- Desert geography
- Man and the Strzelecki Desert
- In honor of the hero
The Australian continent has one important difference from its counterparts, local deserts, in percentage terms, occupy a significant place among all territories. They smoothly merge into one another, have similar names, for example, Big and Small Sandy deserts. Some of them were named after the discoverers or people who did many good deeds for the continent, among such geographical objects are the Strzelecki Desert and the Gibson Desert.
Desert geography
In Russian reference literature, you can often find such a spelling - "Streletsky's desert." This is due to the incorrect reading of the surname of the explorer of Australia, when translated from Polish (he is Pole by nationality), the surname sounds like Strzelecki, respectively, the Australian territories named after him should be called the Strzelecki desert.
It is located on the territory of several states of the state of Australia at once, including: South Australia (northeastern edge); Queensland (tip of the southwestern part); New South Wales (northwestern region of the state).
Geographical landmarks of the location of the Strzelecki Desert can be the Flinders Ridge and Lake Eyre. The latter is located southwest of the desert, the ridge is located in its southern part. As in many other cases in Australia, the desert has not been without a neighbor; nearby is an arid region called the Simpson Desert.
Man and the Strzelecki Desert
This region can be considered much more inhabited than other Australian deserts. Examination of a detailed map of the region will show that both in the north and in the south there are settlements of different sizes.
The northern edge of the desert is actively explored by the inhabitants of Innaminka, Gidgella, Birdsville, Cordillo Downs. On the southern edge of the desert is the settlement of Itadanna. The reasons for the settlement of people in these places can be many, one of them is the states, on the territory of which the Strzelecki Desert is located, are among the most densely populated regions of the country. At first, the number of residents increased due to exiled recidivists, later the state provided benefits and subsidies for those wishing to develop new lands, create free settlements.
Perhaps such a fairly representative number of settlements is explained by a more or less suitable climate, the presence of seasonal rivers, including the Diamantina, Yandama Creek, Cooper Creek and the water stream, named after the legendary Pole who gave the name to the desert. From the northwest, the neighbor of the desert is the Goyder Lagoon, despite such a beautiful name, it is just a swamp.
Inhabitants of the villages located around the desert today are engaged in agriculture, are developing minerals, ethnographic and extreme tourism is well developed. In particular, one of the favorite entertainments of guests from other countries and continents is a journey through the Strzelecki Desert, and motorcycles or SUVs are chosen as transport.
The beginning of the route is in the local National Park, which has a beautiful name "Blue Mountains". Part of the path goes along this stepped plateau, its picturesque gorges. The plateau got its name due to the fact that the eucalyptus forests growing on its slopes are covered with a bluish haze from fumes.
The journey continues along the Strzelecki Desert, which consists of endless reddish dunes moving with rocky outcrops, white sands or wetlands. Along the way, you can meet some of the younger friends of man, not just mammals, but mainly with different types of lizards - geckos, iguanas, skinks.
In honor of the hero
Strzelecki Pavel Edmund is a famous Polish traveler, has established himself as a geologist and geographer. The circle of his interests was associated with various remote regions of the planet. He came to Australia to conduct geological research. For four years, he traveled across the continent, having traveled most of it, and even reached Tasmania.
Already the first year of his stay on Australian soil brought him great luck, his expedition discovered gold, and not far from settlements. Gipps, the governor of the territories, reasonably suggested not to reveal this secret to the population, so as not to provoke unrest among the convicts and guards. As practice has shown, the governor was right, because when gold was discovered in Victoria, and everyone knew about it, the social atmosphere in the region deteriorated several times.
At the moment, his name is the first in the list of people who have found gold in Australia. Also, this hero managed to climb to the highest point of Australia, and give the name to the summit he conquered - Tadeusz Kostsyushko, another great European who became the National Hero of Poland and Belarus, Lithuania and the USA.
