The Nullarbor - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Although the road is officially called the Eyre Highway its entire length, to me the Nullarbor Crossing begins in Norseman Western Australia and ends in Penong South Australia, a total of 1,130 kilometers. As we head towards the rising sun, having left the gold mines of Norseman behind us, we give thanks, for it is a cool day today. The sky is partially covered by a magnificent display of wispy clouds which blocks the bite of the harsh rays of a Nullarbor sun.

As the kilometers roll by, the terrain is at first slightly hilly, but by no means mountainous, with the landscape constantly changing, like the movement of those very same wispy clouds in the sky.

At first the Salmon Gums and grey smoke bush are most prominent, thick and healthy and the earth is the colour of bright rich copper.  But the colour of the earth soon fades to a dry bleached muddy brown, then further fades yet again to a sandy taupe colour that matches the sparse limestone rocks that appear in rocky clusters from time to time.

There is an abundance of ghost grey fallen timber, parched so dry by the hot winds and extreme temperatures experienced on the Nullarbor that look like they would snap with the slightest resistance, but are in fact as tough as old boot leather. But this fallen timber is perfect for those enticing evening roadside campfires. Many vans and vehicles can be seen with a supply stacked high on roof racks and wire bins on the draw-bars of their vans ready for that special starry night on the crossing.

The rest stops soon fly by with first Frazer Range then Balladonia which is 190kms from Norseman.

Cocklebiddy then Madura Pass at 527kms, where the panoramic view of the valley below is spectacular and can be seen in all its glory from the top of the plateau.

Then comes Mundrabilla then Eucla at 709kms which is another great spot to stop even for an extra day. Eucla has a great history and is well worth the explore of the old telegraph station. Now partially submerged in the ever moving sand dunes, being constantly blasted by the Southern Ocean.

Straight after Eucla is Border Village where travelers heading west will have to declare their fruit, vegetables and honey to the quarantine authorities waiting to check your vehicle. For those heading east, your quarantine check point is at the entrance to Ceduna.

It’s actually a total of 3,933 km from Perth Western Australia to Sydney in New South Wales and the Nullarbor alone is 1,130 km of that journey. Perth to Norseman to even begin the Nullarbor journey is 721 km, so for many Australians this is a major barrier and makes both Westerners and Easterners think twice before crossing from one side to the other.

Fuel prices range from $1.51 per litre at Norseman, to $2.00 per litre at the Nullarbor Roadhouse. But with inflation and as months go by, these early 2018 prices would have changed. You can take some cheap fuel with you in a Jerry Can, but eventually you are going to have to succumb to these prices. So take this into consideration if you are on a tight budget before making your Nullarbor Crossing.

In recent years I have begun to call the Nullarbor by a new name 'The Devils Toilet Bowl'. At every single rest stop, there are hundreds and hundreds of dried pieces of toilet paper and this is by no means an exaggeration. I am so ashamed of my fellow countrymen and world travellers that they could desecrate such a pristine landscape with such unsightly litter. If they can remember to bring along the toilet paper, why can’t they remember to bring along a shovel for hecks sake!!

People throw litter on the ground less than five feet from a bin and don’t let me start on nappies otherwise I will be here for a week! So Australian’s and world travellers please help keep Australia tidy

For this I’m consulting with Eric as he does all the driving. There are many accidents on the Nullarbor and due mostly to human error but sometimes the occasional animal intervention too.

 As a driver Eric points out that you must keep a constant eye on your rear vision mirror for the approaching road trains. For some reason 'triple deckers' create a great deal of turbulence which gives you the impression of being sucked into their slipstream. So brace yourself and your steering to remain true on the road. Don’t drive weary, pay attention always and don’t drive too fast. Just because the speed limit is open,  it does not mean you have to stick to it!

Eric and I were at the scene of this accident and predicted it was going to happen as well. We had watched this driver, pull out right infornt of on coming traffic after a rest stop, he was always trying trying overtake and generally driving to fast. Thankfully no one was injured here, but at such a remote location, there chances would have been slim.