1.   Contrary to popular belief, the Australian desert is often full of wildlife.

2.   The desert is a place of scorching heat by day and bitter cold by night.

3.   The desert is full of surprises.

4.   The Gobi desert is one of the hottest places on earth.

5.   Contrary to popular belief, a desert can be very cold.

6.   The desert was luminous, starkly beautiful.

7.   All the cacti were in flower, so that the desert was a riot of colour.

8.   The harsh desert was exposed and yellow, but there was no heat or sign of any change in the climate.

9.   As far as the eye could see was desert and the only break in the horizon was the pitiful silhouette of a few mud shelters.

10.   But, for the original inhabitants of the lands the desert is the familiar place that provides nature and gives meaning to life.