Gibson Desert

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Map of Gibson Desert

A four wheel drive in the Gibson Desert

The Gibson Desert is a Western Australian desert made up of sandhills and dry grass. The desert is about 155,000 square kilometres (60,000 square miles) in size. The only of the inhabitants of the area are Indigenous Australians. Wildlife includes the red kangaroo and the emu. Gibson Desert forms part of the plateau of Western Australia. The desert lies between Lake Disappointment and Lake Macdonald along the Tropic of Capricorn. It is an area of mainly rock and stone. The area was named after Alfred Gibson who perished while attempting to cross it during an expedition in 1874 with explorer Ernest Giles, who narrowly survived the same expedition.

1 Climate
2 Environment and wildlife
3 Leisure and tourism
4 Geography
5 References
6 External links
7 See Also

[edit] Climate

Rainfall in the Gibson Desert ranges from 200mm (7.8 in) to 250mm (9.8 in) annually. The climate is generally hot; summer maximum temperatures rise above 40°C (104°F) whilst in winter this may fall to 18°C (64°F)^[1].

[edit] Environment and wildlife

Due to the lack of large scale farming or industry in the area, the environment of the region has been relatively unchanged in recent times. However, some external species have recently arrived. There are several sheep stations on the edge of the desert, but many are unused or inaccessible.

[edit] Leisure and tourism

The Gibson Desert Nature Reserve is popular for four wheel drivers accessible from the famous Gunbarrel Highway.

[edit] Geography

The Gibson Desert is south of the Great Sandy Desert and north of the Great Victoria Desert. The altitude rises above 500 metres (1600 ft) and most larger settlements are in higher (and cooler) regions