The Simpson Desert - Winter Travel Feature

The Simpson Desert is the common name given to the area between Birdsville in the South West Corner of Queensland to Dalhousie Springs in the far north of South Australia near the Northern Territory border and actually lies across the corners of 3 States - South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

The Simpson Desert is the driest region of Australia and it is a dunal desert - a sea of parallel red sand ridges around 300-500 kilometres long covering a total area of 170,000 square kilometres. It is a focal point for modern day explorers crossing on all forms of transport - including bicycles. The French Line and associated access tracks for the oil exploration activities of the past still remain the only routes throughout the desert and it is unlikely that tar is ever possible (or wished) to be laid across this part of the country, making it a true 4WD adventure.


ExplorOz has published a Trek Note for the The Simpson Desert detailing what's known as the "combined route", which is the best way to see as much as possible of the area in the one trip. However each of the three individual tracks featured in the "combined route" can also be traversed on their own to make the crossing and there is a Trek Note available for each: Simpson Desert French Line, Simpson Desert Rig Road and Simpson Desert WAA Line. We also stock a range of products in the Online Shop that will help you get the most out of your travels in this region:

Maps

Guidebooks & DVDs