NULLARBOR-ing?
Far from it, in our opinion
We had been looking forward to crossing the Nullarbor for quite some time. It’s one of those things you hear about a lot when planning a trip around Australia🇦🇺. Well after almost a year in WA it was time to start the infamous Nullarbor and head east. Our only plan was to take our time, see the sights and just play it by ear with no timelines.
Leaving Norseman, we pulled up at the Balladonia Roadhouse to stretch our legs. There hadn’t been a great deal to see up until here. Not far down the road we came to the start of the ’90 mile straight’ – Australia’s longest straight section of road. We did about 70 miles then called it a day and set up at Baxters Rest area.
The following day we packed up and headed off to check out a blowhole and some sinkholes. Good old wikicamps led us to some cracking spots that were not signposted and would have missed if we didn’t see the pinned points of interests. During our side track adventures we saw so much wildlife – kangaroos🦘, shingleback lizards, wedge tailed eagles and more. We even had to slow down for an echidna crossing the Nullarbor, as we were heading to our campsite near Madura. We setup at a great free camp up on the ridge overlooking Madura and the surrounding landscape, which was nice.
Up nice and early, we grabbed some diesel in Madura and then steadily cruised into the town of Eucla. It was predicted to be quite rainy that afternoon, so we decided to go set up camp near the old telegraph station, which is about 5km south of Eucla and right on the coast. We checked out the old telegraph station ruins, along with the old Eucla jetty before bunkering in for the evening.
Thankfully the sun come out the next day, so we packed up and continued on the journey. Eucla had cheap fuel, so we topped up again and then headed towards the border. It was a bittersweet feeling entering SA and leaving WA after almost 12 months here! Fresh water is pretty scarce along the Nullarbor, so in an effort to conserve water we decided to pay $3 each for a shower at the Bordertown roadhouse. It was nice & hot, and gave you 10 minutes worth of hot water.
Feeling all refreshed we made a morning cuppa in the roadhouse carpark. As Kurt’s coffee was brewing, a fellow traveller approached us for help with his batteries on his caravan. 3 hours later, with 2 separate issues – Kurt was able to sort it out and send them on their way.
Well now our good samaritan act was done for the day, we all went and grabbed a photo with the giant kangaroo holding a jar of vegemite and then headed off. About an hour down the road, we pulled up atop of cliffs and set up. For anyone crossing the Nullarbor a cliff side camp spot is a must! Such incredible views overlooking the Bunda cliffs into the big blue. We sat back in our camp chairs with a pork roast on the campfire and watched some whales pass by. It was such a great way to finish off the day.
We awoke to cloudy skies, ate our brekky overlooking the cliffs then took off for another day of adventures. First stop was to Wigunda Cave – a 1.5km detour off the highway but well worth it in our opinion. Second stop was to the ‘wombat motel’, a small area with around 20 different wombat burrows and tunnels. Kurt scanned the area for any recent wombat activity, none were spotted unfortunately. Next up was a stop at the Nullarbor roadhouse! We wandered around the original roadhouse and grabbed a few happy snaps.
We then drove through the ‘tree less plains’ which is roughly a 20km stretch of – treeless plains. Deciding to pull up just west of Penong and camp at the old Cohen school site. It was a nice large grassy area about 500m off the main highway. The next day we headed into Penong to check out the windmill museum which also features Australia’s largest Windmill. It was then just a steady cruise into Ceduna where we went through the Quarantine check for SA. All good with the quarantine check point we pulled into the Ceduna Oyster barn to officially finish off our Nullarbor road trip. Really good fresh oysters & fish and chips.
Overall we loved our time on the Nullarbor, we barely just touched the surface with things to see and do along it in our 5 day adventure. Just be sure to stock up with fresh water & check fuel prices, as some places were up to 20 cents / litre more expensive. The Nullarbor truly is a unique and a diverse section of Australia and in our opinion shouldn’t be rushed!
Next stop Eyre Peninsular
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