Breakaways are a notable feature of inland Western Australia. In what is one of the oldest geographical regions on Earth, the Yilgarn Block, softer soils have gradually eroded through the repeated action of wind and water. Only those areas with a hard laterite (ironstone/granite) top have resisted this reshaping erosion.

This vast granite block is covered by sandy soils and dates back 2700 million years. The Wheatbelt covers the majority of the Yilgarn Block.

 

Wind and water have gradually eroded the softer soils Only those areas with a hard laterite (ironstone/granite) top have resisted this reshaping erosion. The hard top forms a ‘mesa’ while the continuing erosion of the surrounding softer soil and rock forms a steep ‘breakaway’.

Run off cuts down through the laterite to expose the weathered granite (kaolin, quartz and feldspar, and more) underneath.

The magnificent colours often seen in breakaways are a consequence of varying soil types with laterites giving the rusty reds and shales and sandstones the softer yellows and whites.

Some notables breakaways are:

Beagleys Breakaway
Bindah Breakaway
Breaden Bluff
Buckley Breakaway
Hann Breakaway
Lochada Track Breakaways
Mount Dennis Breakaway
Murchison House Station Breakaways
Niagara Dam Breakaway
Noondamurra Breakaway
The Breakaways
Wangine Breakaway

 

 

© Kim Epton 2016-2026
239 words, one photograph.

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