Quizzes
Quick Facts
- Also called:
- Western Desert or Canning Desert
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
great sandy desert
Great Sandy Desert, Australia.
Great Sandy Desert
desert, Australia
Also known as: Canning Desert, Western Desert
News •
Dingoes play vital role in protecting animals from feral cats in desert
• Oct. 16, 2026, 8:06 PM ET (ABC News (Australia))
Great Sandy DesertThe Great Sandy Desert extends from Eighty Mile Beach on the Indian Ocean eastward into Northern Territory and from Kimberley Downs southward to the Tropic of Capricorn and the Gibson Desert.
Great Sandy Desert, arid wasteland of northern Western Australia that is Australia’s second largest desert, after the Great Victoria Desert. It extends from Eighty Mile Beach on the Indian Ocean eastward into Northern Territory and from Kimberley Downs southward to the Tropic of Capricorn and the Gibson Desert. A vast arid expanse of salt marshes and sand hills interlaced with Triodia (Spinifex) grass, it roughly coincides with the sedimentary Canning Basin. Canning Stock Route (1,000 miles [1,600 km] long) spans the region in a northeasterly direction from Wiluna via Lake Disappointment to Halls Creek. The first Europeans to cross the desert (east to west) were in a party led by Maj. Peter Egerton Warburton in 1873.
This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.