Explore desert parks

• Innam­inc­ka Region­al Reserve
• Kati Than­da-Lake Eyre Nation­al Park
• Malkum­ba-Coongie Lakes Nation­al Park
• Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­al Park 
• Tal­laringa Con­ser­va­tion Park
• Wab­ma Kadar­bu Mound Springs Con­ser­va­tion Park (no camp­ing is per­mit­ted in this park)
• Witji­ra Nation­al Park

When can I vis­it desert parks?

The most enjoy­able times to vis­it the desert parks are autumn, win­ter and spring. Trav­el is not rec­om­mend­ed through­out sum­mer, when tem­per­a­tures are often in the high 40ºCs

Do I need to buy a Desert Parks Pass?

A Desert Parks Pass is required to enter and camp in the Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­al Park or trav­el­ling east of Dal­houise Springs in Witji­ra Nation­al Park. 

What does a Desert Parks Pass include?

The Desert Parks Pass includes unlim­it­ed vehi­cle entry and camp­ing into:

• Innam­inc­ka Region­al Reserve
• Kati Than­da-Lake Eyre Nation­al Park
• Malkum­ba-Coongie Lakes Nation­al Park
• Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­al Park 
• Tal­laringa Con­ser­va­tion Park
• Wab­ma Kadar­bu Mound Springs Con­ser­va­tion Park (no camp­ing is per­mit­ted in this park)
• Witji­ra Nation­al Park

When you buy a Desert Parks Pass you receive a book that includes all the maps nec­es­sary to vis­it the area, infor­ma­tion on the parks and require­ments for safe trav­el through this out­back region of South Australia.

How long is a Desert Parks Pass valid for?

The pass is valid for 12 months. 

How can I stay safe in desert parks?

The out­back of South Aus­tralia is a vast, won­der­ful and reward­ing place to vis­it. To ensure that you get the best out of your expe­ri­ence it is impor­tant to obtain good advice and thor­ough­ly pre­pare for your jour­ney. When you buy a Desert Parks Pass you receive a book with exten­sive safe­ty infor­ma­tion and com­pre­hen­sive maps. Read­ing this infor­ma­tion will help you plan a safe and mem­o­rable out­back trip.

Before vis­it­ing parks in the Flinders and Out­back region check the lat­est Desert Parks Bul­letin and road con­di­tion report for infor­ma­tion about access, clo­sures, camp­grounds and roads.

How can I expe­ri­ence Abo­rig­i­nal cul­ture in desert parks?

At least 10 dis­tinct groups of Abo­rig­i­nal peo­ple lived on the land now des­ig­nat­ed as desert parks. As a result of this long asso­ci­a­tion with the land, vis­i­tors may see the remains of Abo­rig­i­nal occu­pa­tion through­out the parks. Scat­ters of stone mate­r­i­al indi­cate places of tool man­u­fac­ture. Vis­i­tors may encounter rock engrav­ings and bur­ial sites. All Abo­rig­i­nal sites are pro­tect­ed under law and must not be disturbed.

What plants can I see in desert parks?

The desert parks cov­er an array of veg­e­ta­tion types, rang­ing from dense coolibah wood­lands and shady Riv­er Red Gums to sparse Mitchell Grass com­mu­ni­ties and herbs that cling to mobile sand dunes. Mul­ga and Gidgee trees fill drainage lines, while spinifex, grass­es and herbs cov­er the val­ley floors between dunes. The veg­e­ta­tion of the desert has adapt­ed to the dry con­di­tions – seeds lie dor­mant until thun­der­storms trig­ger them to life. Mass­es of wild­flow­ers blan­ket the desert after soak­ing rains.

What ani­mals can I see in desert parks?

The ani­mals of the desert parks are many and var­ied and include some very rare species, such as the Eyre­an Grass­wren, once thought to be extinct, and the Lake Eyre Drag­on, which lives on the mar­gins of the great salt lake. The region is pro­lif­ic in birdlife, with hun­dreds of dif­fer­ent species observed in the area. Lake Eyre (when flood­ed) and the Coongie Lakes sys­tem draw vast num­bers of water­birds, while the mound springs and even the water­cours­es of the Simp­son Desert attract birds accus­tomed to the harsh con­di­tions of the out­back. There are few large native mam­mals to be seen in the desert envi­ron­ment, but vis­i­tors can often spot Din­goes and occa­sion­al­ly Red Kan­ga­roos. Rep­tiles are also dif­fi­cult to observe; how­ev­er the desert is home to a range of drag­on lizards, goan­nas, skinks, geck­oes and snakes, includ­ing the world’s most ven­omous snake, the Fierce Snake or Inland Taipan.