What is the Australian outback?

The outback is the remote, mostly dry interior of Australia, a mix of deserts, rocky ranges, salt lakes and dry woodland and grassland, away from the coastal cities.

How was Uluru formed?

Uluru is sandstone formed from sediment eroded from ancient mountains more than 500 million years ago. The layers were later tilted upright, and the softer rock around them was worn away.

No. The climb was permanently closed in October 2019 at the request of Anangu, the traditional owners, for whom Uluru is sacred.

What animals live around Uluru?

Red kangaroos, emus, dingoes, perenties and other lizards, many birds such as budgerigars and zebra finches, and small nocturnal mammals and reptiles.

Why is the outback red?

Iron minerals in the sand and rocks have rusted into iron oxides, which colour the land red and orange.

Red sand, spinifex and Uluru rising from the heart of the continent

Australian outback

3D landscape · Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa, Northern Territory, Australia

Land here and explore →

About 70 percent of Australia is arid or semi-arid. This huge interior, known as the outback, is not a single desert but a mosaic of red sand plains and dunes, rocky ranges, salt lakes and dry woodlands. In this app you can land near Uluru in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and explore it in interactive 3D: red sand dunes covered in spinifex hummocks, desert oaks, mulga and white-trunked ghost gums, with Uluru rising out of the plain.

Red kangaroos rest in the shade and bound away across the sand, emus stride through the scrub, dingoes trot past at a distance and a perentie, Australia's largest lizard, may cross your path. Every plant and animal here is adapted to heat, drought and unpredictable rain.

Key facts

Model setting: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, AustraliaRed sand plains and dunes in the Northern Territory, near the centre of the continent
Uluru: 348 m high, 9.4 km aroundIts top is about 863 m above sea level
Rock: Arkose sandstoneTilted almost vertically; the red colour is iron oxide on the surface, the fresh rock is grey
Traditional owners: AnanguUluru is a sacred site; climbing it has been banned since October 2019
World Heritage: Listed 1987, extended 1994For both its natural values and as a cultural landscape
Rainfall: About 300 mm a yearVery variable from year to year; summers often exceed 40 °C
Red kangaroo: Largest living marsupialMales can stand about 1.8 m tall and hop at over 50 km/h
Spinifex: Covers about a fifth of AustraliaSpiky hummock grasses that dominate the sandy deserts

Where the outback is

The outback covers most of inland Australia, away from the wetter, more populated coasts. It includes the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Gibson, Simpson and Tanami deserts, the MacDonnell Ranges and huge areas of dry shrubland and grassland. Uluru lies in the southwest of the Northern Territory, about 450 km by road from Alice Springs.

Australia is the driest inhabited continent. It sits under a belt of high pressure that brings dry, sinking air, and the interior is far from moisture-bearing winds. Rain does fall, often in short, heavy bursts, and some years bring floods that make the desert bloom.

How Uluru formed

Uluru is made of arkose, a coarse sandstone rich in feldspar, formed from sediment washed off ancient mountains more than 500 million years ago. Later earth movements tilted the layers until they stand nearly vertical, and the softer rocks around them were worn away, leaving Uluru standing above the plain. Much of the rock continues far below the ground.

The fresh rock is grey; the famous red comes from iron minerals rusting on the surface. Uluru glows deep red and orange at sunrise and sunset. About 25 km to the west, Kata Tjuta is a group of domes made of a different rock, conglomerate.

A sacred place

For Anangu, Uluru and Kata Tjuta are part of Tjukurpa, the foundation of their law and culture, which explains how the land and its life came to be. The park is jointly managed by Anangu and Parks Australia, and the climb was closed permanently in 2019 at the request of the traditional owners.

Spinifex, desert oaks and ghost gums

Spinifex is the name for spiky hummock grasses of the genus Triodia that cover vast areas of sandy desert. Their tough, rolled leaves save water and protect them from grazers, and the hummocks shelter lizards, insects and small mammals. Spinifex is very flammable, and fire plays a major role in outback ecology.

Desert oaks, actually she-oaks of the genus Allocasuarina, grow tall and dark on the sand dunes, sending roots down to deep groundwater. Mulga, a kind of wattle, forms dry woodlands on harder soils. Ghost gums, with brilliant white bark, grow on rocky ground and along creeks. After good rain, the sand comes alive with wildflowers.

Kangaroos, emus, dingoes and lizards

Red kangaroos are the largest living marsupials. Hopping is an energy-efficient way to cover long distances in search of food, and they rest in the shade during the hottest part of the day. Emus, Australia's largest birds, can run at around 50 km/h and travel long distances following rain.

Dingoes are wild dogs that arrived in Australia several thousand years ago and are now the continent's top land predator. Central Australia is also a hotspot of reptiles, from the perentie, a monitor lizard that can grow to over 2 m long, to thorny devils that drink dew through grooves in their skin. Many small mammals stay hidden underground during the day.

Heat, drought and flash floods

Summers are hot, with days often around 36 to 40 °C or more, while winter nights can drop below freezing. Rainfall averages about 300 mm a year at Uluru but is very unpredictable. After heavy storms, waterfalls pour off Uluru and pools fill at its base, which have long been an important water source for people and animals.

Pressures on the arid zone

Introduced animals such as feral cats, foxes, rabbits and camels have caused severe damage. Australia has lost more mammal species since European settlement than any other continent, many of them small desert mammals. Changed fire patterns, with fewer small fires and more big, hot ones after Aboriginal burning practices declined, are another problem.

Today, Indigenous ranger programs, fenced predator-free reserves and the return of traditional cool-season burning are helping to protect and restore desert wildlife.

Surprising facts about Australian outback

Uluru's red colour is only skin deep: the fresh rock underneath is grey.
The layers of rock in Uluru stand almost on end, tilted by ancient earth movements.
Desert oaks are not oaks at all, but she-oaks that send roots down to groundwater deep under the dunes.
Spinifex covers roughly a fifth of Australia.
Red kangaroos can hop at over 50 km/h, and hopping uses surprisingly little extra energy at higher speeds.
Thorny devils can draw water from damp sand into their mouths through tiny grooves in their skin.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Australian outback?: The outback is the remote, mostly dry interior of Australia, a mix of deserts, rocky ranges, salt lakes and dry woodland and grassland, away from the coastal cities.
How was Uluru formed?: Uluru is sandstone formed from sediment eroded from ancient mountains more than 500 million years ago. The layers were later tilted upright, and the softer rock around them was worn away.
Can you climb Uluru?: No. The climb was permanently closed in October 2019 at the request of Anangu, the traditional owners, for whom Uluru is sacred.
What animals live around Uluru?: Red kangaroos, emus, dingoes, perenties and other lizards, many birds such as budgerigars and zebra finches, and small nocturnal mammals and reptiles.
Why is the outback red?: Iron minerals in the sand and rocks have rusted into iron oxides, which colour the land red and orange.

Keep exploring

The landscapes in Ember’s Universe are procedural 3D scenes modelled on real places. The landforms, plants and light follow the real thing, but the details are generated, not mapped.

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