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The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at 30: more important, enjoyable and vital than ever

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-gaunson-265553">Stephen Gaunson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>The lavender painted bus named “Priscilla” continues to pick up new fans while never going out of favour with its legion of original devotees, 30 years after its release.</p> <p>The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was shot on location in and around Sydney, Broken Hill, Coober Pedy, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs over six weeks in 1993.</p> <p>Directed by Stephan Elliott, the film screened in the <em>Un Certain Regard</em> section of the May 1994 Cannes Film Festival, winning <a href="https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-885750952/view?sectionId=nla.obj-888737519&amp;searchTerm=priscilla+queen+of+the+desert&amp;partId=nla.obj-885806856#page/n13/mode/1up">critical and popular acclaim</a> for its positive portrayal of LGBTQI+ characters.</p> <p>Awards came, most notably for costume designers Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner who won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for their sparkly, sequin-filled costumes.</p> <p>The film’s cultural brilliance lies in juxtaposing the extreme flamboyance of the costumes and props against the equally extreme rural natural desert landscape. The unexpected revelation for audiences was how perfectly these contrasting elements harmonised.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wGWWeourHUg?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>A smash hit</h2> <p>Less than 12 months since its release, the Film Finance Corporation (FFC) of Australia had the rare success of <a href="https://if.com.au/why-the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-turned-the-government-a-profit-in-just-12-months/">fully recouping</a> its A$1.67 million investment.</p> <p>Initially hesitant due to Elliott’s disappointing box office return on his debut feature, Frauds (1993), the FFC was convinced after the screenplay gained attention at Cannes. The film exceeded predictions, grossing more than $16 million in Australia.</p> <p>The film was socially and critically embraced as an instant classic.</p> <p>Ask cinema employees from this time and they will all share similar memories of lines of people outside the cinema doors eager to watch and rewatch (and rewatch again) the musical road movie about a pair of drag queens (Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce) and a transgender woman (Terence Stamp) as they set out from Sydney on a bus journey across the Australian outback.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tex3dw3RjGk?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>The casting today seems like more of a sure bet than it did in 1994. Stamp was a British actor of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/12/terence-stamp-i-was-in-my-prime-but-when-the-60s-ended-i-ended-with-it">legendary status</a>, having gained critical accolades in the 1960s in films such as Billy Budd, The Collector and Far from the Madding Crowd. However Stamp was equally a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-4869258/Terence-Stamp-79-bids-farewell-active-sex-life.html">regular tabloid subject</a> for his high-profile romances with film star Julie Christie and supermodel Jean Shrimpton.</p> <p>Would audiences be willing to go with the idea of this playboy as the trandsgender woman, Bernadette?</p> <p>It is now impossible to consider any actor better able to deliver Terrance Stamps’s deadpan sardonic lines so perfectly: “Don’t ‘Darling’, me, Darling. Look at you. You’ve got a face like a cat’s arse.”</p> <p>Pearce and Weaving also were a risk. Neither were box office marquee stars at the time. Pearce was known as a lovable Mike from the popular television soap opera, Neighbours. Weaving was a critically respected actor known more for his quirky small parts than as a star in his own right.</p> <p>Both were perfect casting, launching them onto Hollywood careers. Pearce as Adam was a remarkable revelation.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p2QiCFAQ-qQ?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>The chemistry and connection between the three lead actors makes the film truly succeed.</p> <p>Never do their performances seem showboating or forced. Each has their own arc, personality and journey. And when they climb Kings Canyon in full drag regalia at the film’s end there is something moving about what they have been able to accomplish together.</p> <p>A film that begins to be a slight and joyful comedy about drag performers becomes a deeper essay on the importance of lived experience and friendship (or, dare I say, mateship).</p> <h2>More vital than ever</h2> <p>Drag has a <a href="https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/3894/drag-through-decades-film-tv/">long history</a> in mainstream cinema with its own codes and references.</p> <p>The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is crucially different by it not being about “straight” men masquerading as women to mask their actual identity. Instead, Elliot’s film rather positively celebrates these characters in drag as their true and authentic selves.</p> <p>This film stood with others as a wave of Australian cinema in the 1990s unashamedly wanting to celebrate an Australia juxtaposing the blokey masculine stereotype.</p> <p>Ocker characters (men and women) appear in this film, but ultimately they are publicly humiliated for their homophobia. Bernadette kneeing in the groin the vicious and vulgar Frank (Kenneth Radley) often receives a big cheer from cinema audiences: “Stop flexing your muscles, you big pile of budgie turd,” Bernadette scorns.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9nc12yOA4jM?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <p>Perhaps the true star of the film were not the actors as much as the iconic 1976 Japanese model Hino Freighter Priscilla bus that became the set for several scenes in the film. Because the bus interior was such a small set, there was no room for the crew with many actually in shot, hiding under clothes and other props.</p> <p>The bus, long thought to be lost, was <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-12/bid-to-restore-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-bus/103699136">rediscovered</a> on a farm in New South Wales in 2019. The bus is currently being restored, with an aim to have it on display at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, Adelaide Hills, in 2026. Perhaps it will be good timing for shooting the recently announced <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/04/priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-movie-sequel-original-cast-1235890358/">potential sequel</a>.</p> <p>30 years after its original release The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert seems more important, enjoyable and vital than ever. All aboard, Priscilla. Long may she run.</p> <hr /> <p><em>RMIT Capitol will be hosting a <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/thecapitol/events/2024/september/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert">screening and introductory panel discussion</a> on September 11 with the film’s costume designer Tim Chappel, executive producer Rebel Penfold-Russell, Melbourne Queer Film Festival program director Cerise Howard, historian Kristy Kokegei and Stephen Gaunson.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235424/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-gaunson-265553"><em>Stephen Gaunson</em></a><em>, Associate Professor in Cinema Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Metro Goldwyn Mayer</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-at-30-more-important-enjoyable-and-vital-than-ever-235424">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Movies

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Beloved US musician and his wife found dead on desert road

<p>A beloved US musician and his wife have been found dead near California under mysterious circumstances. </p> <p>Larry Petree and his wife Betty, who had been married for more than 60 years, were found dead on a desert road in a bizarre tragedy, leaving family members wondering what happened.</p> <p>“When deputies arrived, they found the bodies of an adult male sitting in the driver’s seat and adult female leaning against the rear tire,” the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said.</p> <p>Criminal activity is not suspected in the case, so homicide detectives didn‘t respond to the scene, while investigators added that it appeared the couple had run out of petrol. </p> <p>It is unclear where the couple were heading, and an official cause of death has yet to be revealed. </p> <p>Larry was known for his musical talents and played the pedal steel guitar, contributing to the iconic Bakersfield Sound era.</p> <p>He was playing shows in the area up until his passing, with Larry‘s final show being with a band called The Soda Crackers.</p> <p>“We had the honour of having Larry as our steel guitarist at our first ever show in Bakersfield and had the even greater honour of playing with him for his last show a few weeks ago,” the band wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.</p> <p>“We send our condolences to the Petree family and the greater Bakersfield Sound community.”</p> <p>Larry’s cousin, Laurie Sanders, told The Californian that Larry had been disoriented recently and got lost when attending his own gig. </p> <p>He failed to show up for the performance, and a family friend had to pick him up and take him to the concert. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

News

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Low-cost gel film pulls clean drinking water from desert air, raising hopes of quenching the world’s driest communities

<p class="spai-bg-prepared">One in three people lives in <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.un.org/en/events/desertification_decade/whynow.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">drylands</a>, areas covering more than 40% of the Earth’s surface that experience significant water shortages.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">Scientists and engineers have now developed a new material that could help people living in these areas access <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/water/an-answer-to-the-clean-water-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clean drinking water</a> by capturing it right out of the atmosphere, according to a new study in <em class="spai-bg-prepared">Nature Communications</em>.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">They’ve developed a gel film that costs just $2 per kilogram to produce and can pull water from the air in even the driest climates; 1kg of it can produce more than 6 litres per day in less than 15% relative humidity (RH), and 13 litres in areas with up to 30% RH.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">Relative humidity is the ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity.  So a 100% RH means that the air is completely saturated with water vapour and cannot hold any more. People tend to feel most comfortable between 30% and 50%, and arid climates have less than 30% RH.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">These results are promising, as previous attempts to pull water from the desert air have typically been energy-intensive and not very efficient.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“This new work is about practical solutions that people can use to get water in the hottest, driest places on Earth,” says senior author Guihua Yu, professor of Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, US. “This could allow millions of people without consistent access to drinking water to have simple, water-generating devices at home that they can easily operate.”</p> <div class="newsletter-box spai-bg-prepared"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p192317-o1" class="wpcf7 spai-bg-prepared" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">The gel is made with <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/hydroxypropyl-cellulose" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hydroxypropyl cellulose</a> (HPC) which is produced from cellulose, and a common kitchen ingredient called <a class="spai-bg-prepared" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141813016310339" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">konjac glucomannan</a>, as well as lithium chloride salt (LiCl). It forms a hydrophilic (water attracting) porous film with a large surface area that collects the water vapour from air.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“The gel takes two minutes to set simply. Then, it just needs to be freeze dried, and it can be peeled off the mould and used immediately after that,” explains Weixin Guan, a doctoral student on Yu’s team and a lead researcher of the work.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">And, because the cellulose is thermo-responsive, it becomes hydrophobic (water repelling) when heated which allows the collected water to be released within 10 minutes through mild heating at 60 °C.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">This means that the overall energy needed to produce the water is minimised. The film is also flexible, can be moulded into a variety of shapes and sizes, and producing it requires only the gel precursor – which includes all the relevant ingredients poured into a mould.</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">“This is not something you need an advanced degree to use,” says lead author Youhong “Nancy” Guo, a former doctoral student in Yu’s lab and now a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It’s straightforward enough that anyone can make it at home if they have the materials.”</p> <p class="spai-bg-prepared">And because it’s so simple, the authors say the challenges of scaling the technology up and achieving mass usage are reduced.</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" class="spai-bg-prepared" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=192317&amp;title=Low-cost+gel+film+pulls+clean+drinking+water+from+desert+air%2C+raising+hopes+of+quenching+the+world%E2%80%99s+driest+communities" width="1" height="1" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/gel-film-desert-drinking-water/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide.</em></p> <p><em>Image: The University of Texas at Austin/Cockrell School of Engineering</em></p> </div>

Technology

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Inside Amber Heard's remote desert hideaway

<p>We've all learnt an awful lot about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in light of the recent, very public trial.</p> <p>As the trial has <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/verdict-reached-in-depp-versus-heard-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reached its conclusion,</a> yet another interesting piece of information about Heard has made its way into the public domain.</p> <p>Reportedly, the 36-year-old actor confirmed in her opening testimony that she lives in a sleepy town called Yucca Valley, which is located in the beautiful Mojave Desert. The town is roughly 200-kilometres east of Los Angeles and the rural locale is not a place where you'll find many A-listers.</p> <p>The locale only has about 22,000 residents total, and it's known for its art culture, as well as its proximity to celebrated places like Joshua Tree, Coachella and Palm Springs.</p> <p>The house itself was purchased by Heard in 2019; however, property records show the abode was bought through a trust attached to Heard's accountant.</p> <p>Costing USD $570,000 ($795,000) at the time, the unique 2015-built residence hoasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms and sits on 24,281-square-metres of arid but beautiful land.</p> <p>Features include a large open-plan kitchen, living and dining area with vaulted ceilings, fireplace and floor to ceiling windows that no doubt provide Heard with exceptional views of the surrounding desert.</p> <p>Another distinct benefit of the property is a custom 34-metres bridge that enables occupants to cross a dried-up creek and access an elevated gazebo perched on a rocky hill.</p> <p>Although Heard purchased the property back in 2019, the mother-of-one only started living in the house earlier this year.</p> <p><em>Image: Domain</em></p>

Real Estate

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Now's your chance to own a ghost town in remote WA, deserted 70 years ago

<p><span>Urban explorers and the paranormal curious, listen up — you could soon the be proud owner on an entire abandoned town in remote Western Australia.</span></p> <p><span>The former township of Cossack, on the coast, is now up for sale after laying abandoned for 70 years.</span></p> <p><span>The ghost town, established in 1863, was once a thriving hub for the pearling industry, located on the Butchers Inlet.</span><span></span></p> <p><span>However over time, the population left to be absorbed into larger towns, eventually deserting the area completely.</span></p> <p><span>Today, Cossack's historic buildings all lay abandoned, trapped in an eerie timewarp.</span></p> <p><span>Tourists pass through, using the nearby hiking trails and paying a visit to the beautiful beaches — the town is surrounded by a coastal reserve.</span></p> <p><span>As well as 12 historic buildings and nearby Jarman Island, the town boasts archaeological sites dating back to the 1870s, some of which contain evidence of the impact of European settlement on the Aboriginal communities.</span></p> <p><span>The WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage are seeking buyers with proposals that will bring social and economic benefits to the region, so the idyllically-located town may just be a future tourism hotspot.</span><span>While no price tag has been assigned to the town, proposals that prioritise innovative low-impact tourism ventures will be top of the list, with things like eco accommodations, camping, dining venues, museums and galleries that will help support the regeneration of the town among the governement's criteria.</span></p> <p><span>Those keen to place a bid can do so before November 20, at 2pm, with proposals and registrations of interest to go to LJ Hooker Commercial Perth.</span></p> <div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"> <div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"> <p class="p1"><em>Written by Katherine Scott. This article first appeared on <a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/a-wa-ghost-town-deserted-70-years-ago-is-now-on-sale/44e8a83b-18fc-4c23-b84b-cfe9cd84b150">Honey</a>.</em></p> </div> </div>

Domestic Travel

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Lovingly-restored barn house is a hidden gem in the desert

<p>While a trip in the US might currently be characterised by countless nights spent in cookie cutter hotels and motels, if you know where to look you can find some of the most distinctive, interesting holiday accommodation in the world.</p> <p>Today’s Airbnb property is the perfect example. This <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/2213095/?af=61160407&amp;c=apac_au_over60_barnhousecali" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">lovingly-restored barn house</span></strong></a> in Morongo Valley is a hidden gem on the western edge of the Mojave Desert and the perfect place to pop your head in on a road trip through California.</p> <p>You get a true sense of desert serenity <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/2213095/?af=61160407&amp;c=apac_au_over60_barnhousecali" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">at this lovely property</span></strong></a>, sitting on the deck with a drink in hand as you listen to the sounds of nature and ponder the star-studded skyline.</p> <p>And the location simply couldn’t be better. Once you’re here you’re only 20 minutes from Joshua Tree National Park, Pioneer Town, Cabazon and Palm Springs.</p> <p>Even if you’re not planning a trip to California any time soon, make sure you scroll through the gallery above. It’s incredible to see what they’ve achieved with the place.</p> <p>For more information or to book your own stay, <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/2213095/?af=61160407&amp;c=apac_au_over60_barnhousecali" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">click here</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Airbnb</em></p> <p><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.airbnb.com/?af=61160407&amp;c=apac_au_over60" target="_blank">Whether you want to make money by renting your place or to find affordable accommodation options and stretch your travel budget further, head over to Airbnb now and have a look around.</a></span></strong></em></p>

Accommodation

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The reason these 6 ghost towns were abandoned

<p>Abandoned houses are relatively common, but an entire town?</p> <p>Yes, it does happen. We are all familiar with Chernobyl in the Ukraine, the scene of a catastrophic nuclear disaster in 1986 that left the city of Pripyat abandoned.</p> <p>And there are others, deserted for very different reasons. These six ghost towns, compiled by Domain, include an entire island, a town on the edge of the desert in Australia and two seaside cities that never quite made it.</p> <p><strong>1. Gouqi Island, China</strong></p> <p>Gouqi Island in China is an old fishing village that has been abandoned for more than 50 years and has now been overrun by nature.</p> <p><strong>2. Hashima Island, Japan</strong></p> <p>Hashima Island in Japan, also nicknamed Ghost Island, housed a coal-mining operation during its heyday from the late ninth century to mid-20th century. It had a starring role as the villain's lair in the James Bond movie <em>Skyfall</em>.</p> <p><strong>3. Farina, South Australia</strong></p> <p>The town of Farina in central South Australia was established in 1878 by hopeful farmers who thought it was the perfect location to grow wheat and barley. But the location, on the edge, of the desert, didn't attract enough rainfall to sustain crops.</p> <p><strong>4. Imber, England</strong></p> <p>Imber in England is a village on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire that was evacuated in 1943, as US troops prepared for the invasion of Europe during World War II.</p> <p><strong>5. Sanzhi Pod City, Taiwan</strong></p> <p>Sanzhi Pod City in Taiwan resembles a UFO pod village, but is not inhabited by either aliens or humans. The colourful pods at Sanzhi City were planned as a seaside destination for holidaying American military staff posted to Asia. But the development was never finished and the project went bankrupt.</p> <p><strong>6. Sesena, Spain</strong></p> <p>Sesena in Spain, south of Madrid is a seaside town started in the middle of a property boom, but never completed.</p> <p>To see all the haunting pictures, scroll through the gallery above. Have you visited any of these destinations, or any other abandoned places?</p> <p>Let us know in the comments.</p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/domestic-travel/2016/07/the-story-behind-that-wanaka-tree/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The story behind that Wanaka Tree</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/07/10-pedestrian-bridges-that-will-take-your-breath-away/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 pedestrian bridges that will take your breath away</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/07/10-pictures-from-secret-english-villages/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 pictures from secret English villages</strong></em></span></a></p>

International Travel

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5 Australian desert landscapes you must experience

<p>With around 35 per cent of the country being classified as desert, Australia has some incredible, yet stark, landscapes. These are the ones you don’t want to miss.</p> <p><strong>1. The Pinnacles Desert, Western Australia</strong></p> <p>Strange finger-like limestone rock formations just straight up from the sand, giving this desert an eerie, otherworldly quality. As the sun moves, the rocks cast ever-changing shadows along the sand. The Pinnacles is around 200 kilometres north of Perth and is at its most stunning in spring when the surrounding areas burst into bloom with fields of wildflowers.</p> <p><strong>2. Simpson Desert, South Australia &amp; Northern Territory</strong></p> <p>Covering 170,000 square kilometres, the Simpson Desert is the fourth largest in the country. It’s made up of more than 1,000 parallel sand dunes, some of which are up to 200 kilometres long. Don’t miss Rainbow Valley, a spectacular sandstone bluff with bands of colour, or the ancient rock carvings of the Arrernte people at Ewaninga. Some of the country’s best four wheel drive tracks run through the desert’s red sand making for a challenging, yet thrilling, desert experience.</p> <p><strong>3. Tanami Desert, Northern Territory &amp; Western Australia</strong></p> <p>Australia’s northernmost desert, the Tanami has a diverse landscape that even includes wetlands and a permanent lake, a rarity in such arid areas. Lake Gregory supports around 100,000 water birds and can be up to 10 metres deep. The Tanami is one of the easiest deserts to explore with the Tanami Track, a good quality dirt road, starting just 20 kilometres outside of Alice Springs. The famous Canning Stock Route also runs through the region and is popular with four wheel drivers.</p> <p><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/25513/shutterstock_365793986_498x245.jpg" alt="desert" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><strong>4. Sturt Stony Desert, South Australia, New South Wales &amp; Queensland</strong></p> <p>Covering the area where three states meet, the Sturt Stony Desert looks like the most inhospitable place on earth. It’s named for explorer Charles Sturt who came to the desert in 1845 expecting to find a vast inland sea. He was sorely disappointed. The only vegetation on the flat, stony plains are scrub plants like saltbush with a few hardy trees along the lines of dry creekbeds. Despite this, a surprising number of animals thrive here including kangaroos, wallabies and plenty of lizards.</p> <p><strong>5. Great Victoria Desert, Western Australia &amp; South Australia</strong></p> <p>Australia’s largest desert covers an incredible 400,000 square kilometres and is the third largest desert in the world. It’s classified as a desert because it receives so little rain, but the landscape is actually surprisingly lush and varied. Plants like marble gums, mulga and spinifex are common, having adapted to survive with little water. You’ll drive through an ever-changing vista of plains, gorges, bluffs, dunes and mountain ranges, and be able to spot plenty of wildlife along the way. When the rain does fall, the whole area springs to life in a riot of wildflowers.</p> <p>Have you ever been to these incredible deserts?  What part of Australia do you think is the most beautiful?</p> <p>Let us know in the comments!</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/07/crossing-the-spectacular-simpson-desert/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Crossing the spectacular Simpson Desert</em></span></strong></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/06/8-incredible-destinations-in-outback-australia/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>8 incredible destinations in outback Australia</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/06/crossing-australia-in-style-aboard-the-indian-pacific/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Crossing Australia in style aboard the Indian Pacific</strong></em></span></a></p>

International Travel

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Crossing the spectacular Simpson Desert

<p>Some people chase mindfulness in the pages of colouring books, but it's much easier to find in the desert. Out there, two days drive from anywhere, more if you want anywhere to be more than a roadhouse, mindfulness is your default setting.</p> <p>You're mindful that a thoughtless step into a clump of spinifex could end in disaster if it's home to a king brown (or any other snake). Mindful that a wrong approach up a dune will leave you beached, up to your axles in hot red sand, sweat and a long-handled shovel your only salvation. Mindful that a miscalculation of how much water you need could be dire, a mechanical breakdown deadly, or at the very least, mind-shatteringly expensive.</p> <p>According to the gurus, mindfulness is all about living in the moment. In the Simpson Desert there's no dreaming of where the road leads, because being on the road – make that track – is the reason for being there in the first place.</p> <p>It's a cliché, but crossing the Simpson really is about the journey, not the destination, because whichever direction you travel the end point is little more than a petrol pump and a pub – mind you, after three or four days in the desert there is nothing quite so marvellous as downing a cold beer at a stand-up bar, or quite so delightful as a toilet that not only do you not have to dig, but flushes at the touch of a button, even if it is full of frogs. Spend three or four days in the desert and you'll find your concept of luxury has been rather forcefully redefined.</p> <p><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/24607/shutterstock_103738982_498x245.jpg" alt="simpson desert (1)"/></p> <p>Straddling three states, the Simpson Desert is the largest parallel sand dune desert in the world. More than 1100 dunes, shaped into long red waves by westerly winds, roll from Birdsville in outback Queensland west towards Alice Springs across the top of South Australia. It was the last of the Australian deserts to be explored by Europeans – the first to cross its expanse was Ted Colson, on camel, in 1936; the first vehicle in 1962. Now, it's top of the list for four-wheel drivers, and while thousands of people cross the Simpson each year, and satellite phones mean that help can be summoned if needed, it is still not a trip to be taken lightly.</p> <p>Crossing the Simpson had been high on my really-want-to-do-that list ever since I'd crested Big Red – the legendary ridge of sand (30-40 metres high, depending on who you ask) 35 kilometres from the Birdsville pub that is not only the highest and most difficult dune in the Simpson, but also the first (or last, depending on which way you're travelling) – and kept driving until sunset, rolling out a swag in the lee of a dune before heading back to town the next morning.</p> <p>That was 15 years ago, and since then I'd skirted around the edges many times, driving out to Finke on the Alice Springs side, making several trips to Lake Eyre and up and down the Oodnadatta track to the south, and even flown over it on a scenic flight from Birdsville. Going all the way though, is an altogether different type of adventure.</p> <p>There are three main tracks: the French Line (the shortest), the Rig Road (the longest and southern-most) and the WAA Line, all converging into the QAA Line near Poeppel Corner where the NT, SA and Queensland borders meet, 170km west of Birdsville.</p> <p>Most people take the French Line, but we thought we'd escape the 'crowds' on the less travelled WAA Line, where the dunes are steeper, and softer. We also took the hard way, travelling east to west – the eastern dune faces are steeper due to the prevailing wind direction – but we only got stuck once, on dune number 882 or thereabouts, although we often had to have a couple of 'practice runs' before we got over some of them. It's all about momentum, using the UHF radio to check there's nothing coming the other way and then a slightly manic and very bumpy helter-skelter charge that looks out of control but is a giggle-inducing adrenalin rush, crowned by a triumphant cheer at the crest and a scan of the horizon for any fluorescent flags indicating approaching traffic before slithering down the sandy slope to line up the next one.</p> <p><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/24606/shutterstock_68164816_498x245.jpg" alt="simpson desert"/></p> <p>This is not a trip where you tick off attractions, although you do tend to measure your progress from landmarks such as Big Red, the usually dry but often boggy Eyre Creek, Poeppel Corner (a selfie at the three-state marker is obligatory), Purni Bore and the oasis of Dalhousie Springs, where as far as luxury baths go soaking in a hot thermal pool after four days without more than a wet-ones wipe is hard to beat, and for us, finally, a hard-earned cold beer at the bar at Mount Dare (it was only 10.45am, but we didn't care!).</p> <p>There might be 1100 dunes in the desert, each with more or less the same view, but each and every time I got to the top of one I found myself gasping in awe – in awe of the sheer immensity of space, in awe of the colours, of the emptiness, of the grandiosity of a landscape larger than life, a reminder of how insignificant we are in comparison.</p> <p>Anyone who think deserts aren't beautiful has never sat atop a dune at sunset, when the sand turns to ruby and flocks of green-winged birds explode across a flame-coloured sky. The beauty out here is in the small things: the blinding brightness of a full moon, the sighing of a midnight breeze as it ruffles the desert oaks, the early-morning lizard tracks criss-crossing the rumpled dunes like lacework, the rumbling low-level growls of feral camels passing by the camp in the dead of night, the impossible fragility of desert wildflowers blooming in such an inhospitable place. The rewards are the primeval satisfaction of building a fire to keep you warm and spending an entire evening mesmerised by the dancing flames, and gazing star-struck at the inky sky where the stars seem so close that you can almost reach out and pull them in, wrapping them around you like a scarf.</p> <p>It's a drug, this desert crossing caper, a highly addictive escape from workday pressures and mundanity, where the mindfulness that you are completely responsible for your ongoing existence – food, water, shelter, amusement – is exhilarating. So much more fun than colouring-in.</p> <p><em>First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/06/8-incredible-destinations-in-outback-australia/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">8 incredible destinations in outback Australia</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/06/5-aussie-holiday-spots-with-bad-reception/"><strong><em><span>5 Aussie holiday spots with bad reception</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/international/2016/06/crossing-australia-in-style-aboard-the-indian-pacific/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Crossing Australia in style aboard the Indian Pacific</strong></em></span></a></p>

International Travel

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Ethereal photos capture the massive scale of the Gobi Desert

<p>Spanning half a million square miles across China and Mongolia, the Gobi is the largest desert in Asia. When Hungarian fine art and commercial photographer Bence Bakonyi visited Dunhuang to capture the ancient ruins, he was struck by the sheer immensity of the desert, particularly the sand dunes that towered over the many tourists that come to hike them.</p> <p>His photos were called in his book, <em>Cognition.</em> In an artist statement he says, “the protagonists of the photographs taken in Dunhuang are tourists, the landscape was just as alien and fascinating for them as it was for me when I documented it.”</p> <p><img width="589" height="471" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA2LzE5LzI0L2JlbmNlYmFrb255LjdhZjRkLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTE0NDB4MTAwMD4KZQlqcGc/709256d0/64a/bencebakonyi_cognition_no_07.jpg" alt="Bencebakonyi_cognition_no_07"/></p> <p><img width="588" height="470" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA2LzE5LzI0L2JlbmNlYmFrb255LjM1ZjExLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTE0NDB4MTAwMD4KZQlqcGc/fff2338f/f69/bencebakonyi_cognition_no_02.jpg" alt="Bencebakonyi_cognition_no_02"/></p> <p><img width="587" height="470" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA2LzE5LzI0L2JlbmNlYmFrb255LjNhYWFlLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTE0NDB4MTAwMD4KZQlqcGc/5f09265e/fb5/bencebakonyi_cognition_no_04.jpg" alt="Bencebakonyi_cognition_no_04"/></p> <p><img width="590" height="472" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA2LzE5LzI0L2JlbmNlYmFrb255LmJlZDBjLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTE0NDB4MTAwMD4KZQlqcGc/496cca59/50a/bencebakonyi_cognition_no_06.jpg" alt="Bencebakonyi_cognition_no_06"/></p> <p><img width="596" height="477" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzA2LzE5LzI0L2JlbmNlYmFrb255LmNlMTg0LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTE0NDB4MTAwMD4KZQlqcGc/fd72b8f0/806/bencebakonyi_cognition_no_10.jpg" alt="Bencebakonyi_cognition_no_10"/></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/news/news/2015/06/blind-jack-russel-and-best-friend/">Meet the blind Jack Russel and his best friend who acts as his eyes</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/news/news/2015/06/most-popular-aussie-supermarkets/">Aussie shoppers are ditching Coles and Woolworths in favour of Aldi</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/news/news/2015/06/grandfather-drug-trafficker/">How did this Gold Coast pensioner become a drug trafficker?</a></em></strong></span></p>

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