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A dust storm blows across the Simpson Desert. The desert straddles four state borders making it one of the largest deserts in Australia.

The early desert sun catches the tops of the red dunes in the Simpson Desert.

A hot water bore hole receives water from the Great Artesian Basin - an enormous underground aquifer that underlies the Simpson Desert.

From the air, the long parallel dunes of the Simpson Desert make the landscape look like corrugated cardboard.

A desert flower blooms on the side of Big Red after a rare rainshower.

The Simpson Desert is home to the world's longest parallel sand dunes. Spaced a kilometre apart, some dunes stretch more than 160km.

Rock formations, dry riverbeds and long dirt tracks pattern the Simpson Desert floor.

During the wet season the red desert is transformed into a sea of green as dormant shrubs spring back to life.

This enhanced colour aerial image shows the intricate patterns of the sand dunes in the Simpson Desert.

After a flood, the landscape in the Simpson Desert changes completely as plants grow in the red sands.

The fiery red sand of the Simpson Desert. This is one of the driest places on Earth, with summer temperatures in excess of 45 degrees.

Big Red, or Nappanerica, is the largest sand dune in the Simpson Desert reaching a staggering 40 metres high.

This satellite image shows the dunes corrugating the Simpson Desert. The bright orange scars were caused by fires that burned away the vegetation, leaving the red sand exposed.

The view from the top of Big Red, or Nappanerica, the largest sand dune in the Simpson Desert.

A crude track across the barren Simpson Desert. It is one of the driest places in the world, now popular with desert adventurers.

An isolated creek weaves its way through the red dunes of the Simpson Desert.

Looking out over the Simpson Desert from the top of a dune.

1929 - 'Salt crust near S.E. margin of Lake Eyre'. The bed of Lake Eyre remains dry and exposed until annual flooding covers it in a shallow layer of water.

Water flowing into the dry bed of Lake Eyre through one of the many channels that drain the desert after the floods caused by heavy rain in May 2009.

1929 - 'South east shore of Lake Eyre north from the salt crust'.

1950 - 'Muddy floodwaters beside the shore of Lake Eyre North with dry Lake Eyre South beyond'.

The salt crust on some parts of the lakebed are as thick as half a metre.

For most of the year, Lake Eyre is an enormous salt pan. The salt is deposited when shallow floodwaters evaporate in the lake, leaving minerals behind.

The Lake Eyre Basin covers an area the size of France, Germany and Italy combined, funnelling water into Lake Eyre.

As well as being the largest lake in Australia, Lake Eyre is also the lowest point in the country sitting 15 metres below sea level.

1929 - 'The buckled salt crust of Lake Eyre'. Covering an area the size of Cyprus, Lake Eyre is one of the largest salt pans in the world.

This false-colour satellite image shows the extent of Lake Eyre, with some of its channels clearly visible leading into it.

Lake Eyre is usually dry. This image shows the river channels that direct annual flood water into the vast lake.

The Warburton River is one of the drainage channels into Lake Eyre - during the rainy season this river will bring flood water into the lake.

Covering an area the size of Cyprus, Lake Eyre is the largest lake in Australia and one of the largest salt pans in the world.

1929 - 'Motor tracks on Lake Eyre.' The flat salt pan of Lake Eyre is perfect for racing; numerous landspeed record attemps have been made here, including the famous Bluebird-Proteus.

1952 - 'The southeastern water remnant from 7,000ft lookng west. The patterned area in the foreground is the broad outer estuary of the Frome River'.

Lake Eyre very rarely fills to full capacity, though this image shows it in flood in 2009. The water is colourful, tinted blue and green by sediment and algae.

1950 - 'The Kalaweerina Creek flowing into Lake Eyre'.

The isolated town of Birdsville can only be accessed by a few roads, though originally only the Birdsville Track provided access to this tiny outback town.

c. 1926 - Horses flying past on the famous Birdsville Racetrack. The races began in 1883 and still continue today.

Birdsville Track is thought to be the most isolated road in Australia. Stretching 517km, the road is now more suited to four-wheel-drive travel than the cattle droves it was designed for.

Birdsville Hotel sees thousands of guests for a week in September, when the annual Birdsville Horse Races take place.

c. 1926 - A camel team arriving at Birdsville. Camel caravans used the Birdsville Track in the early 20th century as an effective way of carrying goods across the desert.

The Birdsville Track has become a popular tourist route for people wishing to enter the Simpson Desert.

c. 1927 - Camels were a familiar sight in Birdsville, as caravans often made their way through the town along the Birdsville Track.

The Birdsville Track was used in the early 20th century by Afghan traders' camel caravans as they crossed into the Simpson Desert.

The Birdsville airstrip sees hundreds of planes arriving each year in September for the Birdsville Races.

The Birdsville Track still remains a dirt road, but it is much more defined than it was when it was first established as a cattle route.

The Birdsville Track can be seen as route D83 connecting Marree in South Australia with Birdsville in Queesland.

1906 - A lone camel leads a group of goats along the Birdsville Track. Established in the 1860s, this trail was predominantly used for the movement of livestock.

Once boasting over 300 residents, Birdsville was an established town at the end of the Birdsville Track. This is the police station and courthouse circa 1925.