To prevent unprepared drivers crossing the unforgiving terrain during the hottest part of the year, a three-and-a-half-month ban was imposed in 2008. Now the 65,637-square-mile (170,000sq km) national park – Australia’s largest – is off-limits from 1 December until 15 March when temperatures can exceed 50ºC (122ºF).

The dangers of remote driving are not limited to the Simpson Desert, and trips through Australia's central regions see drivers in hot weather contending with rough terrain, collisions with wildlife and vast distances between rest stops.

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