SIMPSON DESERT

These are the sand dunes of the Simpson Desert in the top north-east corner of the state. They've been sculpted by the prevailing winds and they slice through the desert perfectly north/north-west. They are so precise they can be used as a compass. There are more than 100 parallel sand dunes . . . some rise as high as 35 metres and stretch as far as 200 kilometres. It was described as a "frozen Sea".

The Simpson Desert is six times the size of Belgium, but has no permanent residents. The desert straddles three states and parts of it are a National and Conservation Park. There are two unsealed tracks that fringe it - the Oodnadatta track to the west and the Birdsville track to the east. There are several tracks that run east-west through the Desert, the most commonly used is called the French line that leads through to Poeppel Corner (where the three states meet) and onto Birdsville.

Last century Charles Sturt described it as "a gloomy and hopeless Desert" and some would say he was being kind. Geologist Cecil Madigan was matter of fact when he said it was "a tough nut to crack". Madigan was commissioned by the South Australian Society of Australiasia to survey the Desert. That was 1929 and the Desert was the last area of Australia to be mapped. The society's President was the philanthropist Allen Simpson who said he would "not object to having his name attached to so inhospitable a region" . . . and so it became the Simpson Desert. Madigan flew over nine times to make his charts and in 1939 he led a party to cross the Desert. However, he was the second European to make the trek - three years earlier a pastoralist from Blood's Creek, Ted Colson crossed the Desert 900 kilometres with an aboriginal companion Peter Ains A journey reenacted by his son Danny and friend Dennis Bartel in 1994. A monument to Ted Colson sits in stone outside the Birdsville Hotel. Birdsville, with a population of around one hundred, is the metropolis of the Simpson. Apart from the annual race meet that attracts thousands for one weekend - it is a start or finishing point for a cross of the Simpson. Huge cattle stations fringe the desert and because the environment here is so pure, these animals are free of any contaminants and so fetch high prices at market - particularly in Asia. However, they steer clear of the Desert's centre where little seems to survive in the 50 plus degree summers . . . this is the driest desert in Australia.

Incredibly 180 species of birds, 92 types of reptiles and 44 mammals species survive in the wilderness. They are able to follow the water paths - the same way the Wangkangurru aborigines survived here for 5-thousand years There is one defining section to this wilderness - it's called Nappanerica - but is best known by it's nickname "Big Red". It's the tallest dune in the desert and the closest to Birdsville. There are two ways of getting around it - the easy way which is a graded detour north - or the hard way which is over the top. The bottom line with the Simpson Desert is that it's dangerous country and not to be taken lightly. It is possible to travel through it, but you need a Desert Parks Permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This comes with plenty of information and tips on the area and there's a toll free number 1800 816 078 or email: info@postcards.sa.com.au