Great Landscapes
In South Australia's Outback, you'll be awestruck by natural landscapes like the Painted Desert, the Breakaways near Coober Pedy, the Gawler Ranges and Lake Eyre.
The Painted Desert is an area of spectacular colorful hills. It's an amazing sight - you'll see rocky outcrops of large and small hills, which emerge suddenly out of a flat, desert landscape.
It's perhaps best viewed in bright sunlight which brings out vivid colours such as ochre yellow, oxide red, and deep, rich brown, contrasting with crisp whites and jet blacks. Created more than 80 million years ago, the it forms part of the spectacular breakaway country, located 50 kilometres south west of Oodnadatta. The Painted Desert is a superb example of the forces of nature weathering and eroding the desert landscape.
The Anna Creek Painted Hills is a spectacular and recently discovered section of the pristine Breakaways country in the far north of South Australia. Breakaway country appears around Coober Pedy, Oodnadatta, Copper Hills, Arckaringa Hills, William Creek and Evelyn Downs.
The Anna Creek Painted Hills offers an amazing sight by air. It is a rocky outcrop of large and small hills, which emerge suddenly out of a flat, desert landscape. The area can can only be accessed by air, due to its fragility and natural beauty.
Air access tours to the Anna Creek Painted Hills is available through Trevor Wright of Wrightsair, from William Creek, Coober Pedy and Arkaroola.
The Breakaways is one of South Australia's Outback gems. They're a striking rocky landscape of flat-topped mesas. They were once covered by an inland sea. The Breakaways are home to an array of native fauna and flora. Take in this remarkable view, which you'll find approximately 33 kilometres north of Coober Pedy. The Breakaways are best viewed at sunset, when you can appreciate the amazing sandstone colours. South Australian tour operators can take you there to explore the site.
When the massive Lake Eyre fills, it becomes the biggest lake in Australia. This salt lake system covers an area of 9,690 square kilometres - roughly the size of Holland. It has filled to capacity only three times in the past 150 years, but when it does the spectacle is breathtaking, and it attracts thousands of birds.
And don't miss the Gawler Ranges. When you travel through these gentle hills, you feel like you're on safari. There are so many kangaroos, emus and other wildlife that emerge. The ranges themselves have much to offer - a great spot for camping, driving, bushwalking and wildlife spotting.
There are some 140 species of birds recorded in the Gawler Ranges and also the Red and Western Grey Kangaroo, Euro, Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat, Pygmy Possum and Hopping Mouse. The park is home to 21 rare and endangered animal and plant species including the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby. Also featured are a variety of wildflowers, wildlife, historic sites and geological features.
The ranges themselves form a spectacular wilderness area of unspoiled beauty. Vast domes of volcanic rock display a vivid array of colour against the pure white of the many salt lakes in the area, including Lake Gairdner. The ranges are renowned for their display of wildflowers in the spring.
And of course, you can't go past the Flinders Ranges for inspiring Outback landscapes. See our Flinders Ranges pages for information on how to explore this vast and beautiful region.
