Major Deserts of Oceania

The world of Oceania's scorching deserts is captivating. The Great Sandy, Gibson, Simpson, Strzelecki, Great Victoria, Tirari, Rangipo, and Tanami deserts are all encountered on the voyage. With their towering dunes, saline lakes, and limited vegetation, these extraordinary locations display the unadulterated splendour of nature.

Explore the rich cultural and biological significance of these desert landscapes as well as the various species that has adapted to flourish in these harsh surroundings.

Features of Major Deserts of Oceania

Here are descriptions about major hot deserts of Oceania −

Great Sandy Desert

The Great Sandy Desert is an intermediate Australian bioregion that spans the Pilbara and southern Kimberley areas in the northeast of Western Australia and extends east into the Northern Territory. With a total area of 284,993 square kilometres, it is Australia's second-largest desert after the Great Victoria Desert. There are sizable ergs, frequently made up of longitudinal dunes, in the Great Sandy Desert.

The Great Sandy Desert is bordered by the Tanami Desert to the east and the Gibson Desert to the south. There are not many people living there. Communities of Aboriginal Australians and mining hubs make up the majority of the population. The Martu in the west and the Pintupi in the east are the two main groupings of the desert's indigenous inhabitants. They speak a variety of Western Desert languages linguistically.

Gibson Desert

Ernest Giles, an explorer, gave the Gibson Desert its name in honour of Alfred Gibson, a member of his company who got lost and probably perished here while on an expedition in 1874. huge and mostly in pristine condition, the Gibson Desert is a huge desert in Western Australia. After the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Tanami, and Simpson deserts, it is the fifth largest desert in Australia with a size of roughly 155,000 square kilometres. The Gibson Desert is a desert ecoregion and a transitional bioregion in Australia.

Along the Tropic of Capricorn, south of the Great Sandy Desert, east of the Little Sandy Desert, and north of the Great Victoria Desert, is the Gibson Desert, which is situated between the salty Kumpupintil Lake and Lake Macdonald. In certain spots, the elevation increases to just over 500 meters. The Gibson Desert receives 200 to 250 millimetres (7.9 to 9.8 in) of rain each year, but 3,600 millimetres (140 in) of water evaporates per year.

Simpson Desert

In the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Queensland in central Australia, there is a sizable expanse of arid, red-sandy plain and dunes known as the Simpson Desert. Its 176,500 km² makes it the fourth-largest Australian desert. The Great Artesian Basin, one of the biggest inland drainage regions in the world, lies beneath the desert. At a number of natural springs, including Dalhousie Springs, and at bores dug during the exploration of petroleum, water from the basin rises to the surface.

The flow of water to springs has been rapidly declining in recent years as a result of such bores' exploitation. It's a component of the Lake Eyre basin as well. The longest parallel sand dunes in the entire globe can be found in the Simpson Desert. These dunes, which face north and south, are stationary and are held in place by vegetation. From 3 meters in the west to about 30 meters in the east, their height varies. Nappanerica, also known as Big Red, is the tallest dune at 40 meters.

Strzelecki Desert

Charles Sturt gave the Strzelecki Desert its name in honour of the Polish explorer Pawe Edmund Strzelecki. Sturt was the first non-native explorer to visit the region in late 1845, and the disastrous Burke and Wills expedition arrived there in 1861. The Strzelecki Desert can be found in western New South Wales, the far north of South Australia, and south-west Queensland.

It is situated north of the Flinders Ranges and northeast of the Lake Eyre Basin. The Tirari Desert and the Simpson Desert are the other two deserts that exist in the Lake Eyre Basin. The desert is the sixth largest in Australia with an area of 80,250 km².The Strzelecki Regional Reserve in South Australia preserves a significant portion of the desert. In the desert, there is a population of the threatened Dusky Hopping Mouse.

Great Victoria Desert

The Great Victoria Desert is a sparsely inhabited desert ecoregion and transitional Australian bioregion in Western Australia and South Australia. The Great Victoria Desert, the largest in Australia, is made up of salt lakes, grassland plains, places with densely packed pebble surfaces (also known as desert pavement or gibber plains), and numerous small sandhills.

It spans an area of 348,750 km² from the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia to the Gawler Ranges in South Australia and is more than 700 km wide (from west to east). The Great Victoria Desert is both an Interim Biogeographic Regionalization for Australia region and a World Wildlife Fund ecoregion.

Tirari Desert

East of the Far North region of South Australia is where the 15,250 square km Tirari Desert is located. Its lengths are 153 km in the east and 212 km in the north. Salt lakes and huge sand dunes that extend north to south can be found in the Tirari Desert. The Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre National Park contains part of it. Mostly to the east of Lake Eyre North, it is located. The desert's heart is cut through by Cooper Creek. The typical annual rainfall in the desert is below 125 millimetres, making for harsh weather with high temperatures.

Tanami Desert

A desert in northern Australia, the Tanami Desert is located in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory. There are cacti, little hills, and rocky terrain there. Australians of European heritage did not begin to thoroughly explore the Tanami until far into the twentieth century, which was the Northern Territory's last unexplored region.

Through it, the Tanami Track travels. It is believed that the name Tanami is an anglicization of the Warlpiri word for the region, "Chanamee," which means "never die." This was in reference to some rock crevices in the desert that were rumoured to never dry up. Tanami is the name given to the 25,997,277-hectare desert, which is categorized as an interim Australian bioregion.

List of Major Hot Deserts of Oceania

Here's a table of major deserts in Oceania, including their location and extent −

Desert	Location	Extent (sq. km)
Great Sandy Desert	Australia	284,993
Gibson Desert	Australia	156,000
Simpson Desert	Australia	170,000
Strzelecki Desert	Australia	80,250
Great Victoria Desert	Australia	424,400
Tirari Desert	Australia	15,250
Tanami Desert	Australia	184,500

Conclusion

The immense Great Sandy, Gibson, Simpson, Strzelecki, Great Victoria, Tirari, Rangipo, and Tanami deserts are just a few of the significant hot deserts that can be found throughout Oceania. The varied landscapes and distinctive flora and fauna of these desert areas are on display. Large sand dunes, salt lakes, and scant flora are what define them. For the conservation and sustainable management of these deserts, it is essential to comprehend their importance to the local environment and indigenous traditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the largest desert in Oceania?

The Great Victoria Desert is the largest desert in Oceania, spanning an area of 424,400 square kilometres.

Are there any deserts in New Zealand?

Yes, the Rangipo Desert is a desert-like region located on New Zealand's North Island Volcanic Plateau.

How many deserts are there in Australia?

Australia is home to several deserts, including the Great Sandy, Gibson, Simpson, Strzelecki, Great Victoria, Tirari, and Tanami deserts.