Buttes of the Breakaways

At sunset on our last night we headed out to the Breakaways – an amazing arrangement of mesas and buttes that appear to have broken away from the Stuart Range, that rise up out of the gibber rock flats to glow in the evening light – all salt, pepper, nutmeg and ginger tones and tinges.

Beautiful Breakaways

Once these outcrops lay under that ephemeral Inland Sea that stretched from the Diamantina to the Flinders Ranges.

Paprika and white landscape

Nowadays, they stand, starkly sensational, just waiting for someone to come and label them as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A hop, step and a jump north of Coober Pedy.  My only surprise is that a thousand painters were not lined up side by side grabbing their palette knives and paint brushes, on queue.

Glowing as we turn to leave

One of the most beautiful sights, surely, in all of Australia.

Stunning at sunset

After this, much needed rain set our travels into fast forward so that sooner than expected we were back home, unpacking our gear.

But with magical memories. 

oooOOOooo