There are five large deserts in Australia -Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Tanami, Simpson and Gibson Deserts. All together they cover over 14% of the continent. This large and empty "heart of Australia" is called "outback". There is only couple of dozens of people living here, although you can find grassy areas suitable to feed sheep's and cattle.

Great Victoria Desert (Western Australia)

The Great Victoria Desert stretches over the South Australian border into the pastoral leases of South Australia to the east, and south to the Nullabor Plain.
This is a large and sparsely populated region. The Desert rises from an elevation of about 200 mt above sea level in the south to 700 mt in the north. The Great Victoria is a sandy desert with many small dunes. Rainfall ranges between 200 and 250mm.

Great Sandy Desert (Western Australia)

This vast region of Western Australia is very sparsely populated. The Great Sandy Desert is a flat area lying between the rocky ranges of the Pilbara and the Kimberley. Rainfall is too low with an average of 300 mm throughout, the coast and far north near the Kimberley. The average rainfall is 250 mm even in the driest parts. Almost all rain comes from monsoon thunderstorms or the occasional Tropical Cyclone rain depression. Summer daytime temperatures are some of the hottest in Australia.

Tanami

Tanami lies 634 km northwest of Alice Springs on a dirt road and, consequently, is only to be visited by enthusiastic explorers.

Simpson Desert (Northern Territory)

The Simpson Desert situated in the Northern Territory is a large desert of sand ridges and it occupies most of South Eastern Northern Territory. The desert also expands on into South West Queensland. Only 4WD roads pass this area. A number of tourist visit this place in winters. Rainfall is scarce, the average annual rainfall being is 175 -200 mm. Several rivers like the Finke River run out into the desert and disappear. During summer the average daytime temperature is 35 - 40C.

Gibson Desert (Western Australia)

Gibson Desert features many small dunes, but there are areas of higher altitude that are rocky with hills. Several large aboriginal reserves are found in the area. Very little farming activity is carried out; only on the margins are there some sheep and cattle rising. Rainfall is low and very unreliable. The Gibson Desert area relies almost entirely on Thunderstorm activity and the occasional Ex Tropical Cyclone cloud mass. In Summers daytime temperatures are hot.