Simpson Desert

Lore & Background

Aboriginal peoples, including the Wangkangurru, have lived in the Simpson Desert for at least 5,000 years, using hand-dug wells called mikiri. European explorers in the late 19th century initially considered the area uninhabitable. The desert was named by Cecil Madigan after Alfred Allen Simpson, an industrialist and president of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia.

Reader's Guide

The Simpson Desert is significant as a vast, remote erg with the world's longest parallel sand dunes, held in place by vegetation. It is part of the Lake Eyre basin and overlies the Great Artesian Basin, which supplies water to natural springs and bores, though exploitation has reduced spring flows. The desert has a history of Aboriginal habitation for millennia, with traditional diets including Nardoo and Pigweed seeds, and game such as kangaroos and lizards. The desert is now a tourist attraction, with landmarks like Dalhousie Springs and Poeppel Corner, and hosts the Big Red Bash music festival.

Did You Know?

• The Simpson Desert contains the world's longest parallel sand dunes, oriented north-south and varying from 3 m to 30 m in height.
• The desert is known as Munga-Thirri by the Wangkangurru Yarluyandi people.