Across the Nullarbor

Setting off early once again, we packed up the tent (now down to a fine art form!) and set off towards the WA Border, with one of our longest days of driving ahead.

We stocked up on supplies in Ceduna, and then it was a long stretch of straight, treeless road! We hadn’t been driving long when we saw a sign saying R.F.D.S Emergency Airstrip! Wow, we’re really in the middle of nowhere now. Not sure what we would have done if there had been a plane sharing the road with us.

About halfway across, we got to Nullarbor roadhouse, which has preserved some of the long retired structures that once served this well travelled route. We’d also heard that camels were often seen along this stretch of road, unfortunately we didn’t get to see any, but we did take a picture of the sign! We did encounter a few kangaroos, one in the middle of the road, that I thankfully spotted a far way off and could slow down and wait for him to cross. We saw many more that sadly didn’t get the same chance.

After listening to what felt like every song we’d ever heard 3 times, we finally made it to Border Village. Which is really just the roadhouse on the SA side of the SA/WA Border. We took the chance to stretch our legs, and introduce Beefie to the huge Kangaroo stature at the entrance. Tonight we didn’t have to worry about setting up the tent, as we stayed in one of the motel rooms instead, and it felt like such a luxury to sleep in an actual bed. 

With another long day of driving for us the next day, we took full advantage of the time zone difference, and woke up on SA time. So going through the quarantine checkpoint (a breeze!), the time went from 8am to 5am! We filled up the car in Eucla, with the most expensive fuel we’ve ever bought ($1.85/L), but were glad not to pay the $2.15/L at Nullarbor roadhouse. 

Braced for the heat of the day, we were surprised at the mild 23 degree weather, and even a few showers as we made our way across the red dust. Eventually we arrived in Norseman, marking the end of the Nullarbor, and our place for the night. Norseman is a strange town reminiscent of a busier time. Most of the stores were boarded up, only an IGA, Thai restaurant, newsagent and pub surviving. The pub also seemed to have strange hours, only serving food from 7pm til 9.30pm.

As we set-up the tent on our red gravel campsite, we made more friends with the local flies than we cared to, and we’re glad to only have one night in this place. We made our way up to the lookout, which gave us a great view of the Goldfields region, and a little history about the town.

The next day we set off early once again, this time bound for Esperance. Just a short 2.5hr journey and we were back at the coast, and it felt so good! We took full advantage of having the whole day to explore, walking along the foreshore with Beefie allowed on the beach (which she absolutely loved!), enjoying the best coffee we’d had in days. We then made our way to the Rotary Walk, a little track that gave us great views out to the ocean. We then made our way to Blue Haven beach, a beautiful inlet that’s dog friendly and absolutely stunning. We had the beach entirely to ourselves, and made us wish for a little more time to really get to know Esperance. 

As we set up our little tent for the final time, it was a bittersweet feeling knowing we were coming to the end of our Australian journey, but have an even bigger adventure ahead of us. 

Our last day of driving got us to Perth, our last Australian stop. Where we spent two weeks settling Beefie into her home for the next 18 months or so, and spending some wonderful time with our family. Not to mention unpacking the car, repacking our backpacks and doing all the logistical tasks to travel the world for an extended period of time!

Next stop: Japan. Stay tuned x