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Published: February 22nd 2013
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Dawn breaks
Duke of Orleans Bay Driving out of the Ceduna the last major town in South Australia’s west, I had visions of an endless lifeless plain stretching west to the gold mining town of Norseman. How wrong can a person be, apart from a “short stretch” around Yalata there was an abundance of trees and birdlife, although we saw no animals until we visited Eucla.
The South Australian stretch of the Nullarbor rewarded us with sightings of the stunning Wedge tailed eagle and the stunning coastal views at the head of the Great Australian Bite. The views of the cliffs and dunes were superb and the chance to stop for lunch and to stretch our legs was welcome. It was then on to the Nullarbor Roadhouse for a very expensive fuel stop ($2 per litre) before driving two further hours to reach the SA/WA border post.
On arrival we attempted to refill the tank but they had no diesel so after a moment of pure panic, we discovered that we could obtain fuel across the border at Eucla. At the quarantine point I underwent a body search from a “sexy” older woman, my onions were grasped, my tomato squeezed and my limp lettuce was
confiscated.
Eucla’s only point of interest is the old telegraph repeater and weather station opened in 1877, closed in 1927 and swallowed by the sand dunes in the years since. It is a real shame that no signs explaining the history of the site were evident. On the return to the highway we saw our first kangaroos and emu.
The scenery on the WA side of the border was much more attractive with eucalypt forests straddling the highway, some showing signs of fire damage, and large numbers of Wedge tailed eagle and other birdlife. After more than eight hundred kilometers we decided to stop at the tiny roadside diner and caravan park of Cocklebiddy. After getting the van set up we headed for the little bar where we indulged in a few Emu Exports and a nice hamburger before going to bed.
The next morning we crossed our second time zone near the road house at Caiguna before driving the world’s longest stretch of dead straight road (145km) before stopping at Balladonia or red rock in the local language. Balladonia has a small but interesting museum, which we enjoyed before driving the last two hundred kilometers to
And so it begins
The Nullarbor Plain Norseman. Interestingly it was a horse called Norseman that discovered gold here in 1894, the town has seen better days but the mines are still being worked. After visiting the tourist office and collecting our certificates for surviving the crossing we visited the Beacon Hill Mararoa Lookout. We made one final stop at the towns huge old pub for a pint of Swan Draught before heading south on the Esperance road.
On the way to Esperance we passed through towns called Salmon Gums, Scadden, Grass Patch and Gibson, stopping briefly in Salmon Gums for lunch. We visited the Esperance Bird and Animal Park which was more like a farm, which Ruth and Mark loved; there were many species of birds and farm animals, my favorite being a tiny squealing piglet that didn’t like being picked up.
It was decided here that we would camp near the beach at Duke of Orleans Bay on the edge of the Cape La Grand National Park, so after another hour of driving we arrived, put ice in the esky and cooked up some sausages and onions for dinner, it was a pleasant evening and I talked to our neighbors’ late into the
night.
I woke at 5.30am in dire need of emptying the beer from my bulging bladder, startling kangaroos and rabbits as I made my way to the facilities, on my return Ruth and I decided to take a walk on the beach; we sat on the rocks and watched the sun rise over the South Twin Peak Islands, that dominate the bay.
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