As of November 2021[update] it is the largest national park in Australia, covering 3,600,000 ha (14,000 sq mi).

It was bounded by the borders of the Northern Territory and Queensland to its north and by the Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert Regional Reserve to its west, south and east.

[8] In an unprecedented move, the park and the Simpson Desert Regional Reserve were closed to public access by the state government from 1 December 2008 to 15 March 2009 due to extreme heat during the Australian summer.

[9] The conservation park was classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area as of 2016[update][1] In 1980, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.

A wide variety of desert flora and fauna are protected in a landscape of varied dune systems, extensive playa lakes, spinifex grasslands and Acacia woodlands.