The Painted Desert, Coober Pedy, South Australia Stock Photo

The Painted Desert is in the Far North of South Australia, 120 kilometres (75 mi) north-east of Coober Pedy, in the Arckaringa Station pastoral lease. It is notable for its distinctive mesas, mountains and geological formations. The entire region is desolate and made up of soft, fragile rock. The Painted Desert was seabed 80 million years ago. As the land rose, some of the rock has eroded away, leaving the Arckaringa Hills in many shades of orange, yellow and white shale on the slopes. The Mirackina Range of mesas extends to the west. The Arckaringa Hills is of geological and biological significance as it is also the site of rare plant species and the southernmost extent of the range of Australia's largest monitor lizard.[2]