8 – Across the Nullarbor

Ceduna to Norseman across the bottom of Australia is a long haul across (apparently) not much. Which is why it’s called the Nullarbor. (Latin for no trees) There are a few road houses along the way, but that’s it. So we booked for the night at Border Village (which is a road house with motel style accommodation, and a caravan park) just on the South Australia /Western Australia border, not far from Eucla.

Ceduna to the border wasn’t a long haul, so we took the chance to add in a few side trips. Since we drove this road three years ago somebody has grabbed a brain and signposted places where you can get off the road and see the Great Australian Bight. They’ve built lookout platforms, and parking areas large enough for cars towing caravans – an excellent recognition of how many Australians are hitting the road. It’s for safety, too. Each little break might be a life saver.

The photo stops all showed a different view of the Bight. The first, and most spectacular, gave a great view of the cliffs marching away into the distance, with the Southern Ocean pounding their base. The second showed how the land had worn down, gentle slopes heading down to the cliffs, and the third was a more extreme example of the second.

Then we went to the old telegraph station near the coast from Eucla, crossing the border into WA, past the border patrol. They do a cursory search of vehicles, looking for fruit and honey. We didn’t have any, so we carried on. If we had carried fruit or honey, the items would have been confiscated and destroyed.

The telegraph used to be the reason for the road – connecting Western Australia with the East. The original telegraph station was close to the beach because it was supplied by sea. There’s an old jetty there, but I didn’t get that far. When the telegraph station was relocated the old telegraph station started to disappear, engulfed by sand. In a hundred years I reckon you’ll see no trace.

On the way back from the telegraph station we encountered a mob of roos in the scrub. We might think it’s ugly desert land, but for them it’s home. They’re quite hard to see.

We went back over the border to our accommodation, but decided we’d fill up at Eucla because the diesel was nine cents a litre cheaper.

Next morning was going to be a big drive, because we were going to Esperance – something like 930km.

Return to the tour guide.