Exploring the Nullarbor

Saturday 1 August – 178929

This morning our ParkRun NENDY was Coober Pedy – 445km as the crow flies, but 980km by road. Port August at only 830km by road would have been our easiest to access. Instead, we ran south from our Nullarbor Plains campsite and turned around and came back. After our run we had a billy bath and breakfast. 

We were on the road at 9:45. Lots of exploration today with both short and longer diversions away from the Eyre Highway.

Stop 1 – Great Australian Bight Lookout 1

Stop 2 – Clay Dam Cave

Stop 3 – Koonalda Station. This is a lovely camping spot and we explored the homestead, the shearer’s quarters, blowhole (yes, we could hear it, it sounded like fast flowing underground water) and the shearing shed. Koonalda

Koonalda Blowhole

Stop 4 – Koonalda Cave. This is an impressive cave from ground level. The information signs however revealed it is far more impressive beneath the surface – it is 1.8km long and has three lakes.

On the road between the Eyre Highway and Koonalda Station we crossed the old Eyre Highway which had gone right past the homestead and saw shinglebacks and a rabbit.

Stop 5 – Great Australian Bight Lookout 2

Stop 6 – Great Australian Bight Lookout 3

Stop 7 – Lookout showing beaches after the end of the Bunda Cliffs

Stop 8 – WA border quarantine station. All doors of the car needed to be opened, and the van raised so that the internal fridge could be checked in addition to the Engel in the car.

Stop 9 – Eucla.  The Lest We Forget Memorial and the Eyre Memorial had a beautiful view. 

Also the time zone changes here to Central Western Time, 45mins behind SA during winter.

We are camped for the night at Jilah Rockhole Wayside Stop, arriving about 5:15pm.

Southern Right Whales and More on the Nullarbor

 Friday 31 July 2026 - 178641

There was frost on the car this morning after a very cold night. It was 1 degree Celsius on waking this morning – glad I bought those slippers. We had a later start this morning as the sun gets up so late this far south in winter.  We prepared a curry to cook in the thermal cooker as we travelled today. We did our gym routines followed by a billy bath and leisurely breakfast. We left camp at 9:45am.

Today was the beginning of our touristing, rather than just covering distance.

Stop 1 Bookabie School Ruins – there are ruins of schools all through here, most having closed in the 1950’s.

Stop 2 Fowlers Bay – mounds of seaweed on the beach, a long jetty and amazing sand dunes. As we drove out across the claypan, our car reported that we were below sea level.

Fowlers Bay Conservation Park

Stop 3 Yalata for a lunch break – nice big shelter with tables.

Stop 4 Head of Bight – I had high expectation as I had heard this was special, it did not disappoint! There were so many whales and in so close to the cliffs. I had thought I may need my binoculars, but we were able to watch about 10 whales at a time without any assistance. We saw about 20 different whales in the hour we watched, including one particularly active calf. The view of the Bunda Cliffs was also quite impressive.

Head of Bight

Stop 5 Nullarbor Roadhouse and Murrawijinie Caves – the three caves were all different and all spectacular in their own way. The road had puddles on it, not something I was expecting to see on the Nullarbor Plains; it would have been a quagmire in the wet.

Nullarbor Roadhouse  Murrawijinie Cave

  

We have camped for the night at the 164K Peg Area Rest Area, approximately 20km west of Nullarbor.

29 December - And on to the Eyre Peninsula!

29 December 2016 – 202 541

And on to the Eyre Peninsula!

Cooking was first on the agenda for this morning – all fresh fruit and vegetables need to be eaten or cooked prior to reaching Ceduna Quarantine Station for South Australia, so I made up a big batch of savoury mince with lots of vegetables.  

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj6u-3Y-LiDAxV_qFYBHU5zCMMQFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffruitfly.sa.gov.au%2Ftravelling-restrictions&usg=AOvVaw3ZStMeK0DgoakxKY8ZQ1So&opi=89978449

We then finished our drive across the Nullarbor, arriving in Ceduna about lunch time.  Next was the petrol station, we got from Norseman all the way across the Nullarbor to Ceduna on one tank of fuel thanks to the strong tail wind.  Then off to the supermarket to get fresh fruit and vegetables.  

https://cedunatourism.com.au/

We then drove south to Streaky Bay, exploring the area along the coast.  Hallys Beach was our first stop – another fine example of the sheer power of the Southern Ocean.  Then on to Whistling Rocks – these are narrow fissures that will eventually form blow holes, but now create an eerie whistling noise.  Next was High Cliff, aptly named.  We have camped for the night at Speed Point.

https://streakybay.com.au/

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g499731-d12970246-Reviews-Whistling_Rocks_and_the_Blowholes-Streaky_Bay_South_Australia.html

https://southaustralia.com/products/eyre-peninsula/accommodation/speed-point-campground