An Expedition of
Discovery & Documentation
The first camel-based scientific survey of one of Australia's largest National
Parks
Summary
Over 95% of this expedition will traverse through country that is entirely new to
us and is rarely, if ever, visited and never on foot. We intend to conduct a broad ranging
botanical survey and comprehensive bird survey. There will also be a fair degree of
archaeological & anthropological focus in the journey and one of the expedition
objectives includes the intention to search for native wells believed to be located within
the proposed expedition corridor. The commercial trekking operation, Outback Camel Company, was successful
in locating a mikiri in 2004, and we will utilise satellite images to identify possible
areas of interest.
The 10 000 sq km park is Queensland's largest protected land
area and adjoins South Australia's Simpson Desert Conservation Park and the Simpson Desert
Regional Reserve. To the north is Bush Heritage Australia's Ethabuka
Reserve where we are conducting a survey in June 2010.
The Simpson Desert is the world's largest parallel sand dune desert and is
dominated by dunes up to 20 metres high running north north-west, south south-east. The
dunes are spaced approximately 1 km apart and may extend up to 200km. The interdune
corridors, or swales, can be a mixture of spinifex, gibber flats, claypans and in the
National Park, huge stands of gidgee (Acacia georginae), a particularly hardy
gnarly tree that can be poisonous to stock.
The desert is home to the mulgara, a small
carnivorous marsupial with a distinctive crest of short black hairs on its tail. The
mulgara shelters in burrows and feeds on invertebrates, reptiles and small mammals. The
current distribution is unknown and perhaps our motion-sensing infra red cameras will pick
up images of this endangered & elusive species.
A beautiful example of a grinding stone
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Base stone
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Bearded Dragon
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Brian Blaylock collects another specimen
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