Which desert is Australia’s largest, stretching across Western Australia and South Australia?

The Great Victoria Desert is Australia’s largest desert, stretching across Western Australia and South Australia.

It covers a vast belt of sandy plains, dunes, grasslands, and shrublands between the Great Sandy Desert to the north and the Nullarbor Plain to the south. The desert is named after Queen Victoria and was crossed by explorer Ernest Giles in 1875.

Despite its name, the Great Victoria Desert is not a completely barren landscape. Spinifex grasses, saltbush, eucalyptus shrubs, reptiles, and small mammals survive in its arid environment. Rainfall is irregular, but occasional storms can produce temporary bursts of plant growth.

It is part of Australia’s western desert region, a connected area of arid landscapes that also includes the Gibson, Great Sandy, and Little Sandy deserts. The Great Victoria Desert should not be confused with the Great Victoria Basin, a broader geographic region containing several different environments.