The Breakaways Reserve

The Breakaways is a surreal series of flat-topped mesas and eroded buttes painted in layers of red, white, and rust, sitting about 33km north of Coober Pedy in South Australia’s outback. It’s the kind of landscape that stops you mid-drive and makes you get out of the rig and just stare. The Dog Fence — the longest fence in the world — cuts right through here, and the whole reserve carries a raw, ancient stillness. Sunrise and sunset light is absolutely ridiculous. No facilities, no crowds if you time it right.

Access is via a well-graded dirt road off the Stuart Highway — high-clearance 2WD can handle it in dry conditions. A permit is required (purchased from the Coober Pedy visitor centre, low cost). Check conditions before heading out — rain turns the clay surface to grease. Nearest fuel and supplies are back in Coober Pedy.

Mars-like mesas at the edge of the outback.