Ceduna to Nullarbor Road House
My little Bluebird is right at the end here at Fowler’s Jetty – looks really tiny parked alongside all the caravans etc.
This was a really interesting trip. Left Ceduna about 8.30am and for the first time, went off road 32k to Fowler’s Jetty, a pretty little coastal town where I had an excellent cappuccino!
The gravel road wasn’t too bad and Bluebird traversed it very well. I didn’t see any other vehicles going in my direction and I was a bit unsure of whether I should continue or not, but curiosity won in the end and I kept going and there were quite a few other travellers enjoying the seaside views.
The scenery along the Nullarbor changes frequently, as does the colour of the bitumen. Some parts have a reddish tinge to them while others are green and then white or just plain grey bitumen. I still haven’t seen any animals although there are signs everywhere to say watch out for them – mainly cattle, emus and kangaroos. I have seen quite a lot of dead kangaroos on the roadside though. I always feel sad when I see the little wallabies on the road – it just seems like a horrible way for them to die.
A spectacular stopover is the Great Australian Bight Marineland, with a couple of boardwalks where you can gaze at the incredible limestone formations in the cliffs. It’s a breeding ground for whales and sea lions and I imagine, an ecological wonderland for those interested. The coastline is stunning – and there are actually three lookouts to view these magic coastal wonders – all about 10km apart.
The Nullarbor Road House was a hive of activity. Petrol here was 1.95 a litre. Lots of caravanners were travelling together (grey nomads?) and parked in the caravan area. Didn’t see any campers though. Quite glad not to be camping over the Nullarbor, especially seeing the sign on the motel door for venomous snakes in the area (see sign below). Thankfully I didn’t come across any of them.
Went to the bar about 5.30pm and met Tom and Annie who said they are ‘ living the dream’ flying all around Australia in their private helicopter. And sure enough, there it was parked out the back of the motel units. They just ‘dropped in’ to fill up with Avgas fuel and spend a night at the Nullarbor Roadhouse. We had dinner together and I enjoyed hearing all about their many adventures – like landing on a beautiful beach somewhere along the coast and enjoying fresh oysters for lunch! They both fly the helicopter and Tom is also a fixed wing pilot and they have been to New Guinea and to NZ (for lunch of course!)
A great way to travel!
Local Nullarbor Snakes to watch out for!
Have noticed a few lonely cyclists on the road, plus an old man in one of those “lay down” bicycles and a few motor cyclists, mainly going east.
Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to comment on my blog so far – would love some more feedback too. Too many pics? Not enough? More writing? Let me know.
10 Comments
Its great what you are writing..very entertaining..keep it flowing!!safe and happy travels. Cheers annie.xx
Good to chat with you yesterday Annie nice to know you are with me on the journey xx
I love it Tina, living my dream through your travels. I eagerly check your blog, waiting patiently for the next instalment, I think I checked your blog 8 times today 😀, even checked it at 3am in the morning once! Photos are perfect, travel safe.
Thea
Gosh Thea, I didn’t realise I had such a keen supporter. Hope you are managing to get some sleep (joke!!)
Hey Tina great reading and nice to know you are well and enjoying being a ‘ freebird ‘.
Happy Days and Safe Travels !!
Bro
Hi Tina,
Rather than sitting on the side reading your blog, I needed to say thank you for sharing this wonderful adventure. It has been interesting to follow the ‘Bluebirds’ progress on google maps and speculate on the location of the next installment. The further you travel the more addictive is the need to follow your story. Keep it up, and a well done.
Brendan
Hey Brendan, good to hear from you and thanks for your comments. Bluebird is behaving magnificently so far and I have listened to music on and off …quite happy cruising along in silence a lot of the time.
Those cliffs sound spectacular on the Bight. It makes me think once again what incredibly varied landscapes we have in this country. ‘Doing ‘ Australia in a helicopter….wow! No, not too many photos.
Thinking of you on the beach in Sydney still … hope you enjoyed it!
Hi Tina – I am having a ‘binge’ on your blog and enjoying your writing skills. You write so well, descriptions and photos great – I feel as if I am there with you. I have the atlas out and following your journey – towns are marked on these excellent maps and one gets an idea of where you are on the road rather than looking on google maps. I would love to do the trip myself (David not so keen)!
I had a friend that went ocross the Nullarbor in a camper and didnt see a kangaroo once!