Sturt+Stony+Desert

=Sturt Stony Desert= The Sturt Stony Desert was named by the explorer Charles Sturt when he was trying to find the exact centre of Australia in 1844. He called it the Stony Desert because the stones made his horses limp.

Weather and climate
The desert is very dry. There are no trees except for some grevilleas and the only plants are saltbush and bluebush. In summer the temperate rises to an average 38 o C but the average in winter is 19 ﻿o C. There is hardly any rain.

How to get there
There is an airport at Moomba. The nearest town is Birdsville. The Diamantina Road crosses the desert from Beetoota to Birdsville. Or you could take the Birdsville Track that crosses the desert as it goes north from Marree to Birdsville. It is very dangerous unless you are well-prepared, with plenty of food and water and a 4WD and caravan in very good condition. You also need to watch out for floods.

Places to stay
There are hotels at Tibooburra, Innamincka, Birdsville, Maree or Mungarannie.

Interesting things to see and do
The trip is one of the toughest four wheel drive challenges in the world. There are millions of kangaroos and some large cattle stations like Clifton Hills and Cordillo Downs. There are also the Moomba and Jackson gas and oil fields. Aboriginal people used to mine the ochre to use for painting, and the harvested native tobacco. They would travel across the desert to trade with other tribes.