Having
farwelled Grant, Jenny and Kee Chan in Denmark we continued along the coast
through Albany and on towards Esperance. In Albany there was a large cruise
ship in port. As we drove up the main street there were people everywhere and
the local community was in full swing with markets, Harley Davidson tours etc, and
it was also show day.
Our
overnight camp was at a rest area right on the 120th Meridian just outside
Ravensthorpe. Much to the kids delight we had a campfire and Thea cooked up a
pear damper. Kai also found out that ants don't like having sticks poked down
their holes and one such bull ant gave Kai what for on his ankle.
Esperance
is a beautiful town and we stayed at the Seafront Caravan Park right on the
front row, with excellent views and right next to the play equipment. However Esperance
was very windy o the day we arrived so the views and proximity to the play equipment came at a price.
Other than that the caravan park was lovely, and very relaxed, check out is 1pm
rather than the usual 10am.
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| Esperance Caravan Park pole position |
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| It was basic play equipment but the kids still enjoyed it |
We
were joined in Esperance by the Chapmans, who we had traveled with in the Northern
Territory. They had been in front of us by a couple of weeks when we left
Darwin. Fortunately they took it very leisurely through the Margaret River
region, which allowed us to catch up. The kids were super excited as they love
Ellie and Dane and have often asked when we will see them again. Tig did not
tell the kids that he had arranged with Colin to meet up in Esperance and
travel across the Nullarbor together. Maddi took no time to work it out however
when Tig asked at the caravan park office for a site with a spare site next door as
we had some friends that might be coming.
The
coastline around Esperance is spectacular and it is certainly on the come back
and spend a few weeks looking around list. Esperance has this fantastic
cycle path through the town and up along the coastal drive that they have named
‘Great Ocean Drive’. When our kids are bigger and riding under their own pedal
power it would be fun to explore.
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| Esperance Coastline with cycle path in the foreground |
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| Maddi admiring the view |
Esperance
was our last real civilization before the 1500km journey across the Nullarbor.
In the relaxed style of the caravan park we managed our latest checkout ever
leaving just after 11am. It was an easy 200kms to Norseman, the last place to
buy reasonable priced fuel, and an hour or so along the Eyre Highway to the
first of our four bush camps across the Nullarbor. It was wonderful to be able
to share this leg of our journey with the Chapmans. Having Ellie and Dane there
certainly made the time at camp more relaxing as they did a great job of
entertaining our three kids.
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| Nullarbor Camp Number 1 - Between Norseman and Fraser Range |
Not
long into our morning drive we reached Balladonia Roadhouse. They have a great
little museum with loads of local history all with informative displays
including a camel driver and camel, half a Redex car from 1953 and their claim
to fame, a piece of Sky Lab as they were the nearest 'town' to where it crashed
to earth in 1979.
Balladonia
is also just around the corner from Australia's Longest Straight. At 146.6kms
long the 90 Mile Straight might sound like easy driving, but a strong northerly
breeze meant that it was hard work to keep a straight line in an easterly
direction.
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| Chapmans and Bloomfields at the Straight |
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| Vehicles ready to take on the Straight |
At
the end of 90 Mile Straight was Caiguna Blowhole, a small round hold in the
rock, just off the road. At first glance it was nothing special but when you
got around the lowest part you could feel the cool breeze coming out. This is
caused by the change in air pressure above the ground that either sucks air out
or forces air into the huge caves that exist below the Nullarbor. We then
discovered that if you throw leaves or small grass plants down the wind sends
them flying back out at you. Kai was a little disappointed that it did not work
for rocks.
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| Caiguna Blowhole was just 10 metres off the Eyre Highway |
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| Enjoying the cool breeze from the cave below |
Nullarbor
camp two was near Cocklebiddy, by now the trees were thinning out and somewhat
shorter but there was still plenty of firewood so the kids collected enough for a
small campfire. We shared our camp with a family of budgies nesting in the
hollow of a tree. Colin spotted them and the kids took turns looking in with a
torch.
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| Nullarbor Camp Number 2 - Camps 5 Moonera Tank Camp |
Not
far from camp was Madura Pass, a quick stop to take in the spectacular view
over the Hampton Tablelands. Lunch was our last stop in WA at Eucla before
crossing the border into South Australia.
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| South Australia/Western Australia border |
Not
far across the border we saw someone walking along the road, who would do that
we asked. Well as we got closer we could see they were dressed as a Storm
Trooper. Colin quickly identified him as Jacob French the 20 year old from
Perth raising money for the Starlight foundation by walking from Perth to Sydney,
you can find out more here http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/09/05/3310219.html
and can support him here http://www.everydayhero.com.au/troopertrek.
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| Storm Trooper walking Perth to Sydney |
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| Maddi, Ellie, Ella and Dane with Storm Trooper |
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| The suit was hot and the helmet didn't keep the flies out |
From
the South Australian border the road moves close to the spectacular cliffs of
the Great Australian Bight. Our first stop not only had spectacular views but
also a friendly lizard that was happy with being held by the kids.
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| Kai and the friendly lizard |
Our
third camp was just a couple of hundred metres from the cliffs and there was just
us and a camper trailer, who had sought shelter from the northerly wind behind
a large pile of gravel. Not long after we had set up the wind turned to a
westerly wind and picked up sharply as a front moved through. This was not good
for the camper trailer and we all pitched in as they abandoned camp packing up
in the howling gale. This was our only camp on the Nullarbor, which we
shared with a mass of mice. As dark fell more and more could be seen
scampering around our caravans. We enjoyed our evening with the kids in one van
watching a DVD and adults in the other playing a game called Mexican Train. The
mice where so bad that our kids ended up calling out when they wanted to move
between vans as they feared the little creatures. Thea decided it might be a good idea
to put the plug into the sink just in case one decided to climb our short
drainpipe that touched the ground. We did manage to catch one mouse in a beer
bottle, which he couldn’t escape from. Thea discovered the bottle in one of the
cup holders of a chair when she was backing them up for the night. With a stubbie
holder around the beer bottle it was his scratching sound in the bottle that alerted her to him. We released him into the scrub and Tig watched him
stumble away into the dark.
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| Ella and Thea at one of the many lookouts |
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| The cliffs we decided to camp at least 200 metres away from |
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| Nullarbor Camp 3 - 51kms inside SA |
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| Poor camper trailer never stood a chance in the wind storm |
Onward
to the Head of the Bight where the boardwalk takes you out to
views west along the cliff and east to the sand dunes. At the second lookout
Colin gave the kids a quick observation lesson showing the calm ocean turning
choppy with white waves indicating approaching wind. He managed to finish the
explanation and say hold onto your hats just as the wind hit us with such force
that not only did we have to hold our hats on our heads but the sand whipped up
all around. Fortunately the rain held off until we were safely back in the
cars.
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| Head of Great Australian Bight Sandhills to your left |
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| And cliffs to your right |
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| Picture perfect before the wind storm |
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| Sandhills in the wind |
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| Difference in time zones was crazy |
From
here the trees returned and we went on to find our fourth and final camp before
returning to civilization. We followed a huge storm for half an hour or so and
thankfully did not catch it, but much to the kids enjoyment there were large
puddles at camp.
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| Nullarbor Camp 4 - Camps 5 Kidnippy Camp |
On
to Ceduna and towns that consist of more than a roadhouse. Our last bits of
fruit and vegetables were handed over at the quarantine check point, and I am
pleased to report that we were more prepared this time with only a few onions and some cabbage and lettuce uneaten. At Ceduna we did a quick food shop, had lunch in the
carpark with a view of the jetty and use of the fancy automated public toilets. Our
first food shop in South Australia taught us that we would have to pay for our
plastic bags at the supermarkets, it was a bit of a rude shock as they didn’t
even have an alternative like cardboxes.
We
decided to continue a further 1 hour down the road to relax and unwind at the
coastal town of Streaky Bay. We had two nights with the Chapmans here
before parting ways. We even managed a celebratory dinner at the local pub on
our last night and then said our sad farewells once more.
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| Streaky Bay Caravan Park for our final nights |
The
Nullarbor was a lovely experience and not the dead boring, flat, barren
landscape we had expected it to be. Travelling with the Chapmans made it a very
special experience for our family with some friendly radio banter, great
friendships renewed and entertained children. We did pass the time in the car with
music, schoolwork, food and the usual fights that occur in the back seat. Thea
passed the time by crocheting Kai a beanie as the one she knitted on the way
into Alice Springs was a little too small as she didn’t read the pattern
correctly. Of course once Kai’s beanie was completed she has had to crochet
beanies and scarfs for the kids dolls that have travelled with us.
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| Kai's crochet beanie and Nullarbor rain on the windscreen |
Next
up we travel north to the hot and open areas of Coober Pedy and beyond.
Tig and Thea
