Denise and Barry's Caravan Travels: Nullarbor

We were undecided until Wednesday morning as to whether we would travel down to Esperance or start the journey across the Nullarbor, checking the weather report we came to the conclusion that we would give the south-west a miss until another time. Weather conditions were very poor along the coast and it would not have been pleasant travelling in those conditions.

Leaving Kalgoorlie we traveled down to Norseman which again is another small heritage mining town and the beginning of the Nullarbor which ends at Ceduna a total length of 1,181klms. Now that we have taken the turn off to travel east it certainly means our travels will soon be coming to an end, but first we have to tackle the Nullarbor. Our first stop was only about 90klm along the Eyre Hwy as we had been advised by many that a stop at the Fraser Range Station was a must. The station was originally a sheep station but now it caters to the tourist industry with budget accommodation, camping and also offering tours of the property. Booking in for the night we noticed that they had roast pork on the menu in the camp kitchen, so my best laid plans were out the window and it was a very nice roast with vegies, crackling plus desert for $25 each.

Next day we were up bright and early and on the road by 7.40am. Had not planned an early start but we were glad that we did, as we ended up only 100klm from the WA/SA borders after travelling 550klms. I had taken the first stint at the driving which meant that I had to drive the longest straight in Australia 146.6 klms without a bend, it was a no brainer, just had to sit there with cruise control on and hold onto the steering wheel. We were surprised at the vegetation we saw along the Nullarbor, had been expecting a more sparsely and arid landscape. Passing over the Madura Pass there was a sweeping view of the plains below. We stopped at a free camp that was just off the road and in amongst trees for the night, as we just needed somewhere to sleep before continuing the next day.

Yesterday (Friday) we crossed the border into SA which meant we needed to adjust our watches, lost an hour and half as we had to put them forward. During the night we had light drizzle, so the day started off being very overcast and misty, which was a shame as this part of the Nullarbor is the most scenic. The Nullarbor Plain abruptly ended as the spectacular Bunda Cliffs came into sight, there were several viewing areas along the cliffs for photo opportunities and also overnight camping. The highlight of the Nullarbor was at the spectacular whale watching site at the Head of the Bight, a visitor’s centre and boardwalks are located 12klms off the Eyre Hwy, and it was very exciting to be able to see these large whales as they swim within the bay. They were that close to shore that we could hear the slapping of their tails and the moaning as they were exhaling air, we could also see the many calves alongside their mothers. The Southern Right whales come to the sheltered water of the adjacent bay en masse to give birth to calves and are there between June and October before returning south to cooler waters. Having spent so much time watching the whales and with the adjustment of the time we did not cover as many klms as we had hoped so it was back on the road again with many klms of salt bushes and crossing the “Treeless Plain” we eventually stopped at another rest area for the night which was only 150klm west of Ceduna.

Today we completed the remaining leg of the Nullarbor to Ceduna this time the scenery opening up to furtile farming land. After stopping for a short break we continued on to the Eyre Peninsula and settled into Streaky Bay Caravan Park for a couple of days rest.