Crossing the Nullabor

Setting Off

Well here we are in Adelaide, which means of course we made it across the Nullabor in one piece.  Our car is a 1990 Toyota Corolla, canary yellow with one white front wing.  It’s a little gem, rough and ready on the outside but smooth as smooth under the bonnet.

The Straight Lines

We eventually got our hands on the car on the Friday evening, checked it out and drove it around during Saturday to make sure it ran ok, picked up the tent and bought a stove and supplies and set off Sunday morning.

Kargoorlie

Campsite One - Norsema

 

The weather was forecast to be cool right through to Wednesday so we planned to do the trip in four bites, first we had to leave Perth, which was OK as it was Sunday, up over the Darling Range of hills and the adventure had begun.  The little yellow car purring along, and Megan and I not a care in the world, a bit like Toad in ‘The Wind in the Willows’ – the open road was all we craved.

Kalgoorlie came and we got to see this frontier town at last, didn’t make it last time.  A quick squint at the museum and saw some of the largest gold nuggets in the world, the rest of the town was shut, Sunday of course, so on we pressed for Norseman and a campsite for the night.  We thought about just pitching the tent in one of the picnic places along the way but got cold feet so ended up paying $30.00 for a square of dirt and the use of the toilets and vowed never to do that again.

Look at that!

A Bird in the Hand

Emus

Emergency Landing Strip

Camp Two

Lunch Break

Up and away the next morning, this is where the crossing really started, the trees became smaller and smaller till they were little more than bushes, then we came across this first of 4 or 5 emergency landing strips in the road for small aircraft and of course the longest straight road in Australia - ‘The 90 Mile Straight’ – no bends just up and down hills for 146km and all the while the scenery changing very little, arid grass lands with bushes dotted about and the odd dead kangaroo decorating the side of the road and as we passed scattering the crows and occasional Wedge Tailed Eagle laboriously taking flight off the carcass

Cliifs on the 'Bight

Happy Travellers

View from the window

Camp two was in a picnic spot and $30.00 cheaper than the night before, up went the tent and dinner was prepared and eaten, then we settled down to sleep. Just getting comfy when Meg sat up and I felt something run across my legs, a mouse was sharing our luxury accommodation, on went the torches and there ensued a frantic mouse ejection programme, that accomplished, we then dropped off to sleep.  

Early next morning we crossed the border from West Australia to South Australia, it only took two days driving!  Here the proper Nullabor (Treeless) Plain started virtually any tall vegetation disappeared and we passed mile after mile of grass and rocks.  The heat haze still shimmering on the road ahead even though it was ‘cool’ mid to high 20’s in fact and the ceaseless purr of the little yellow beauty under us, occupied another day, two hours driving, two hours rest, stopping for fuel, two hours on, two off, heading to Ceduna and another night under canvass.  Actually we eventually stayed in a small town called Poochera at a campsite attached to the only pub/hotel in the town, where we purchased, for us a rare, cold beer!

The Nullabor

Day four was a leisurely drift down to Adelaide and the welcome soft bed, after sleeping on the hard, cold ground, of our Couch Surfing hosts, Shirley and Tony; where we had another cold beer, some red wine, good company and conversation for the next 36 hours.  So that was that, we had completed the crossing and the yellow wonder car had done us proud without missing a beat, next – ‘The Great Ocean Road’.

Windmill Water Pumps