The Simpson Desert

Outback Australia. The Simpson Desert spanning a territory and two states – the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland. Four hundred and sixty thousand acres. Vast spaces of enormous quiet. Sights you cannot see in urban Australia. Dry. Arid. Unforgiving. Yet beautiful, in it’s own stark way. Joe Mortelliti had the gift of capturing that beauty with his camera. Take a tour with these pics and descriptions and it will almost feel as though you’ve been there. Be careful … it might get you longing to go yourself!

Really useful info on tracks across the Simpson Desert from Diamantina Touring

Aussie Stories - telling about Australia in words and pictures Joe Mortelliti‘s life long love, from when he was first given a Brownie camera as a boy, was photography. It was the focus of his work life for many years. He loved to travel with his wife Marion to as many parts of Australia as he could. He had the ability to ‘see’ the beauty of our land in such a way that he could photograph it for the delight of others. These photos are a legacy that he has left us. Used by permission and with appreciation.
Aussie Stories - telling about Australia in words and pictures

Hay River bed, north Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Hay River bed, north Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. The Hay River is a linear riverine system coursing for 150 km through the north of the Simpson Desert. Associated with the Hay River is Lake Caroline. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

To purchase a Hema Great Desert Tracks map of the Simpson Desert, click here.

Ghost gums in the Hay River bed, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Ghost gums in the Hay River bed, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. The Hay River in the North Simpson Desert is lined with majestic ghost gums. The smooth white trunks look stunning against bright blue skies. We drove the river bed for 2 days doing gentle slaloms in and around the ghost gums as we travelled north toward Jervois. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

Purchase your Australian Road and 4WD atlas here. Comprehensive touring information for all of Australia.

Lake Caroline, north Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Lake Caroline, north Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. Sunrise on Lake Caroline, near the Hay River, in the very remote North Simpson Desert. The traditional owners advised that this was first time water had been in Lake Caroline in ten years. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography
Rainbow Valley, Northern Territory, Australia.
Rainbow Valley, Northern Territory, Australia. South of Alice Springs on a four wheel drive access, Rainbow Valley’s main feature is the scenic sandstone bluffs and cliffs. These free standing cliffs form part of the James Range. August 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

To purchase a Hema Great Desert Tracks map of the Simpson Desert, click here.

Devil's Marbles, Northern Territory, Australia.
Devil’s Marbles, Northern Territory, Australia. The Devil’s Marbles are a collection of gigantic rounded granite boulders, many of which are precariously balanced on top of one another. Scattered heaps of these ‘marbles’ occur across a wide, shallow valley.
The original granite masses from which the ‘marbles’ were fashioned had three main sets of joint planes at right angles to one another, breaking each mass into rectangular blocks three by seven metres square. Erosion along the joints and the flaking away of thin slabs from the surface over long periods of time, has rounded the corners to the extent that most blocks are now egg-shaped or spherical. August 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography
Goyder's Pillar, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Goyder’s Pillar, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. Named after George W Goyder, who was the government Surveyor General from 1861-1863. The sun sets spectacularly red on Goyder’s Pillar.
We crossed the North Simpson Desert and camped at Batton Hill, with traditional owner Lindsay Bookie. Lindsay took us for a short drive to Goyder’s Pillar, but with the skies heavily clouded we did not expect to get a photo. Suddenly the Pillar turned red for about 30 seconds as small gap in the clouds opened up. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

Purchase your Australian Road and 4WD atlas here. Comprehensive touring information for all of Australia.

Pending Wildflowers, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Pending Wildflowers, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. The green areas on the sand are a result of recent rains deep into the Simpson Desert. These green areas later burst into a blaze of wild flower colours. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

To purchase a Hema Great Desert Tracks map of the Simpson Desert, click here.

Sunrise, Batton Hill Camp, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Sunrise, Batton Hill Camp, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. One of many spectacular sunrises we saw in the Simpson Desert, and at the same time behind me was a rainbow. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography
Mt Smith, Batton Hill, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Mt Smith, Batton Hill, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. Traditional owner Lindsay Bookie has recently opened up his lands to visitors who can stay at his Batton Hill camp. A short drive from his camp within his lands are views to Mt Smith. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography
Sunrise, Batton Hill Camp, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Sunrise, Batton Hill Camp, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. Desert sunrises and sunsets often are a spectacular event. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

Purchase your Australian Road and 4WD atlas here. Comprehensive touring information for all of Australia.

The QAA Line, Simpson Desert, Queensland, Australia.
The QAA Line, Simpson Desert, Queensland, Australia. The Simpson Desert remains Australia’s one true desert, over 460,000 acres in size and spanning the corners of three Australian mainland states.
Big Red. Standing at 30 metres in height, this awesome sand dune provides a challenge for any four wheel drive enthusiast. This is the biggest and last dune to be crossed before entering Birdsville when traveling east. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

To purchase a Hema Great Desert Tracks map of the Simpson Desert, click here.

Gidgee Tree, Simpson Desert, Queensland, Australia.
Gidgee Tree, Simpson Desert, Queensland, Australia. The Gidgee tree is found in the eastern part of the Simpson Desert. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography
The French Line, Simpson Desert, South Australia.
The French Line, Simpson Desert, South Australia. The Simpson Desert remains Australia’s one true desert, over 460,000 acres in size and spanning the corners of three Australian mainland states. French Petroleum and it’s prime contractor, Brisbane-based Compagnie Generale de Geophysique (CGG), built a road to facilitate the movement of oil search crews across the desert dunes. Today their handiwork is known universally as the French Line.
Oil discovered in the Simpson was waxy and congealed, of poor quality and therefore, as yet, of no commercial value. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography
Wind pattern, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Wind pattern, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. Traveling through this area where few white people have passed is an amazing experience. Unmarked sand dunes and vast areas without any tracks to follow made for a unique experience. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

To purchase a Hema Great Desert Tracks map of the Simpson Desert, click here.

Dune, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Dune, North Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. Traveling north we moved in the valleys between the most beautifully formed dunes with crisp edges. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography
Poeppel Corner, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia.
Poeppel Corner, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia. Notable among the early surveyors was Augustus Poeppel who located the junction of the borders of Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia.
The original peg marking Poeppel Corner, as it is still known, was removed to Adelaide for preservation in 1962 and replaced by a replica. Some of Poeppel’s original mile posts and other historic markers can still be seen in the Park. July 2005.
Copyright © Joe Mortelliti Photography

Purchase your Australian Road and 4WD atlas here. Comprehensive touring information for all of Australia.

The Red Centre, Northern Territory, Australia.
The Red Centre, Northern Territory, Australia. Red is the colour of central Australia. It is very striking how vast the red plains are. You fly for a long time and all you see below is red. There are roads in this pic, but often you can fly for quite a while and not see any roads, or even tracks. Near the western edge of the Simpson desert. July 2013.
Copyright © Rob Duncanson.

To purchase a Hema map of Central Australia, click here

Aussie Stories - telling about Australia in words and pictures

Aussie Stories - telling about Australia in words and pictures

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Although many of our contributors use professional camera equipment such as the Nikon Coolpix 1000, at ThisisAustralia we usually use our mobile phone cameras. A Samsung Galaxy Note 10 +, which has been great, and we will continue to use. We have also just purchased a Samsung S21 Ultra. This has been described as an ‘insanely brilliant camera with a phone attached’. So we are expecting some really good quality pics! Some of our contributors have also used the iPhone 13 with good success.