The Great Sandy Desert

Australia has many deserts.

There is the Great Sandy Desert, the Great Victorian Desert, the Tanami Desert, the Simpson Desert and the Gibson Desert.

There are deserts in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland.

The Great Sandy Desert, in Western Australia, is the second largest. It is 267,250 km2.

The Great Victorian Desert is the largest. Australia has many large deserts. It is 284,993 km2!

Climate

Deserts don’t get much rain. The Great Sandy Desert gets only 30cms of rain each year. In Melbourne we can get that much in one month! 30cms is still a lot more rain than deserts in other countries. Sometimes, when there is a drought, the Great Sandy Desert doesn’t even get that much. Most of the rain comes from thunderstorms. There are about 20 to 30 days of thunderstorms each year.

Plants Most of the plants growing across the Great Sandy Desert are spinifex grasses. Spinifex grasses grow in small, tough clumps.

There are also four main types of trees that grow in the Great Sandy Desert.

Desert Bloodwood Paperbark Bramble Wattle Desert Walnut

Animals There are over three dozen types of mammals living in the Great Sandy Desert, including:

Dingos Red Kangaroo Marsupial Mole Bilbies

There are over 75 types of lizards:

Goannas Bearded Dragons Thorny Devils

Although not originally from Australia, you can

find lots of camels in the Australian deserts. Although not originally from Australia, you can find lots of camels in the Australian deserts There are hundreds of types of birds living in the Great Sandy Desert, including:

Striated Grasswren Grey Honeyeater Scarlet-Chested Parrot Rufous-Crowned Emu-Wren

Painted Firetail Spiny-Cheeked Honeyeater Emus

A nest of Emu eggs.