Australian Desert Safety

Australian deserts are unique and beautiful environments. For the 4x4 adventurer they offer remoteness, stark beauty and a unique experience. They are also extreme, hostile environments. High temperatures, scarcity of water and the large distances involved make Australian Deserts potentially dangerous, especially for the unprepared. Don't let that put you off though. Exploring Australia's deserts is not beyond the capability of normal 4x4 enthusiasts, provided they have the right equipment and adequate preparation.

What are the Australian Deserts?

There are several definitions of what makes a desert, but the most common one is an area that receives less than 250mm (10 inches) of rain per year. Australia is the second driest continent on Earth (after Antarctica) and approximately one third of it is desert, and another third is arid or very dry. The Australian Deserts cover an area approximately equal to France, Germany, Italy and Spain combined. That certainly is a large area to explore!

The Major Australian Deserts

When people think of deserts they often think of sand dunes in the Sahara, totally devoid of vegetation. There are plenty of sand dunes in Australia, but very few of them look like the Sahara. Most dunes are permanent and vegetated. Permanent means individual dunes are very stable and not being moved constantly by the wind. Vegetated means they are covered by vegetation such as spinifex grasses, shrubs and even small eucalyptus trees. The vegetation "anchors" the dunes, making them permanent.

Scientists think most Australian sand dunes are permanent because of their age. Australia is the oldest continent on earth (the surface rock/sand/soil has been exposed the longest) and the Australian deserts were the first to form. Over time the vegetation slowly grabbed a foothold in the dunes and is now well established. Perhaps one day the Sahara will look like Australian deserts?

Examples of deserts that are predominantly sand include the Simpson, the Great Victoria, The Gibson and The Great Sandy Desert (surprise!)

A small, vegetated sand dune in the Strzelecki Desert.

Australian deserts aren't all sandy though. The Sturt Stony and Tirari Deserts consists largely of gibber plains. Gibber is an Australian term that means small rocks. Gibbers range from golf ball size to football size and often have a smooth surface, having been polished by sand and wind for millions of years.

Australia deserts are dotted with salt lakes ranging from tennis court size to small country size. At 9500 square kilometres Lake Eyre is larger than Cyprus and Puerto Rico. All the salt lakes are usually dry, sometimes going for several years without receiving any water at all. I haven't found any data to back this up but I suspect Australia is the saltiest (or is that the crustiest?) continent on Earth.

Australian deserts certainly offer a great variety of landscapes, flora, fauna and off-road driving challenges.. Exploring them by 4x4 will give you an experience you will never forget.

The Best Time to See Australian Deserts

The cooler months are the best time to visit Australian Deserts. In the southern hemisphere winter is from June to August. Maximum daily temperatures are generally below 30 degrees C (86 F), and it can get surprisingly cool at night time, sometimes below freezing! Autumn and spring are warmer, but still ok for desert travel, so plan your trip for sometime between April and October .

Visiting Australian Deserts during the hotter months of November to March is definitely not recommended! Temperatures of 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) and higher are very common. These are shade temperatures; in the sun it is much hotter. The high temperatures combined with the dry desert air lead to very high evaporation rates. This can cause dehydration to occur very quickly.

The tourist season is during the cooler months from April to October. During this time the number of people in desert and outback areas increases dramatically. This has an impact on safety too; during the hot summer months there are far fewer people on the roads and tracks. If you have trouble you are much less likely to see other people during summer.

What Constitutes a Remote Area?

For the purposes of 4x4 enthusiast safety, I regard remote area travel as being any distance (even a few kms) away from a road that has consistent daily traffic. For example The Strzelecki Track carries a fair bit of traffic all year round (mainly due to mining activities in the Cooper Basin) but the Bore Track which is nearby certainly does not. The Bore Track therefore should be treated as a remote area.

If your 4x4 break down in a non-remote area you'll be able to get help fairly easily. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE. If you're in an area without mobile phone coverage and don't have a sat phone or HF radio, passing traffic will stop to help you out. For major breakdowns a tow truck will be able to retrieve your 4x4 and take it to the nearest town with repair facilities, although you may have to wait several hours for the tow truck to arrive and it can be very expensive. If you see someone else stopped by the side of the road, stop to make sure they are ok and offer to help them as much as possible.

Remote Area Precautions

When travelling in remote areas you have to be as self sufficient as possible. This means repairing your 4x4 if it breaks down, being able to get yourself unbogged, carrying plenty of food and water in case your journey takes much longer than expected, and having an emergency communication system in case you need rescuing.

This is a basic list of the items required for remote area travel. I will add more information on some of these items in the future. In addition the following research is necessary before starting the trip:

This is just safety related research. Other research eg. Aboriginal land permits may be required.

Emergency Communications

If something does go wrong and you can't get yourself out of the situation, you need to be able to call for help. I have written a page which explains why you need an emergency communication system in remote Australian deserts, rather than relying on someone to come looking for you.

I have also written a comparison of emergency communication systems here. Personal locator beacons, sat phones and HF radios are compared.

Water

In the desert, water is a most precious commodity. The human body can survive for, at most, 2 days without water. The Tirari Desert is thought to be the only part of mainland Australia that was never inhabited by Aborigines, due to the almost total lack of fresh water.

Drinking water in Australian Deserts comes from a number of sources. Bore water is pumped from underground aquifers. Depending on the location, bore water contains vary amounts of dissolved salts and minerals. Sometimes bore water is treated to remove these salts and minerals, sometimes it is supplied as it comes straight out of the ground. The taste can vary from very light and slightly carbonated like Perrier (very rare), to a bitterly strong mineral taste accompanied by the aroma of sulfur (rotten egg gas)!

Towns that are located near a permanent water source may have a supply of "treated" river or creek water. The town of Innamincka on the Cooper Creek is one such example. The water has had the silt and particles removed but has not been chlorinated. It is ok washing but not drinking.

Rain water collected from roofs and stored in tanks nearly always tastes nice, but is very limited in availability. There isn't enough of it for commercial use, which means the water available to tourists is nearly always bore water. Of course bottled water is available to purchase, but this can be rather expensive if you need a lot of it.

How Much Water Should You Carry?

Six litres per person per day is the bare minimum of water required. I find this to be barely enough for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene, so I recommend at least 10 litres per person per day. Note this still isn't enough to afford the occasional luxury of a shower. One basic camp shower uses about 10 litres of water.

Even when travelling in non-remote areas you should always carry plenty of water, in case your vehicle breaks down and you have to wait for help to arrive. Carry at least 10 litres per person, even if you are only driving a few hours to the next town.

When driving extended distances in remote areas, significant quantities of water need to be carried. I always have 10 litres per person per day for the expected journey length, plus 50%. So if I am going on a journey that I expect will take 8 days, and have no confirmed water supplies along the way, I take 120 litres per person. If I do run into trouble, the extra 40 litres can be rationed to last well over a week.

The water supply should be carried in several smaller containers, rather than one large tank. This provides redundancy, in case one container develops a leak or the water becomes contaminated. All containers should be cleaned thoroughly, filled and checked for leaks before every trip, and cleaned again after each trip.

How Things Can Go Wrong

In 1998 a young Austrian couple embarked on their dream holiday in Outback Australia. It ended with one of them losing their life in the Tirari Desert near Lake Eyre. Go to The Lake Eyre Tragedy Part 1 to find out how it happened.

In The Lake Eyre Tragedy Part 2 I analyze the mistakes that were made, and how they could have been avoided.

It is sobering reading, but an important reminder of the precautions that need to be taken when exploring Australian deserts.