Lexi Webster
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. The country has a total of 10 deserts, which make up about 18% of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain that it is practically a desert. The Great Victoria Desert is Australia's largest desert, covering an area of 348,750 square km. The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest desert, spanning roughly 150,000 square miles. Other notable deserts in Australia include the Gibson Desert, the Tanami Desert, and the Pedirka Desert.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Victoria Desert |
| Location | Western Australia and South Australia |
| Size | 348,750 km² |
| Climate | Hot and arid |
| Annual Rainfall | 250 mm |
| Temperature | Max: 42.2 °C (108 °F); Min: 12.2 °C (54 °F) |
| Flora | Spinifex grass, mulga trees, and eucalyptus trees |
| Fauna | Red kangaroos, dingoes, goannas, and birds of prey |
| Human Population | Sparse; primarily indigenous communities |
| Tourism | Limited due to remoteness and lack of infrastructure |
| Conservation Status | Protected areas within the desert |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Australian Desert is made up of 10 deserts
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. The Great Australian Desert covers about 1,371,000 km2 (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland, but about 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain that it is practically desert. The Great Australian Desert is made up of 10 deserts, which cover a diverse range of landscapes, including semi-desert grassy or mountainous areas, xeric shrubs, salt pans, gibber (stony) deserts, red sand dunes, sandstone mesas, rocky plains, open tree savannahs, and bushland.
The Great Australian Desert is primarily 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 desert in Western Australia can be explained by the little evaporation of the cold sea current of the West Australian Current, which prevents significant rainfall in the interior of the continent. The subtropics, a belt of high pressure at about latitude 30 degrees north and south, runs across Western Australia and South Australia and through the Great Victoria Desert, creating dry conditions that spread through the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia.
The Great Australian Desert is home to an abundance of wildlife, including over 300 species of birds, such as emus, ratites, parrots, cockatoos, owls, and raptors. The desert also includes many types of lizards and is the largest population of feral camels in the world.
Indigenous Australians have lived in the Great Australian Desert for tens of thousands of years and continue to do so, with strong physical and cultural links to the land.
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The Great Victoria Desert is the largest desert
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. The country has a total of 10 deserts, covering around 1,371,000 km2 (529,000 sq mi) or 18% of the Australian mainland. The Great Victoria Desert is the largest of these, spanning 164,000 square miles or 348,750 square kilometres. It is located in Western Australia and South Australia, and features grassland areas, small sandhills, salt lakes and pebbled surfaces.
The Great Victoria Desert is surrounded by other notable deserts, including the Little Sandy Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Gibson Desert. The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest desert in Australia, covering 284,993 square kilometres. It is characterised by short ephemeral drainages, several lakes and wetlands, red sand dunefields, and remnant rocky outcrops. The Gibson Desert, meanwhile, covers 155,000 square kilometres and features gravel-covered terrains, rocky ridges, dune fields, and undulating red sand plains.
The Great Australian Desert, which includes all of the country's deserts, is known for its fluctuating climate. While it does not experience the extremes of other deserts, it can go from drought to flooding within a short space of time. This is due to the uneven rainfall distribution across the country.
Indigenous Australians have lived in the Great Australian Desert for at least 50,000 years and have strong physical and cultural links to the region. The desert is also home to the world's largest population of feral camels, as well as a diverse range of other flora and fauna.
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The Gibson Desert is the fifth-largest desert
Australia is one of the world's largest countries by land area, so it is no surprise that it has some of the world's largest and most important deserts. The Gibson Desert is the fifth-largest desert in Australia, occupying an extensive area of Western Australia. It is named after Alfred Gibson, an explorer who went missing in the desert in 1874 and was never found. The Gibson Desert covers around 60,000 square miles or 155,000 square kilometres. Despite its size, the Gibson Desert remains pristine. It is surrounded by the Little Sandy Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, and the Great Victoria Desert.
The landscape of the Gibson Desert is varied, featuring gravel-covered terrain, desert grasses, rocky ridges, upland areas, dune fields, and undulating red sand plains. The altitude of the desert reaches up to 1,600 feet in some places. The desert also has a few scattered saltwater lakes.
The Gibson Desert experiences a hot climate, with summer temperatures soaring above 40°C. In contrast, winter temperatures can drop to a minimum of 6°C. This climate is typical of Australia's deserts, which are classified as arid or semi-arid.
Australia's deserts cover about 1,371,000 square kilometres or 18% of the Australian mainland. They are primarily distributed throughout the Western Plateau and interior lowlands of the country. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, and its deserts have relatively high rates of rainfall, receiving around 250mm of rain on average. However, due to high evapotranspiration, the areas are correspondingly arid.
The Great Victoria Desert is Australia's largest desert, spanning 164,000 square kilometres. The smallest is the Pedirka Desert, covering only 480 square miles.
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The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest desert
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. The country has a total of 10 deserts, covering around 1,371,000 km2 (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland. The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest desert in Australia, located in Western Australia's North West. It covers an area of 284,993 square km or 150,000 square miles and is surrounded by the Gibson Desert, the Little Sandy Desert, the Great Victoria Desert, and the Tanami Desert.
The Great Sandy Desert features a famous meteorite impact crater called the Wolfe Creek and several large ergs with longitudinal sand dunes. The landscape is characterised by short ephemeral drainages, several lakes and wetlands, red sand dunefields, and remnant rocky outcrops. The daytime temperatures average about 105 degrees Fahrenheit during its long summers and 68 degrees during its short winters. The Great Sandy Desert is home to two main groups of Aboriginals, the Martu and the Pintupi people, as well as a variety of fauna including dingos, feral camels, red kangaroos, and more.
The Great Sandy Desert is classified as a "hot desert", with summer temperatures soaring above 40°C and winter temperatures dropping to a minimum of 6°C. The desert experiences a generally hot and arid climate, with high evaporation rates and uneven rainfall distribution. The definition of a desert in Australia is typically an area receiving less than 250mm of rain per year, but due to the high evapotranspiration, the areas can be correspondingly arid.
The Great Sandy Desert is just one of the many deserts that make up the diverse and fluctuating landscapes of Australia, each with its unique features and characteristics.
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The Pedirka Desert is the smallest desert
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. The country has some of the world's largest and most important deserts, which collectively are known as the Great Australian Desert. The Great Australian Desert covers about 1,371,000 km2 (529,000 sq mi) or 18% of the Australian mainland. However, the Pedirka Desert is a small desert in Australia, located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Oodnadatta and 250 kilometres (160 mi) northeast of Coober Pedy in South Australia. Mount Dare and Witjira National Park are located just north of the Pedirka Desert. The desert occupies an area of only about 1,250 square kilometres (480 sq mi). The sands of the desert are deep red in colour and dense mulga woodlands grow in the region. The desert dunes are widely spaced, low and eroded. The land is presently being developed for pastoral activities.
The Pedirka Desert is part of the Finke bioregion. The desert is easily missed if you're in a hurry, but it's a beautiful drive, with classic desert red sand country. The road runs up and over sand dunes, making for a fun drive. The desert is also known for its white claypans between the dunes, which create amazing colours.
The Pedirka Desert is one of the ten deserts that make up almost a fifth of Australia. Defining a desert in Australia is complicated as the typical definition of a desert is an area receiving on average less than 250mm of rain per year. However, due to Australia's uneven rainfall distribution, its deserts can technically exceed this average. Therefore, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology uses three formulas to define its deserts.
The Great Victoria Desert is Australia's largest desert, covering an area of 348,750 square kilometres. The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest desert, located in Western Australia's North West and encompassing an area of 284,993 square kilometres. The Gibson Desert is the fifth-biggest desert, occupying an extensive area of about 155,000 square kilometres.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia has 10 deserts that make up almost a fifth of the country. The largest desert in Australia is the Great Victoria Desert.
The Great Victoria Desert covers an area of 348,750 square km or 164,000 square miles.
The Great Victoria Desert features grassland areas, small sandhills, salt lakes, and pebbled surfaces.
The Great Sandy Desert is the second-largest desert in Australia.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. Indigenous Australians have lived in the desert for at least 50,000 years. They have strong physical and cultural links to their traditional country and are legally recognised as the traditional owners of large parts of the Outback.
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