Crossing the Great Nullabor

(This post has been in draft form for more than a month but like everyone else there were so many things going on in our household over the last six weeks since our return home, that updating the blog was not high on my priority list. No apologies - just an explanation for the long absence).

Yes, Yes, OWO -- I know we finished our adventure more than four weeks ago but there is still so much to share with our readers and no doubt everyone has been soooo busy preparing for the "silly" season they haven't had time to read the blog anyway!!! So before I continue with snippets from my daily journal, let us wish you all a very, very happy new year and may you all have a wonderful time in 2016 and join us on our new adventures that will start in February. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!

Journal entries continue from here.

Last shop for 1000km at Penong

Thursday, 24th Sep to Tuesday, 29th Sep --- Ceduna to Cocklebiddy --

Common sign on Nullabor

Finally, we started the journey across the great Nullabor Plain. Certainly not what I visualised this area to be.

Our first camp spot was at the Murrawijinie Caves, just 14kms north of the Nullabor Roadhouse and about 40kms north west of the Head of the Bight whale watching centre, in the area known as the "Treeless Plain". Travelling from Ceduna to the Roadhouse the countryside changed, with long stretches of highway flanked by green and gold fields of wheat crops, past large salt pans, saltbush, and miles of forest, until we finally reached the Treeless Plain. For miles and miles there is nothing but low growing saltbush, with the occasional sighting of white sandhills in the far distance near Nundroo.
Access to the Caves site is designated 4WD and directions and a mud map are available from the Nullabor Roadhouse (where you can also have a super hot shower for just $1). The track was a doddle for us though -- after the Gammon Ranges!!! There are three caves here, with access allowed into cave three - which is where we chose to camp. Unlike other caves we have been to, these caves are more like large sinkholes. Cave three was very interesting with a number of Aboriginal hand paintings to be seen.

Sunset at caves

Camping on the Treeless Plain

Cave painting

There were lots of swallows and a Nankeen kestrel nesting in the cave, and we spotted a Dingo trekking through the saltbush just on sunrise. Daytime temps were starting to climb,  around 36-38 degrees Celsius and the nights were much warmer here than in the Ranges. Being the Treeless Plain, there was no shady spot to stay cool and it was extremely windy day and night, with a heavy dew overnight. The sunsets were stunning, although very "short" compared to home. No other campers here, but a couple of travellers from Narrandera, NSW, ventured out to look at the caves.

Bunda Cliffs

Saturday, 26th -- a wedding anniversary to remember! We had a fabulous day. We packed up early and travelled back to the Head of the Bight hoping to see the whales. Very disappointed that we didn't see any in close. Back at the Roadhouse we both enjoyed a hot 4 minute shower before travelling on to our next camp spot -- Koonalda Homestead.  A short detour gave us a great photo opportunity of the magnificent Bunda Cliffs.

Track into Koonalda

Once again we turned off the bitumen onto a dirt track - a little rougher than the Caves track - and a little further - but taken slowly it gave no problems to the OWO, but on reaching Koonalda we found it to be very windy and the ground very rocky, so it took awhile to set up camp - especially with the added irritation of hundreds of flies (which seemed to be bad everywhere we travelled) and the extreme heat. But what a wonderful place to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary!

Koonalda Homestead history

Koonalda Homestead

Car graveyard - those that didn't make it across the Nullabor

Homestead verandah - note the railway sleeper walls

Koonalda was originally a fuel stop on the old Nullabor road - before the Eyre Highway was built, and when it was still all dirt. The old fuel pump still remains here, along with a number of old wrecks, that obviously didn't make it across the Nullabor. There is also the remains of a shearing shed and shearer's hut. The homestead was constructed from old railway sleepers.

On Sunday we met another couple from NSW - Adrian and Carol - travelling Australia in a Thornycroft 6WD motorhome built from an old Defence fire truck!!!!!

Thornycroft 6WD motorhome

They invited us into their cosy home and they had some wonderful travel tales to share as well as the history of their 'home'.

Wombat hole - we saw many here

The OWO and I spent time investigating the old shearing shed and surrounding area of the old homestead, then enjoyed our evening meal watching the sunset from the verandah of this place filled with history.  There really is so much history in this area - and so much to see when you venture off the black tar.

Crossing the border

Changing landscape

Tuesday, 29th - on the move again. Today we crossed the border into Western Australia but before reaching the border we spent time investigating the Eucla Telegraph Station ruins.

These ruins are very interesting as the level of their visability changes depending on the intensity of prevailing winds - in other words they are often buried by varying depths of sand blown around by the wind - and trust me, the wind was pretty strong on the day we visited the site and we were covered in sand when we left!!

Eucla Telegraph station ruins

Eucla ruins

Eucla ruins in sand dunes

Steve on roof of ruins at Eucla

Diana at Telegraph ruins

 After crossing the border we travelled onto Cocklebiddy and once again we were amazed at the changing landscapes and the closeness to the ocean on several occasions.

Storm clouds approaching

An overnight stay at the Cocklebiddy Motel was very welcome as we watched storm clouds roll in from the West.