Morgan to Ceduna

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We were up early again this morning with the alarm going off for the second morning in a row at 5.55am. That’s no time to be waking up when you’re on holidays, but we are planning to drive another 750 kilometres today and want to be in Ceduna before dusk.

We started well with a small bathroom malfunction. We both went to the toilet during the night and the toilet flushed properly. After the alarm, I rose, went to the loo and flushed it without any problem and then I got in the shower. Bernie went to the loo (which was separated from the shower and basin area) and when he was done he pressed the button and … nothing! There was no water in the cistern to flush his business down. Oh no!!

Fortunately we are resourceful people and Bernie proceeded to use the small jug in the kitchenette cupboard to fill the cistern manually. Of course he was filling the jug from the basin in the bathroom while I was in the shower. Thank goodness the water pressure was up to it and I was not being boiled and blanched alternately while Bernie was fixing the loo problem.

We breakfasted, cleaned our teeth, put our toilet bags back in our cases and re-packed the truck for day two on the road. We didn’t leave quite as early as yesterday morning, turning right out of the motel car park at 7.30am before taking a left after a couple of hundred metres to continue our journey on the Goyder Highway towards Burra.

We arrived in Burra about 8.30am and trotted around the town being tourists snapping photos of all of the lovely sandstone buildings. And we saw a Kookaburra, well, not actually, just a café cleverly named Cook O Burra, ha, ha, ha! We made our way to the the bakery which was open nice and early and purchased a variety of rolls and sandwiches to take with us for consumption at lunch time. After two vanilla slices yesterday we resisted the cakes today.

It was somewhat concerning that the blackboard outside the Visitor Information Centre in Burra was still saying that the Eyre Highway remains closed between Caiguna and Balladonia due to the bush fire that started in that area last week. Then going on to advise that everything is full and travellers should re-think their plans. Hmmn, when was this posted? It would have been helpful if the notice was dated!! We have been looking and cannot seem to find any update later than Thursday night which was optimistic about the road opening Saturday as in yesterday? We cannot leave Ceduna tomorrow (Monday) without being sure that we can make it all the way through.

After our brief interlude in Burra Tracey jumped into the driver’s seat. On the way out of town, Bernie asked for a quick photo op stop at Peacock’s Chimney. We continued through Burra North where we turned left back onto the Goyder Highway towards Spalding. The Goyder Highway is very disjointed. Every so often Syri would instruct us to turn right onto a local road only to have us turn left back onto the Goyder Highway after a few hundred metres. We did a lot of zig zagging!

Beyond Spalding heading for Crystal Brook via Gulnare and Narridy the road was very hilly with more twists and turns than we have been accustomed to along the journey so far. Even the road authority recognizes that the highway is awful through this section with the speed limit posted at 100 rather than 110 and even then quite a few corners with speed signs recommending 75km/hr or 85km/hr around the bend.

The road improved after Crystal Brook and we were soon in Port Pirie - mainly for another driver change. We stopped at the Visitor Information Centre and changed seats in the truck. Then we noticed the Woolies across the street. Due to a gross miscalculation we needed to buy some more fruit pots for our breakfasts across the Nullarbor. We purchased our pots and two apples and another litre of OJ for Bernie. We should have enough food to drive through to Esperence now. Fingers crossed. Hopefully the roadhouses across the Nullarbor are re-stocked and we will not go hungry at dinner time when we are planning to buy our meals at the roadhouses.

Cathy and Steve were passing through the mall as we reached the checkout. Looking for coffee they said. We packed our purchases in our fridge and then headed the way we had last seen Cathy and Steve heading. The café directly across the street looked closed so we turned right and walked up to the main street. We wandered along to a very nice looking coffee shop where we peered through the window, but … no Cathy and Steve. Where did they go to???

Having seen the public conveniences we used those and then returned to the car. Where did Cathy and Steve go to? They’ve already returned to their car and they’re gone. A text message a few minutes said - … heading off to Port Augusta to refuel and maybe see you there.

With Bernie at the wheel we also set the SatNav for the big BP just over the Joy Baluch AM Bridge in Port Augusta. It’s on the wrong side of the road BUT Bernie’s research last night indicated that it is seven cents per litre cheaper if we drive further into town. Nope scrap all that, we (Tracey) thought the sign at the first BP was advertising Ultimate Diesel for $206.9/litre so Bernie pulled in prepared to pay the higher price for premium diesel (we had also spotted Cathy and Steve at a bowser) then we couldn’t find any bowsers that were actually pumping Ultimate Diesel. At that point we almost continued to the cheaper BP in town ($199.6/litre) but capitulated and decided to top up with the more expensive fuel. Tcht, that is disingenuous … when we drove back past the sign outside it definitely suggests that they are offering Ultimate Diesel.

We also learnt that Steve purchased his coffee on a side street three streets over from where we were looking for them. Having spied it on their way to the Woolies car park they knew where they were going whereas we were just trying to guess where they were buying coffee. Anyhow, we really don’t need to stick closely together, we are all booked into the same accommodation in Ceduna tonight.

The level of detail today is ridiculous because I am typing up the blog each time I am in the passenger seat. This is my latest strategy to try to stay awake in the car!! It has worked this morning, but how will I be after our lunch break?? We are currently heading for The Tanks Rest Area to the west of Port Augusta to eat our rolls. We all felt that we did not need to spend any more time in Port Augusta than was necessary!!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! We pulled in at The Tanks Rest Area, but in the section nearest the tanks which is set aside for trucks. OMG, never did you see a less attractive rest area. A dirt bowl adjacent to five graffiti-covered concrete tanks. Cathy and Steve pulled in beside us and after a quick confab between cars we decided to proceed to Iron Knob. As we drove past the area designated for cars we could see it was worse as it didn’t even offer roofed shelters to provide a bit of shade!!

Forty-four kilometers later we pulled off the highway into Iron Knob where we found a sheltered ‘camp kitchen’ type arrangement with plenty of picnic benches in the shade. After eating the sandwiches and rolls we purchased back in Burra we used the facilities. Big tick for the public conveniences which are brand new, bright (think cobalt blue loo seats!), modern and spotlessly clean. Rather hilariously they have never demolished their old public toilets and now have a virtual museum chronicling the evolution of public loos. I sort of wish I had taken photos to record the history!!

I did drive the after lunch leg this afternoon and I don’t think I will again because with food in my tummy being digested I did feel drowsy … even sitting in the driver’s seat. That’s just not safe so I think it will be better going forward for Bernie to take the first after lunch shift.

We made it into Kimba with me only testing out the passenger side rumble strip once! After that we caught up to some vans so the mental alertness required to watch and wait for overtaking opportunities was enough to keep me awake. In Kimba we took our cheesy photo of the sign Halfway Across the Nullarbor, the Big Galah and the art silo.

Still 313km, 3’14” to Ceduna with Bernie back in charge of driving us there safely. I resumed my position in the passenger seat, typed up the diary from our lunch stop until Kimba, closed the iPad and promptly fell asleep! Aaargh, at least we have already driven the Eyre Highway as far as Poochera, but from there onwards it will be new sights to see so I need to be wakeful to make new memories!!

We arrived in Wudinna. Bernie pulled into the servo where we purchased ice-creams, pine-lime Splices for two. We took our ice-creams with us to enjoy in a small patch of shade in the car park at the granite sculpture dedicated to the Australian Farmer. The sculpture by Marijan and David Bekic is a stylised representation of a farmer. It appears to be a human figure, but the head represents the sun and the body is carved to represent grain crops. Sheep are placed at the foot of the statue to represent the sheep farmers and when viewed from a distance they look like feet. Allegedly … we didn’t move that far back from the statue!!

We thought we recalled a ‘nice’ toilet stop at Poochera from our last trip so set our sights on making that our next pit stop. Yeah, nah, we mis-remembered that entirely. Not to worry, we explored a different public convenience, this one co-located with the Poochera Districts Museum. With another vehicle pulling in right behind us it was a bit of a race to the facilities aiming to reach a circular, blue and white concrete bunker set amongst the rusty old jump stump ploughs - of which the museum has a fine collection – before the other tourists could commandeer them! Said concrete bunker was HOT, HOT, HOT. Thank goodness it was plumbed to the sewerage or, at the very least, to a septic tank. If it had been a long drop I think I would have had to hold it until Ceduna. There was officially only a cold tap at the basin but the pipes must be exposed to the sun because the handwashing water was lovely and warm.

I offered to drive at least some of our last 139 kilometres, but Bernie elected to take on that responsibility. Having dozed so much between Kimba and Poochera I parked the iPad on my lap again and worked on today’s travel diary entry/blog post. I even resorted to gum between Kimba and Wudinna. I do not like chewing gum, but have been finding that the mintiness does help to keep me alert. Not today though, I fell asleep even with my jaw masticating!! Fortunately I didn’t swallow the gum and choke.

I’m out of ideas on what to do to keep myself awake. I’m not really much better in the driver’s seat than I am in the passenger seat and that is just plain scary. Last year in NSW I took some knitting thinking that it would help if I kept my hands busy. I dozed off mid-stitch and it was a miracle that I didn’t wake to a dropped stitch and an unraveling beanie!!! I’ve tried the gum with limited success. If I’m drowsy enough I can still fall asleep while chewing. Reading is a complete no brainer because reading sends me off to sleep at the best of times let alone in the car. Last year there was even one occasion when we were driving on an unmade road with terrible corrugations. We were quite literally juddering along the road having our fillings shaken out and I still managed to fall asleep. What?!

I’m starting to think the only answer might be a cattle prod and Bernie can zap me awake. Surely shock therapy like that would re-train my brain to STAY AWAKE???

Perhaps I need to do some serious research on my car induced narcolepsy problem? We have so many more road trips to do to continue exploring our big beautiful country and I want to be awake to take it all in! I don’t want to sleep my way around Australia. To say nothing of hiring cars in overseas travel destinations and then dozing off! I am scared to stop typing all of this drivel for fear that the moment I pack up the iPad I will be asleep again and we are now further west than we have even driven before, so unseen territory for us. On the one hand I don’t want to miss it, on the other the road at the moment is really, really straight, the paddocks are dry s a bone and the trees are stunted.

We arrived in Ceduna just before 5.30pm. We found the BP Servo and refuelled before checking in at the Ceduna Foreshore Hotel. After so much driving we headed downstairs to walk out the jetty before dining in the hotel bistro. After dinner we were still well short of our 30-minute exercise goal so walked along the foreshore walking track until our watches let us know that we were done! Yes, we probably are slaves to our watches, but we’re sure it was better for us to feel compelled to do some exercise rather than retire to our room and just sit.

Tomorrow we plan to head out onto the Nullarbor Plain. To be sure it is safe we are going to check at the Information Centre at 9.00am in the morning before we leave civilization behind us.



Steps: 12,361 (8.45kms)

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