert skink, the Central Ranges taipan, the endangered sandhill dunnart, and the crest-tailed mulgara. The southern marsupial mole and the water-holding frog are species that have adapted to the desert environment by burrowing into the sands.
The Sturt Stony Desert is one of many deserts in Australia, which is the driest inhabited continent in the world after Antarctica. Deserts cover about a fifth of Australia's landmass, and the country's climate and geographical location contribute to the arid conditions. The desert regions are locked away from the coast and separated from moisture sources, and temperatures can soar above 40°C in the summer.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Victoria Desert is the largest desert in Australia, covering an area of 348,750 square km. It is located in the southern region of Western Australia and South Australia.
The Great Victoria Desert is characterised by gravel-covered terrains with thin desert grasses, red sand plains, and dune fields. It experiences hot summers with temperatures soaring above 40°C and winters that can be as cold as 6°C.
The Spinifex People are an Aboriginal community that lives in the Great Victoria Desert. The desert is also home to a variety of animals, including the desert death adder snake, lizards such as the great desert skink and the central ranges taipan, and the southern marsupial mole, as well as birds like emus, parrots, and cockatoos.
Yes, the Gibson Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Tirari Desert are also large deserts located in southern Australia.
