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About the Simpson DesertThe Simpson Desert is a parallel or longitudinal sand dune desert which consists of long sand ridges, covering an area of 170 000 square kilometres. (This is an area as large as England and Wales.) It is spread out over the corners of 3 Australian states; South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. It receives an average yearly rainfall of only 125 mm, and temperatures can range from a very hot 50°C in summer to below 0°C during winter nights. It is also known by the Aboriginal name Arunta. In the Northern Territory the Simpson Desert is made up of Aboriginal owned land, and leasehold country.
In Queensland, the Desert is protected in the Simpson Desert National Park. Access to the Simpson DesertThe most popular track access routes across the Simpson Desert are the French Line or Rig Road, both of which travel east-west. Other tracks run north-south, including the Colson Track (permit required) and the Warburton Track. These tracks are truly that, not roads as we would know them, and a 4WD is required. After rain, claypans get boggy, and salt lakes can be impossible to pass. Flash flooding can occur in the dry riverbeds. There are long detours that often have to be negotiated when this occurs. Gibber stones, especially in the western section of the desert can rip tyres apart. Traction on very steep dunes can be difficult and tyre pressure needs to be lowered. Everything needs to be tied down and secured both inside and outside the vehicle to prevent damage to supplies as well as injury to passengers within the vehicle. Vehicle recovery, if required costs thousands of dollars due to the remoteness of the area. The only supplies available are from Oodnadatta and Mt Dare on the western side of the desert, and Birdsville in the east. You have to be completely self-sufficient with water, fuel and food and carry extra days' supplies if an emergency occurs or you are delayed. Communications should include a satellite phone with a means of charging batteries and an EPIRB as a backup as well as an UHF CB radio for internal communications within your party. Early ExplorersDavid Lindsay (1856-1922) led 2 trips in to the Simpson Desert. In 1886, his experience as a surveyor allowed him to walk east from Dalhousie with 2 other companions. He was able to document a number of Aboriginal wells and got as far as the Queensland-Northern Territory border. In 1891, he led the Elder Scientific Expedition. A plaque on the eastern side of Lake Tamblyn close to the road track pays tribute to this early explorer of the Simpson. Cecil Madigan was a very experienced scientist of remote places, having accompanied Douglas Mawson's Australian Antarctic Expedition to Cape Denison in 1911. He also served in France and Africa during the First World War. In 1929, he flew several reconnaissance flights over the desert. It was he, who named the desert, the Simpson, after Allen Simpson, the then President of the Royal Geographical Society in Adelaide. In 1939. Madigan also led a very successful scientific expedition to cross the desert north of Ted Colson. Ted Colson was the first European to cross the Simpson Desert. He had had experience in constructing roads in Central Australia as part of the Ghan Railway Line, and in 1936 set off with camels and 2 companions to cross the 26th parallel from Bloods Creek to Poeppel's Corner and Birdsville. He crossed back, in a more southerly latitude in a combined journey of just over 900 km in 36 days. An amazing feat, remembering that everything had to be carried with the party on the backs of camels, including water. A track named after this explorer, the Colson Track is situated approximately 150 km east of Dalhousie Springs. Later Explorers Warren Bonython, scientist and modern day explorer crossed 460 km of the Simpson Desert in 1973. Pulling an aluminium cart with balloon tyres with a weight of 250 kg for 32 days was truly an amazing physical feat. Charles McCubbin accompanied Bonython. He has also spent many more months recording important scientific information while completing the first crossing of the Gammon Ranges (SA) in 1947, a full traverse of the Flinders Ranges (SA) in 1967-68, and a complete circum crossing around Lake Eyre in 1982. He has been awarded and commended many times for his contributions, including an AO (Officer of the Order of Australia), KStJ (Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem) and was Australian Geographic's Adventurer of the Year in 1991. A more detailed account of his achievements can be found in Wild Magazine (no 79, 2001), Chester Q., The Wild Scientist. Lucas Trihey Lucas Trihey crossed the geographic centre of the Simpson Desert in June, 2006. Starting at East Bore, Trihey walked 400 km in 17 days, pulling a 160 kg cart, unsupported, through to Birdsville. A more detailed account of his achievements can be found at both his website and in article in Adventure Journal (2007).
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