The Nullarbor Plain - 6 to 10 November 2009

Click on this text to view a more detailed map



Ceduna is the gateway to the Nullarbor Plain, named from the Latin Nullus Arbor - no trees.

Leaving Ceduna we detoured from the Eyre Highway to Point Sinclair for lunch, passing by Lake Macdonald - a pink salt lake.

After negotiating a steep sandy track to the beach we found Point Sinclair,  very attractive with the usual jetty, this time for exporting wheat, gypsum and salt, and as a consequence of a shark tragedy in 1975, a shark fence for swimmers. If you look closely you can see our caravan at the end of the pier. Here was a school group from Ceduna learning to snorkel.

They also had surf boards, for nearby Cactus Beach is said to be a "world famous" surfing beach. The surf wasn't large while we were there but had good waves at regular intervals with even breaks [three] and no dumpers.

The camping is on privately owned land, each site is separated from the others by bush. Caravans fit. BYO drinking water and food but bore water toilets and showers are available.

We camped at Point Fowler named by Matthew Flinders in honour of his first lieutenant, Robert Fowler.

The site was later used by Edward Eyre as a base camp for his overland journey to Albany and is also known as Port Eyre.

There is a lovely jetty and beautiful sand hills and some classic stone houses, a legacy of when the Port was an active centre for the whole region.

The Nullabor is to the north of the Great Australian Bight and the road, before turning inland after Eucla features stunning headlands and coastline.



We crossed the South Australia/Western Australia border shortly before Eucla, where we had a compulsory inspection for fruit, vegetables and honey, all forbidden entry to Western Australia.

We camped at the Roadhouse at Eucla, which had a remarkably sophisticated restaurant and outdoor garden, like an Italian or south of France resort.

Of course for those seeking culture there was also the Big Whale.



After Eucla the Eyre Highway moves away from the coast and from Caiguna to Balladonia has the longest stretch of straight highway in the world - 90 miles long.







It is a lonely road with the only outposts being the occasional roadhouse selling food and fuel, like this one at Mandarabilla or the one at Balladonia, featuring pieces of Skylab which crashed to earth nearby, earning a $400 littering fine from the local council.

Our crossing of the Nullabor Plain ended when we reached Norseman, a gold mining town and a part of the Western Goldfields.