Crossing the Nullarbor

Crossing the Nullarbor Plains

Western Australia is separated from the rest of Australia by only two major sealed road routes – the extremely long route up the west coast and across to the centre, and the southern route across the huge area known collectively as Nullarbor Plain, skirting the Great Australian Bight. The Eyre Highway route is a journey along one of Australia’s greatest wildernesses, a 1200km drive across the Nullarbor Plain. Extremely dry, hot, flat, mostly deserted, it's a hard life for those who live there yet every motorist travelling that road is grateful for the infrequent roadhouses where one can fuel up, refresh, stay over and even play golf.

Welcome to the Eyre Highway

Cocklebiddy Roadhouse

Eucla Roadhouse with road train

Balledonia, Calguna, Cocklebiddy, Mundrabilla, Eucla, become more than names on a map, instead places of refuge along the way. Water is precious and most roadhouses sell bottled water only. Crows sip damp mud to gain a little moisture. Frequent roadside areas encourage free overnight camping, and late each afternoon small villages of campers and caravans would appear, gone by next morning. Shade was important, as was protection from the biting march flies. Road trains pass every few minutes,day and night, the lifeblood of Western Australia on the backs of huge trucks and trailers.

Our western start to the Nullarbor Plain was on Saturday Nov 2^nd from Norseman, 200 kms north of Esperance. Six days later we arrived in Ceduna, the eastern end of this iconic experience. First night was at a rest area, followed by a night at Fraser Range Station. At 440 000 acres, and 160kms long, it's a normal size station along this route. Dry, dusty and hot, it was the spot to first try our hand at the famed Nullarbor Golf Links, where one plays a hole, drives about 150 kms then plays another hole. Par for the 18 hole course is 72. We used that up on the first hole, so decided to cheat after that.

Golf at Nullarbor Roadhouse-plane taxiway behind Raewyn

Signs across the Nullarbor

We played only two more holes (each about 400 kms apart) and rather than set off from the tee, found it easier starting from the edge of the artificial green. That way, we could miss the rocks, thorns, snakes,crows, ants and most other greebies. That our two golf clubs came from op-shops shows our prowess at this game. (Our second hole, two days later was at Nullarbor Roadhouse where we had to wait while a small plane taxied across the stony ground between us and the hole. We cheated there too.)

The endless highway

Longest straight road in Australia

Much of the route is inland from the coast, the undulating flats with long straights (the longest at 146kms without a bend) disappearing into a vanishing point on the distant horizon. Reach that vanishing point, and another appears just as far away. And it seems this goes on for ever. Not only motorists use the road, but cyclists and runners. We saw two runners at different times, each fund-raising for different charities, both noble but crazy!

Side roads lead off to various points to view the coast, and get a cool breeze from the 38-42 degree heat. At Bunda Cliffs, we were forced away from the viewing point by armies of flies determined to suck every last bit of moisture from us. But we got the photos. At Madura Pass,before the road drops 90m to the Roe Plain, the view over the flat landscape below is so expansive one can see the curve of the earth along the distant horizon.

At Eucla, the road rises slightly again and shortly after we cross the border into South Australia, and put our clocks ahead 2½ hours (SA is on daylight saving – WA is not.) Thereon, pegs every 5 kilometres denote the distance from that border crossing. 25kms, 50kms,100kms gives grateful knowledge we are at least making some progress along the way. We stop overnight at the 81km peg rest area, again with the ubiquitous army of flies. As night falls, the flies depart, the temperature drops from 42 to 30 degrees and a soft breeze murmurs contentment. Only the infrequent drone of road trains disturbs the night air.

Head of the  Great Australian Bight

Next day a side road takes us to Head of the Bight, northernmost point of the Great Australian Bight. From June to October this is a breeding area for right whales, often seen close to the shore. Unfortunately the whales had gone when we visited, possibly driven off by the flies. But the view made up for that. At this point, the land drops sharply into the sea. Rhythmical ocean swells lash constantly at unrelenting cliffs. Deep indigo seas disappear into a blackening horizon. Rain is on the way. Somewhere out there, the whales and their young are migrating back to Antarctica. Behind us lies the vast bulk of Australia.

Already driven 900kms- Not far to go now

That night,in Cohen rest area, thunder disturbs the sky. Three drops of rain fall. Then the storm is over. At least the temperature drops, and the flies go away.

Welcome to Ceduna, eastern end of Nullarbor

Next day, our sixth, a shorter trip passing vast grain fields brings us to our last golf hole at Penong. We cheat again. Later that day, we arrive at the quarantine border just shy of Ceduna. We've already eaten or given away most of our fruit and vegetables, but give up a small bag of raw potatoes as they may have fruit fly in them. Then we're in Ceduna, a coastal town with supermarkets and shops and cheaper fuel and water and paved footpaths. We book into the caravan park. That night it rains heavily. We're grateful.

Looking back  along the Eyre Highway, Australia's iconic journey

Australia Aug-Nov 2013

Travelogue 14 Stage 3

Perth-Esperance

We stored our car and caravan and left Perth for New Zealand in December, 2011. Due to circumstances, we were not able to return to Perth until August 3^rd 2013, some twenty months later. But that's another story.

Perth was as we had left it, though with atrocious weather further south, we stayed put for over a month, earning a little money painting, had repairs done to our car, met and made friends with many hospitable folk and enjoyed new sights and adventures in and around Perth.

October 4^th, we finally left Perth for the southern coast. It was a little sad as we'd made many friends who could not really believe we would leave. But our time had come. We said our goodbyes and were soon on the road.

Cape Leeuwin - note Captain Cow.

Busselton, northern gateway to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, was the first stop. Nearby is the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse. Between that and the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse at the 'bottom left corner' of Western Australia are some of the most scenic parts of the state. With its forests,bays,wineries,green fields and caves to explore, this area felt very much like New Zealand. Sampling locally manufactured chocolate and honey meant our three nights camped on a sheep farm went almost too fast. Cape Leeuwin is where the Indian and Southern Oceans join, normally a rugged exposed wind-swept point. Our day there was fine with a warm breeze, the ocean's swells almost a gentle ripple, a marked change to the previous month's weather.

Inland through heavily forested areas, staying overnight at Pemberton then Walpole, our next major stop was Denmark, a pretty town on the south coast, detouring on the way to visit the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk where one walks a steel-grilled walkway 45 metres above the forest floor, viewing the tall karri trees and rare giant tingle trees, which grow only around this area. Adjacent is the Ancient Kingdom, full of beautiful paths and buttressed tingle trees, some with burnt hollow centres cause by lightning. The trees

Hollow giant tingle tree, Walpole

themselves were not distressed, for this is part of their natural makeup.

Our stay in Denmark's caravan park was enriched with visits by about thirty kangaroos each evening, and waking each morning to the laughter of kookaburras. Ten kilometres distant was Greens Pool, where a naturally occurring wall of huge rounded boulders about 100 metres off-shore protects the bay from ocean swells, making this sandy bay safe, shallow and warm with clear waters – the ideal spot for Bryan's first swim of the season.

On to historic and busy Albany, southernmost city of Western Australia where we stocked up for the days ahead. Don't go shopping there on a Saturday afternoon, or Sunday. Everything shuts, including the supermarkets.

Stonehernge,  Esperance, WA

Then through Ravensthorpe to Esperance, home to many spectacular beaches, looking across clear waters to a myriad of uninhabited offshore islands. Nearby is Stonehenge, where a farmer has built a full-size replica of Stonehenge in England. The difference is this one is not broken. We could walk between and touch the stones, some weighing more than twenty tonnes. Photos showed how they had put the capping stones on top, but it would be cheating if I told you. Few visitors were there when we visited, the warm sun and trimmed green grass making it an ideal spot for the afternoon.

We had been recommended to stay at Cape Le Grand National Park, fifty kilometres from Esperance. Saturday 26^th October, we drove to stay at Lucky Bay, one of two camping areas within this huge park. Being a national park, there is no power, but there were solar-powered hot showers, flush toilets and gas barbecues, and lots of happy hours with other like-minded campers. Each night became a circle of twenty or more fellow campers, each retelling the best walks that day, or best spot for phone reception.

Whenever opals are created, their colours must come from the opalescent waters of Lucky

Lucky Bay - this photo has not been retouched

Bay. Here, the sea is topped with pearl-like surf. Between each lazy wave one can see perhaps eight to ten metres through translucent green water to the white sandy bottom. This area is considered to have the whitest sand in Australia, bettering that of Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland. About 250 metres offshore, the water changes markedly to the deepest ultramarine blue, and beyond that, bare islets of burnt orange granite stand naked against the sky. At night, the stars shine with a brilliance unseen in any city.

Inland, the park also has many bare and high granite outcrops, one known as Frenchman Peak. At 262 metres, it's a steep, if not scary, 40 degree 45 minute climb to the top, our reward being an uninterrupted view across this massive park. From the peak, this outcrop

Frenchman Peak - note the open cavern near the top

drops very steeply on all sides. At the peak itself, one massive rock of several thousand tonnes forms a natural bridge over a very large open-ended cavern. Inside, swallows make their home with their noisy comings and goings. From ground level, you can look right through this outcrop.

Cape Le Grand

With the wet spring, we thought we'd missed Western Australia's famed wild flower displays. We had been told we were too late, or it had been too wet. But Cape Le Grand lived up to its reputation, and while there thousands of wild flowers opened their blooms.

Our six days there only came to an end when we learned rain was on the way. We're now back in Esperance stocking up for our next stage, Esperance to Adelaide. We hope you can join us.

Wildflowers, Cape Le Grand National Park

Wildflowers, Cape Le Grand National Park

Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand National Park

Australia Aug-Nov 2013