The
Great Sandy Desert is a vast flat
sand dune or erg desert in Australia’s northwest. The rocky
Pilbara to 80-mile beach in the
Kimberley, borders it to the west and north. To the east it is bordered by
Lake Mackay and the
Gibson Desert, and to the south the Gibson and the
Little Sandy Desert. It is mainly made up of longitudinal sand dunes and sand plains. The
Canning Stock Route traverses it, the longest, most remote stock route on the planet. There is little permanent habitation, save for a few isolated Aboriginal communities and a few mines.
Within the desert is the
Rudall River National Park, the largest in Western Australia.