Damon Mcknight
The Great Australian Desert, also known as the Great Sandy Desert, covers about 1,371,000 square kilometres or 18% of the Australian mainland. It is a diverse landscape, consisting of semi-arid grassy or mountainous areas, shrubs, salt pans, stony deserts, red sand dunes, and bushland. The desert's plant life includes the Desert Bloodwood Tree, which can grow up to 30 feet tall and has the ability to store water in its roots, and Spinifex, which thrives in arid soils and helps prevent the desert from becoming barren sand dunes. Other plants found in the Great Australian Desert include the Paperbark tree, the striped mintbush, and the blue mallee.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the desert | Great Sandy Desert |
| Area covered | 1,371,000 km2 (529,000 sq mi) or 18% of the Australian mainland |
| Rainfall | 250 mm (10 in) on average |
| Soil type | Arid, infertile |
| Plant type | Desert grassland, low woodland, shrubs, trees, and shrub steppe with spinifex grasslands |
| Examples of plants | Desert Bloodwood, Paperbark tree, Desert Walnut, Parkinsonia, Striped mintbush, Sturt's desert rose, Blue mallee, Honey grevillea, Mulga |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Sandy Desert is part of the Great Australian Desert
The Great Sandy Desert is characterised by its red sand dunefields, short ephemeral drainages, remnant rocky outcrops, and salt marshes and sand hills interlaced with Triodia (Spinifex) grass. Spinifex is a tough, arid-loving grass that prevents the desert from becoming bare-shifting sand, and its deep roots and stiff, spiky leaves provide a food source for termites. The Desert Bloodwood Tree is another plant that can survive in the desert conditions, with the ability to store water in its roots and leathery leaves.
The vegetation of the Great Sandy Desert is sparsely distributed, and the desert receives little rainfall, with high temperatures, low humidity, and high evaporation rates. The desert's creeks and rivers typically only flow after heavy rainfalls, and the lakes and wetlands that form are often short-lived. However, the Great Sandy Desert also contains several longer-lived lakes and wetlands, as well as the single modern river, the Rudall, which flows across the desert and empties into the large, salty Eva Broadhurst Lake.
The Great Sandy Desert is home to a variety of animal life, including feral camels, dingoes, bilbies, mulgara, marsupial moles, rufous hare-wallabies, and red kangaroos. Lizards such as goannas, thorny devils, and bearded dragons are also common, as are insects such as termites and ants. The Aboriginal people of the desert, including the Martu in the west and the Pintupi in the east, have a long history in the region and continue to maintain their culture through programs such as Wilurarra Creative.
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Desert Bloodwood trees can grow up to 30 feet tall
The Great Australian Desert covers about 1,371,000 square kilometres or 18% of the Australian mainland. It consists of semi-desert, grassy or mountainous landscapes, xeric shrubs, salt pans, stony deserts, red sand dunes, sandstone mesas, rocky plains, open tree savannahs, and bushland. The Desert Bloodwood tree, scientifically known as Corymbia opaca, is one of the plants that can be found in the Great Sandy Desert, a part of the greater Great Australian Desert.
The Desert Bloodwood tree produces a red sap, which is used by the Aboriginal people for various purposes. The sap, known as "kino", has medicinal properties and is applied to treat sore eyes, wounds, burns, and sores. It also functions as an antiseptic and a tanning agent for "kangaroo-skin waterbags". The tree's bark is used to make wooden bowls, and its fruit, which resembles an apple with a rough exterior, is used for decorative purposes and as "bush tucker".
The Desert Bloodwood is well-adapted to the desert environment. It has the ability to store water in its roots, a crucial advantage in arid regions where rains are often light and brief. The tree typically grows on the plains of the Great Sandy Desert and produces yellow and white flowers from April through October. These flowers provide nectar, serving as a food source for several desert animals, including possums and insects.
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Spinifex thrives in arid, poor soils
Spinifex is a unique plant found only in Australia, and it thrives in the poorest, most arid soils. Spinifex grasslands cover vast areas of arid Australia, across a variety of soils and landscapes. They are most prevalent in areas where other plant species struggle, such as sandy deserts, sandplains, dunefields, mountain ranges, and hills. Spinifex is well-adapted to low-nutrient, well-drained soils, and its deep roots allow it to access water stored deep in the ground.
Spinifex is a tough, spiky grass that is unpalatable and indigestible to most animals due to its high silica content, which also makes it stiff and rigid. This high silica content also has the effect of increasing the abrasiveness of the leaves if eaten by a herbivore, making them even less appealing. The silica content also means that people have experienced anaphylactic shock from being pricked by its sharp leaf tips. Despite this, spinifex provides a safe haven for small birds, mammals, and reptiles, and its roots provide a food source for termites.
Spinifex is also culturally significant to Aboriginal tribes, who burn the grass to produce a strong smoke for signalling and to collect resin to use as glue for stone axes. Spinifex is also an effective biogeochemical exploration sampling medium, especially when compared to soils, which are often influenced by sheetflow and aeolian dispersion.
Spinifex grasslands occupy at least 22% of the Australian continent, and they are an essential part of the ecology of the Australian desert, preventing the desert from becoming a barren, shifting sandscape.
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The Paperbark tree has bark that resembles paper
The Paperbark tree, also known as the Melaleuca tree, is native to Australia and nearby islands. It is characterised by its papery bark, which can be white, grey, or beige in colour. The scientific name for this tree is Melaleuca quinquenervia, and it is a small- to medium-sized tree that grows to a height of around 8-15 metres, sometimes reaching up to 25 metres. The tree is commonly found in coastal eastern Australia, particularly in New South Wales and Queensland, where it grows in swamps, floodplains, and near rivers and estuaries.
The Paperbark tree has a long history of traditional uses for the Aboriginal people of Australia. The Bininj/Mungguy people, for example, use the bark for bedding, bandages, shelter, rafts, and containers. The leaves are also added to dishes for flavouring, and they are used in traditional ground ovens for cooking.
The Paperbark tree is an important food source for many bird species, including honeyeaters and lorikeets, which feed on the tree's nectar. The flowers of the Paperbark tree are a rich source of nectar that attracts a wide range of bird and insect species, including fruit bats, the scaly-breasted lorikeet, and the grey-headed flying fox.
The Paperbark tree is not just limited to Australia; it can also be found in the southern part of Indonesian West Papua, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia. In these regions, the Paperbark tree is widespread and often dominates the landscape. However, the majority of its woodland in Australia is located on private property, where it is not protected and is vulnerable to clearing for housing developments, roads, and plantations.
The Paperbark tree is just one of the many unique plant species found in the Australian deserts, which cover about 1,371,000 square kilometres or 18% of the Australian mainland. The Australian deserts are diverse, ranging from semi-desert grassy landscapes to red sand dunes and open tree savannahs. Despite the arid conditions, the Australian deserts are home to a variety of plant life, including the Spinifex, which thrives in arid, infertile soils, and the Desert Bloodwood Tree, which can store water in its roots.
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Mulga trees are one of Australia's most popular trees
The Mulga tree, also known as Acacia aneura, is a member of the Fabaceae family and is native to Australia. It is widely distributed throughout all mainland states except Victoria, and is particularly prevalent in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. In Western Australia, it grows in a range of soils and habitats, from the Central Ranges to the Great Sandy Desert.
Mulga trees are an important part of Australia's ecology and culture. They can grow up to 10 meters tall in higher rainfall areas, but typically reach a height of 2 to 3 meters in dry regions or on shallow soils. The trees are well-adapted to the Australian climate and can withstand arid conditions. Their deep roots allow them to access water and nutrients from the soil, and their tough, leathery leaves help to conserve water.
Mulga trees have been of great significance to Aboriginal Australians for centuries. The wood from the trees is a good hardwood, making it ideal for crafting various tools, weapons, and household items such as digging sticks, woomeras, shields, and wooden bowls. The seeds of the Mulga tree are used to make seedcakes, and the tree's gum provides a honey-like treat. Additionally, the long-lived seed stores in the soil, making the Mulga tree an important source of fodder for livestock, especially during droughts.
The Mulga tree is also of economic importance to the Australian pastoral industry. While the leaves contain considerable amounts of indigestible tannins, they are still palatable to stock and provide valuable fodder, particularly in times of drought. The trees are also planted with sandalwood in plantations and provide forage for bees when there is enough water available. The wood from the Mulga tree is versatile and can be used for posts, firewood, and good-quality charcoal.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Australian Desert is a diverse landscape of semi-desert grasslands, mountainous landscapes, shrubs, salt pans, and dunes. Some plants found in this region include:
- Mulga trees
- Honey Grevillea
- Blue Mallee
- Spinifex
- Desert Bloodwood
- Paperbark tree
- Parkinsonia
- Desert Walnut
The Great Australian Desert is a collective term for the deserts of Australia, covering around 18% of the Australian mainland. It includes semi-arid grassy landscapes, shrubs, salt pans, dunes, and rocky plains.
The Great Sandy Desert, a part of the Great Australian Desert, is known for its unique plant life, including the Desert Bloodwood, Paperbark tree, and Spinifex grasslands.
