Frequently we find ourselves travelling the long and lonely road from Adelaide to Alice Springs, or vice versa ... sometimes, we might only be headed to the Simpson Desert or up the Old Ghan Track.
There is, however, one of those lovely serendipitous things in life that occurs due to the perfect distance - about 1000ks, that Coober Pedy is from Adelaide. A good day's drive brings you to this amazing piece of eclectic life in a lunar landscape that is surely one of the most unique in the world. Photographing it, is something I have never really gotten on top of. One would need permissions - permission to enter the opal fields, and courage to scout around for those perfect vantage points... courage because of the inherent and extreme risk of falling down one of the opal miner's holes.
Thankfully, however, there are nearby two wonderful locations that beckon and that relieve me of the fear of wandering the opal fields - they are the Breakaways about 15 or 20km out of Coober Pedy, and Painted Desert on Arkaringa Station - about another 60 or 70km further on.
So it is that after a brief stop in the oasis of Coober Pedy, and after a quiet drive down it's dusty streets, photographers are found trekking along in time for sunset - perhaps at the Breakaways, or if they have the luxury of a little more time, at the Painted Desert.
There are more wonderful places like this in the Australian outback that we are yet to explore - and they are nearby. If you would like to visit these areas, you can bolt a few days on one side of the other of our Central Australia tours, and we can take you out to experience the wonder of this location.
I am sure Andrew F who joined us there recently, has a quote about how wonderful it is, and that he will let me know so I can put it here!
Our Painted Desert Gallery can be viewed online, where we have a selection of images from a June visit to Painted Desert and the Breakaways. The Breakaways shots are the ones with the incredible pink, red and orange morning sky turned on there - we can't promise that, but we know that these locations never disappoint.
If you would like to visit the Painted Desert there remains but one seat on our September Simpson Desert Tour. Get in fast - it is a bargain tour, and will put you amongst some wonderful outback scenery.