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Ted Colson's expedition across the Simpson Desert in 1936

The Simpson Desert is a desert covering approximately 170,000 square kilometres^[1] in central Australia, occupying an area bounded on the west by the Finke River and the Mabel Range, the Adam Range to the north, the Georgina River and the Diamantina River to the east, and Lake Eyre to the south. Rainfall is less than 200 mm a year.

Beneath the Simpson Desert lies the Great Artesian Basin, waters from which rise to the surface both at several natural springs (especially at Dalhousie Springs) and artificial bores (some drilled for stock routes, others during failed oil exploration.) The flow of water to the springs has been substantially reduced in recent years by over-exploitation and may soon cease.

The Simpson Desert is an erg and contains the world's longest parallel sand dunes, running north-south. These dunes are static, held in position by vegetation, and vary in size from 3 metres in the west to around 30 metres on the eastern side. The most famous dune, Nappanerica, or, more popularly, Big Red (named by Simpson traveller Dennis Bartell), is 40 metres in height.

The desert was named by Cecil Madigan in 1939 after Alfred Allen Simpson, an Australian philanthropist, geographer, and president of the Royal Geographical Society of S.A. In 1845, explorer Charles Sturt was the first European to visit the region, but it was not until 1936 that Ted Colson became the first white man to cross the entire desert.

There are no roads through the desert. However, there are tracks navigable by well-equipped four-wheel-drives carrying extra fuel and water. These tracks follow shot lines made by geological teams looking for oil and other minerals in the 1960s and 1970s. They include the French Line, the Rig Road, and the QAA Line. Towns providing access include Oodnadatta to the southwest, and Birdsville in the east.

A section of the Commonwealth Railways Trans-Australian line passes through the western side of the Simpson Desert.

4WD touring in the Simpson Desert requires careful preparation. Photo www.djolsen.com

• Simpson Desert National Park
• Simpson Desert Conservation Park
• Simpson Desert Regional Reserve

• Australasia ecozone
• Ecoregions of Australia

• List of deserts by area