Simpson Desert (The): Ron travels the Outback region of South Australia by air
Each year they come for an Australian pilgrimage of sorts. Many take days to get to the Pink Roadhouse at Oodnadatta, a good 900 kilometres north of Adelaide. Here they'll pick up supplies for the trip ahead some on dirt bikes and others in convoys of four wheel drives. Most hopefully know exactly what their up against even if the exact number of sand dunes to be encountered crossing the Simpson Desert has not yet been committed to memory.
But on their journeys across one of the last great stretches of wilderness the long line of intrepid explorers who come here to cross the Simpson will soon encounter signs of others who tried to make a go of it out here at remote settlements like Dalhousie Springs. The aboriginal people of far north South Australia have long known its charms. For them it's been a safe haven for those about to set off into a desert landscape that can be daunting to say the least.
One bloke who knows the Simpson better than most is outback touring legend Dick Lang. He regularly takes visitors to marvel at the wonder that is Lake Eyre. But continue a little further north of the expanse of shimmering blue and white and the ochre red of the Simpson comes into view.
Dick Lang, Desert Air Safaris: "From up in the Northern Territory down to Lake Eyre is about 150 kilometres. But from west to east from Dalhousie to Birdsville in a straight line it's about 350 kilometres. It's a large area."
The old film taken in 1972 is from Dick's earliest vehicle crossing of the Simpson. Back then it was only the fourth motorised group to cross the desert. Some might not know the exact number of sand dunes but Dick certainly does.
Dick Lang, Desert Air Safaris: "From Dalhousie on the first day we crossed 150 sand dunes. So we went to the map and found Dalhousie and crossed 150 sand dunes off. There were no GPS is those days and you had to be a sea captain in those days to use a sextant which I couldn't. So the next day we crossed off another 250 dunes and we would do that each day and check with the map so we knew exactly where we were. It was so important to know exactly where you were in case anything went wrong. "
Each dune is indelibly imprinted in Dick's memory - all 1,047. To any lost traveler the Simpson Desert must seem chaotic and bewildering but according to Dick there's method in this desert madness. An ancient cyclonic wind pattern caused the dunes of the various central Australian deserts to align on their own particular axes.
Dick Lang, Desert Air Safaris: "The winds aligned sand dunes in a particular direction so in the Simpson Desert all the sand dunes run to the northwest 320 to 330 degrees. You go up into the Great Sandy Desert and there the great cyclonic pattern of winds was west to east so you have the sand dunes running from west to east.
"People want to cross the Simpson Desert because it is one of the last true wilderness experiences you can have in Australia. The thoughts or the feelings of exploration, the feeling of being able to get out into wilderness - you can't do that in to many places in the world now. But the fact that you can get out and have you're adventure unaided and cross a true wilderness in safety… that for me reflects the age of the old explorers, the old pioneers and even the old swaggies on bikes who used to risk their lives going out there. Now people do it in comfort, but it's still reflecting that basic Australian nature."
To fly over the Simpson contact Desert Dick Lang on 8264 7200. He runs regular aerial safaris across Australia. For details on crossing the Simpson by vehicle and obtaining your Desert Parks Pass contact 1800 816 078. If you have any further questions please email them to info@postcards-sa.com.au
The Simpson Desert
Air safaris across Australia
Dick Lang 8264 7200Desert Park Passes
Contact 1800 816 078Published 10th April 2010
