Part of the Australian Outback is to be closed this summer to prevent the deaths of tourists who get stranded in the desert.
Australian authorities decided to close the Simpson Desert from December last year until March 15 this year. During this period temperatures often reach 50 degrees Celsius making the desert a very dangerous place to visit.
The Simpson Desert Conservation Park occupies 3.6 million hectares of the outback and is popular for its dunes especially for the Big Red.
According to Trevor Naismith of the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage, the closure is necessary to protect tourists as well as the emergency staff.
People have died in the region, and it is easy for inexperienced tourists to get into trouble. Tourists often travel through the desert in hired four-wheel-drive vehicles. There are no roads going through the Simpson Desert, just 4x4 tracks.
Those who disrespect the closure will have to pay a fine of $1000, according to Naismith.
While several thousand tourists travel through the area each year, only about 35 vehicles traverse the desert in the summer months, so the closure is not expected to have a significant impact on the local businesses.
