. "The Shimmering Flats was at the southeastern end of Thousand Needles, on the border with Tanaris. The area was an open expanse devoid of any vegetation and home to various varieties of, among other things, basilisks, scorpids, tortoises and vultures. The area was a dried lakebed, as evidenced by the wrecked sailing vessel in the northern part. Although the flats are somewhat spartan, many find the sense of loneliness and silence give the area a unique beauty, and the Mirage Raceway in the middle of such a lonely place gives a strange sense of the surreal. Known as the Scorched Basin by some, the Shimmering Flats are a flat, barren area just southeast of Thousand Needles (and are technically a part of that zone). The flatness of the area makes it especially desirable for goblins and gnomes, who have set up the Mirage Raceway and constantly compete against each other to see who can build the fastest racing machine. Their inventions are frequently unstable, and the area is littered with the wreckage and parts of countless failed gizmos, as well as numerous craters. Thanks to goblin prospecting, the large salt flat is actually a rich source of oil. The goblins have ventured to the basin in great numbers to collect and refine the \"black gold.\" The otherwise amiable goblins are not very hospitable in this region and maintain guards to ensure no one steals their claim. (WRPG 211) The area is full of turtles, buzzards, scorpids, and basilisks. A group of dwarven archaeologists were driven out of the ruins in the southwest when they inadvertently dug into a subterranean silithid hive."@en . . . "The Shimmering Flats was at the southeastern end of Thousand Needles, on the border with Tanaris. The area was an open expanse devoid of any vegetation and home to various varieties of, among other things, basilisks, scorpids, tortoises and vultures. The area was a dried lakebed, as evidenced by the wrecked sailing vessel in the northern part. Although the flats are somewhat spartan, many find the sense of loneliness and silence give the area a unique beauty, and the Mirage Raceway in the middle of such a lonely place gives a strange sense of the surreal."@en . . . . . . . . . "Shimmering Flats"@en . . . .