Tips for your next outback adventure in desert parks

It’s nev­er too ear­ly to start plan­ning your next out­back adven­ture in South Aus­trali­a’s desert parks.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

Where to go

South Australia’s desert parks offer a range of expe­ri­ences that are ide­al for adven­tur­ous trav­ellers look­ing to get away from the hus­tle and bus­tle of town.

Rang­ing from the tran­quil­li­ty of float­ing in Dal­housie Springs to fol­low­ing in the foot­steps of ear­ly explor­ers Burke and Wills, there are plen­ty of beau­ti­ful, remote places to explore and enjoy the serenity.

And for those look­ing for some­thing more extreme, cross­ing the Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­al Park with its end­less sand dunes and the chal­lenge of climb­ing ​‘Big Red’ make for the ulti­mate off-road adventure.

Check out these unique parks for inspi­ra­tion on where to go for your next trip:

• 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
• Witji­ra Nation­al Park

Trav­el­ling in the outback

When trav­el­ling to remote areas it’s impor­tant to take some extra steps to stay safe.

• These include check­ing road and weath­er con­di­tions before trav­el­ling, mak­ing sure you have the right equip­ment, and let­ting some­one know your trav­el plans before you go.
• Mobile phones don’t always have recep­tion in remote areas, so con­sid­er tak­ing a HF (high fre­quen­cy) radio or satel­lite phone in case of an emer­gency, or a per­son­al loca­tor bea­con or EPIRB (Emer­gency Posi­tion Indi­cat­ing Radio Bea­con) that can be acti­vat­ed in life-threat­en­ing situations.
• It’s also impor­tant to pre­pare for hot weath­er.
• Some parks, such as Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­al Park, are closed dur­ing sum­mer due to extreme heat, but they can still reach high tem­per­a­tures dur­ing the day at oth­er times of the year.
• Make sure you car­ry enough drink­ing water for your jour­ney, as not all parks have water avail­able and the qual­i­ty of drink­ing water can’t always be guar­an­teed. Car­ry extra water and food in case your vehi­cle breaks down, as help may be a day or two away.
• 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.

Park pass­es

If you are trav­el­ling east of Dal­housie Springs in Witji­ra Nation­al Park or through Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­al Park, you’ll need a Desert Parks Pass.

Desert Parks Pass­es are a great way to save time and mon­ey when explor­ing SA’s more remote regions, with year-round vehi­cle entry to select­ed parks and up to 21 days camp­ing at a time.

If this is your first time off the beat­en track, the maps, park infor­ma­tion and safe­ty book­let that come with your Desert Parks Pass will help you pre­pare for your trip.

For reg­u­lar vis­i­tors to SA’s desert parks, this infor­ma­tion is a good reminder of what to con­sid­er – and you’ll be pleased to know dis­counts are avail­able for renew­ing Desert Parks Passes.

Book online

Book­ing your desert parks adven­ture is a two-step process:

1. Buy a desert park pass online or at one of these desert parks pass out­lets.
2. Before you head off, book your vehi­cle entry and camp­ing online or through a book­ing agent. When you book, you’ll be asked to enter your desert parks pass num­ber, at which point your fee will be waived.

There’s so much to explore in South Aus­trali­a’s desert parks, be pre­pared and enjoy your visit.

Main image: Munga-Thirri – Simp­son Desert Nation­al Park (image cour­tesy of Steve Perkins)