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Australia 2002
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White Cockatoos in a tree along the Birdsville track | |
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Arriving at the Birdsville Hotel for a last cold beer before heading into the Simpson Desert... | |
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The Simpson Desert has more than 1200
parallel sand dunes, stretching over hundreds of miles from North to
South. The area comprises more than 200.000 square km (roughly the size of
the UK) of extremely remote and harsh country.
A number of tracks run through the desert from West to East. The dunes are steeper on the East side, due to prevailing Western winds. There is no water or other supplies available between Birdsville and Mt. Dare Homestead. It generally takes 3 to 6 days to cross this desert, which should only be attempted during the cooler months of the year, from April - September. Bear in mind that daytime temperatures during this period can still rise well over 45°C, while it is quite possible to encounter sub zero temperatures at night. Travellers should be very well prepared and fully self sufficient. Large amounts of water are absolutely essential, as well as a very well prepared vehicle and communications (HF radio or satellite phone and EPIRB).
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And this is how it looks from the ground! | |