Text and photosIan Smith

Kalaya (emu) panorama

I’d been tipped off by Alwyn Simple, one of Australia’s greatest bird photographers, to go and see The Breakaways. So I asked a local council worker where they were. He gave me almost complete instructions but I finished in a dead end at someone’s opal mine instead.

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Mmm, time to hit the local tourist office and what a bunch of information the enthusiastic lady turned out to have. Suddenly I had days to fill up at Coober Pedy.

The next morning I was on my way out on the road to Oodnadatta, a fabled journey for many 4WDers. But I had to turn off just before the famous Dingo Fence, which is longer than the Great Wall of China but slightly less noticeable.

If I thought I'd seen barren country before, I was sadly mistaken. When the first pictures came back from Mars, the people around here couldn't get excited. They have exactly the same scene right in their own backyards; a flat arid wasteland of pebbles. In fact, they've put comparison pictures up at a couple of venues in case you doubt it.

The Breakaways are a striking and unique example of arid scenery. From the flat-topped mesas to the stony gibber desert, remnants of millions of years provide a wealth of geological interests and breathtaking views. Looking out over the Breakaways, it is hard to believe that over 70 million years ago a vast

inland sea covered the area. The region is rich in Aboriginal and European history. It is home to a hardy group of native fauna and flora, which have successfully adapted to one of the world's harshest environments. Definitely one of Outback South Australia's best-kept secrets.

View from lower levels

Map of Victoria

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In the distance you can see the range of hills that you have to pay $2.20 per person to view (payable at the tourist office); a worn plateau that beckons you onward, such is its contrast to the surrounding land. I imagined it would be simply that. How wrong was I.

Even the first set of prominences have colour, but it's merely the overture to the main symphony. The stark hues are staggering. From chalky whites to sulphur yellows to iron oxide reds, the colours blaze in the midday sun. Castle Mountain is a stunner. Even months later I can't get that dazzling sulphur yellow out of my mind.

The Aborigines (Antakirinja and Mutuntjarra people) called it Papa (two dogs); one yellow and one white. This reminds me that the area was initially called Umoona (long life). Today's name comes from the fact it seems to have broken away from the Stuart Range.

It's a photographer's wet dream, yet you get barely a fraction of what's on offer passing by in your vehicle. This is a place where you can find much satisfaction simply strolling around the formation.

No snakes, no wait-a-while vines, no leeches, no spinifex (okay, maybe just a teensy bit). Just small pebbles and tiny gullies where streams run the few times it rains in these parts. The undulating terrain affords different perspectives every 10 metres or so, thus the senses are never jaded but find constant arousal.

Pupa (Two Dog) Mountain or Castle - Salt and Pepper

This is a place where you can find much satisfaction simply strolling around the formation.

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It took me some time to reach the main lookout, where the view of Kalaya (emu) was the main focus. My hour had become all morning. Then I returned to my motorhome, downloaded the panoramas at the main lookout, and emailed them off.

Just as well really, because in the afternoon I went to another spot, plunged off the cliff into the valley floor and took twice as many.The vista was magically different around every turn. The shapes seen from another entrancing angle, the colours changing in

intensity. I realised then why I had never heard of the place. Because if you never left the road, it is "worth a look", and that's about it. But if you walk among The Breakaways, it's something else again. Other than Italy in autumn, I've never seen so many colours in such a small area.

My favourite butte was Ungkata (water dragon lizard). Though smaller, it stands out amongst the crowd. Its barren slopes rising to a rugged prominence that somehow continually catch your eye.

Movie buffs would recognise some of the scenes from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Ground Zero and Mad Max – Beyond Thunderdome movies. The picture makers were looking for something different, akin to the American buttes, and here they found it. However, they're considerably less in height. It was also the scene of the INXS music video "Falling Down a Mountain".

Looking north from the lookout

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Other buttes not that far away tempted me also, but the realities of allocated time didn't allow their exploration. Perhaps next time I thought as I watched a peregrine falcon float in and alighted on a prominent outcrop. I pondered the fragility of its existence, seeking prey here where your only hope was the occasionally lizard; spending hours perched near its eyrie contemplating the countryside, ever alert to the slightest movement.

Sunrises and sunsets can be special here when the sun's filtered rays send their fingers to highlight the more exposed ridges. You might get a classic red outback sky to sign off the day, something I waited for, but it didn't happen.

The Breakaways – put it alongside the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru; just make sure you get out of your car.

Pupa Mountain from a different angle

Highlighting different ochre colours

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