The Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park, formerly known as The Breakaways Reserve or simply The Breakaways, is a protected area in northern South Australia, just off the Stuart Highway north of Coober Pedy.
Name and history The park got the name "The Breakaways" because the mesas and low hills appear from a distance as if "broken away" from the higher ground of the escarpment. The site is significant for the Antakirinja Matuntjara Yankunytjatjara People,Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association - The Breakaways Reserve Accessed 13 June 2014. whose name for the area is Umoona, meaning "long life", a name also given to a species of tree found in the area, known as the mulga tree.
The conservation park was renamed as the Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park on 19 November 2015.
Management The Breakaways CP is managed under a co-management agreement by the Department of Environment, Water, and Natural Resources in conjunction with the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal Corporation and the District Council of Coober Pedy.SA native title claim near Coober Pedy finally recognised The Advertiser, 11 May 2011. Accessed 1 September 2014. (Dead link)DEWNR - Breakaways Conservation Park to be co-managed with Aboriginal community Press release, 7 August 2013. Accessed 13 June 2014. , Accessed 20 March 2018.
Climate The semi-arid desert climatic conditions of the park are similar to those of Coober Pedy, with cool nights and very hot days, and summer temperatures can sometimes exceed .Bureau of meteorology - Climate statistics for Coober Pedy Accessed 13 June 2014.
Access and tours Access to the main lookout over the site is provided by a dirt road from the sealed Stuart Highway, or alternatively, via the Dog Fence Scenic Tourist Drive Road. A circuit can be made by mountain bike from Coober Pedy along the Stuart Highway to the Breakaways, along the dog fence track and returning to Coober Pedy by the Oodnadatta Track.mapmyride.com - The Breakaways lap by mountain bike route 79705701 Accessed 13 June 2014.
Tours from Coober Pedy are conducted by several tour operators. Permits for self-guided visits to the area cost A$10 Per Vehicle ($8 Concession) and are available from the Tourist Information Centre in the District Council Office on Hutchinson Street, Coober Pedy.The South Australian Tourism Commission - Breakaways Accessed 13 June 2014.Fodor's Travel - Coober Pedy - Sights - Breakaways Accessed 13 June 2014.
References
External links Official webpage Webpage on the Protected Planet website THE BREAKAWAYS Conservation Park ( COOBER PEDY - AUSTRALIA ) on YouTube