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Published: January 6th 2009
Ten days across the Nullarbor and much further in mind.....
As we set out on the Nullarbor Tour on the morning of 24th December 2008 I felt excited and a little nervous, kind of how you do when setting out on a school trip. We boarded our bus, Jo, Sharon, and myself to start our trip going from Adelaide to Perth with thirteen others in a minibus. Our tour guide, Leith from Adelaide was a really great guy, informative, laid back (well he is Australian) full of life and must of been shattered as he did all the driving as well as keep all of us in order. This can be easier said than done when you have an over excitable Spaniard on board who jumps off the end of a jetty into an ocean full of White pointers, don't worry the locals shouted at him to get out and he still has all his limbs!! Silly Antonio but it's great to have a few characters on board! Both the guide and the group can make or break these kind of trips and both were great.
We were so lucky to have a really nice
crowd on board, Niels and Bodil and their son Steffan, originally from Norway but have lived in Sydney for many years now, Bob from England who now lives in New Zealand, Greech a boy on "work experience", Helen from England on a years traveling, Christian form Germany, Caroline from France, two sisters from England, Kayleigh and Kim, the lovely Marcus from Switzerland and the afore mentioned Antonio from the Canaries who is living and working in Australia. So the fifteen of us and Leith set off from Adelaide at seven in the morning towards the Southern Flinders Range area.
After stopping for supplies of fruit and vegetables we then arrived at a camel farm. We had camel rides in the owners surrounding fields and then a lovely lunch of Yabi a kind of large prawn that he had caught in the local creak. I found it very apt that of all the days on Christmas eve the three of us were on a camel! I didn't realise that Australia own some of the best camels in the world and the Arab world come here to buy them.
Driving along on that first day we saw a wild Kangaroo
skipping across the fields a real treat for us and when we stopped further along we saw two dolphins swimming at a lovely town of Port Augustus. It was here that we stopped to buy a Christmas present for our fellow passengers and I did a great faux pas. We had a $10 budget and had to pick a name out of a hat to buy a present for Christmas day. I got my name and found a sweet frog in a shop who giggled when you squeezed his foot. I loved this frog and wanted it for myself and felt pretty happy with my purchase. However at this stage we hadn't all had the chance to talk to all our fellow passengers and later that evening as I was talking to the group I discovered to my horror that the person whom I had got this frog for was none other than Caroline, the French girl!! Thankfully spirits were high and Caroline turned out to be a girl with a good sense of humour and the frog had his giggle regularly on our journey and has made a good pillow for Caroline on her bus naps of which she
has many.
We arrived at the campsite, Polda Park at about nine in the evening and set up our tents in the dark and ate around the fire. That night was the first of many looking up at the most amazing sky. Without light pollution to spoil it and being in the southern hemisphere the milky way is such a magnificent sight that one could never ever tire of. Only once before have I ever witnessed this sight in Peru up in the mountains and it can never be explained it has to be seen.
Day two we woke early to Christmas day!! Off we set to go to a local bay, Baird bay where we got kitted out in our wet suits. It was a little overcast and the captain of our boat was saying how we may have to turn around and go back to shore if the wind picked up. He sailed in the area where he usually sees dolphins but sadly there were none to be seen. We went over to the other side of the bay where we saw many seals which was lovely to see but the wind was picking up and
the captain was not happy. He wanted to return to the area where the dolphins are seen once more before heading back to shore and so off we went back again. As we neared the area his excitement raised as he saw the school of dolphins in the ocean. I have to admit I was excited to see them of course but was pretty nervous to go in with them. This sounds daft but when you know these waters contain sharks and then add to that the fact that I am a weak swimmer and the waters were pretty choppy and I hope you can appreciate my apprehension. Most of the group went in, two had stayed on land and four of us stayed on the boat and I watched the others swimming in the sea and the dolphins swimming around them. It was one of those moments when I thought to myself how will I feel this time tomorrow? I gathered all the courage I could muster at that moment and found lots more from inside that I didn't know I had, added that to all the voices in my head saying this may be the only chance in
my lifetime to do this and in I got!!
I can never put into words how I felt in that moment when I saw those beautiful creatures swimming within touching distance of me. These were wild dolphins in the open ocean that had chosen to come up to us and swim around us, under us, with us, like they were dancing and gliding around with such grace and beauty that I have ever seen. Maybe they are just as curious about us as we are of them but whatever the reason I shall be forever grateful of this absolutely awesome experience and hope I always keep the memories. To say that as I got back on the boat speechless and full of emotion was an understatement. It's as if all my hard work to come on my travels and the fact that this journey feels like it is coming to an end soon culminated in this moment.
We visited a rock formation on our journey to our next destination which were granite rocks that jutted out of the ground, kind of like a mini Stone Henge. After this we went to Venus bay for a walk around
the headland which was refreshing and then made our way to Coodlie Park Farm Retreat for the night. This is where the owner of the company we are traveling with lives. We were given a Christmas meal and then taken out for a night drive to spot kangaroos and wallabies in the bush. We did spot a few kangaroos and a couple of wallabies which are quite rare to see as they are shy creatures. The day was rounded off with drinks around the camp fire. What a Christmas day to remember totally spectacular.
The following morning I woke early and got up to walk around the farm and watched the sun rise which was such a peaceful way to start the day just me the pink sky and the birdsong...
We drove to Streaky Bay where there was the option to go surf boarding but not being a natural water baby and feeling like I wanted some time out on my own I took a right down on the beach when the rest of the group took a left. I walked and walked and walked and never saw a soul and then sat in the sand dunes looking
out to sea. Such peace, I always feel so at home by the sea and am always in awe of it's power and beauty. Driving on we ended our day setting up camp at Fowlers Bay. This was a gorgeous setting surrounded by huge sand dunes and we sat around playing games having a few bevies into the night.
Day four began with great fun going up the dunes and coming down on sand boards. I would love to try that again but think someone should think about installing sand lifts! Then we set off across the great Nullarbor Plain. We stopped at a famous road sign and it was here we did a strange thing. We sat under a grate that is in the road and when cars come along we put our hands up through the grate to scare them and pulled our hands back through at the last minute?!! Strange and silly but it was in the program? Our next stop was the majestic cliffs of the Great Australian Bight, yet another beautiful sight. We had a walk along the cliff top and then moved on to our camp site for the night, crossing the East
to West Australian boarder on the way. The border has very strict quarantine rules as Western Australia has managed to stay pretty disease free with its fruit and veg and is one of the only places left on the earth with disease free bees and very few fruit flies. We headed for a camp site at Eucla and set up tents just in time to find a lovely spot on the hill top from which to watch the sun set.
The fifth day of the trip we started buy seeing an old telegraph town buried by sand dunes and then headed off across the Nullarbor again. The rest of the day was spent traveling including driving along 90miles of Australia's longest straight road. The reward at the end of the day was camping in the bush, no camp site toilets or showers just back to nature, camp fire and those amazing stars again.
Day six we made our way through Esperance, stopping for lunch before heading to our campsite at Lucky Bay. This is the most amazing stretch of white sandy beach and turquoise sea I have ever seen. Just as we were setting up our tents a
kangaroo and her joey hopped into the site. Silence fell over us as we watched the two of them hopping around and then going down onto the beach, magical...
The following day began with a long walk around the area starting at Rositers Bay back to Lucky Bay. This was a fantastic walk seeing all the flora and fauna the area beheld and coming down over the cliffs with Lucky Bay laid out below us felt like we were on our way back to paradise. Leith cooked us a fabulous bar-b-que for lunch and spoilt me with a piece of delicious fish, being a non meat eater and then we had a few hours of relaxation on the beach.
Early evening we went up a local rock formation called Frenchman Peak which was a granite formation which extends thousands of meters below the ground and has a really lovely, although sad Aboriginal reason for it's existence. Not all of the group made it as it was very steep and sheer rock surface but I'm pleased to say I did. It was well worth it for the awesome sight that awaited us at the top. Pictures could not capture
it but to stand at the top of the peak and have an amazing view in every direction for miles around was worth the struggle to get there. I have often found everything that is worth doing and that has given me the most pleasure in life requires effort, you put the work in and the rewards often out way the energy used to get there, always worth it to try, every time...
Day eight was time to leave Lucky Bay and headed towards Albany. On our way we stopped at a place called Castle Rock, another day another challenge. Once again the climb up the hill and then over the rocks and up the steep ladder in the wind onto the narrow walkway up onto the viewing platform was fabulous. Onto Albany after this where we spent New Years Eve!! We had a fantastic night way into the wee hours fireworks at mid-night and lots of fun, laughter and bubbly. I have to say I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else at that moment in time, fab.
Our ninth day and the adventure continued. We stopped at The Gap which was a natural rock bridge that
had formed. This was at the edge of where Australia and Antarctica were bound together over a billion years ago. Our next stop was to walk in the tree tops above the ancient Tingle trees which was delightful. We then drove on into more wooded area where we then went to the Diamond tree. This was a tree in the forest, chosen as it was the tallest for miles around. One was able to scale it's heights spiraling upwards into the sky around the trunk onto the tree house at the top a bit hairy but wobbly legs or not I made it to see the sun setting over the horizon. This was our last night camping in the great outdoors under the stars, our last camp fire and woke to the Kookaburras at about four the following morning!! There was something quite sad about it all coming to an end but all good things and that.
We traveled on towards Perth on day ten stopping in the morning for one last challenge. Helmets on and torches in hand we ventured underground 82metres below ground level into Ngilgi Caves. It was great fun squeezing up ladders between tight spots
and seeing all the wonderful formations underground. Onwards after this and a pit stop at a cheese and wine factory just to wet the appetite for the evening. We were all dropped off at our various locations in Perth. The three of us had booked an apartment for seven nights just outside the city centre. It is perfect ,quiet but within walking distance of the city. It has a pool and our own cooking facilities so we can do what we want, come and go as we please and chill for the week after the trip we need to sit back and take it all in and re-boot before we head on wards on our travels. After Leith dropped us off we all met up again, a shower and a few hours later at a really fun Irish pub. We all really let our hair down and had such a fun, fantastic evening and it was the perfect way to end such a fabulous trip...
......Nullarbor Plain means treeless Plain and in parts it certainly is just that “a whole lot of nothing” as one Ausie put it to me. The reaction from Australians when you tell them
you are going from Adelaide to Perth across the Nullarbor is “why?” Having now done it and seen the beauty it has to offer, the sense of camping where no one else is with no light pollution, seeing the milky way, the gorgeous beaches, Lucky Bay being the most awesome beach I have ever seen, climbing peaks, rocks and trees, going down caves, sand dunes and of course the dolphin experience I would say it has truly been the best group holiday trip I have ever done. As always it's the unseen things that count, the feeling inside of me when I saw those dolphins at my side, the amount of laughter around the camp fire, all the giggles at the back of the bus, the sunsets, and the waking up to a new day of unknowns. The fun nights and the quiet moments on my own on the beach, just gazing out of the bus and looking up at the stars at night. Every day in our lives is a new journey to be cherished and grateful for and wow what a journey these ten days proved to be for me, never forgotten.
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Mum and Dad
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A gem of a journey ....
Wow !! Sounds like your greatest adventure yet. We can feel your emotion through your writing !! A trip of a lifetime (with good friends) all of which will never be forgotten. Much love, Mum and Dad xx