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Wedge tail Eagle on highway. What have you heard: The Nullarbor is boring?
This is our third crossing and still find this area full of interest, even if spaced out over a few hundred kilometres. Keep the eyes open and something to thrill will surely pop up. Last time it was gigantic pieces of machinery being transported. There are signs asking us to watch out for camels, wombats, emus and kangaroos. But nothing prepared us for the adventure of the day.
We were able to watch one of creation's most amazing birds, The Wedge Tail Eagle. Sadly, some of the wild life gets hit by passing trucks at night. In the past we have seen many crows feasting on the carrion, (road pizza to my Kiwi friends), but this trip we watched several families of wedge tail eagles joining the feast. We stopped the MH short of the birds to take the photos. Providing we stayed away and didn't get out of the vehicle, they would just watch us. If we moved they departed quickly. They are slow and a little ungainly as they fly, but once into an updraft or head into the wind, they soar and glide gracefully.
We were surprised
to see that they didn't chase off the crows. Now those crafty crows also knew to follow the eagles and share the spoils if possible.
Other than two small spots of drizzle, we have had good weather and only average winds, mostly from the north, but swinging west for the latter part of the journey.
There are some reasonable gaps between fuel supplies across the Nullarbor, often around 200ks. We stopped at one, but as luck would have it, their generator had failed, so no food, no fuel - nothing. It was lucky that we have a range of about 500ks comfortable when towing.
Marg was driving the second half of Australia's longest straight road, and nervously watching the dipping fuel gauge and counting the kilometres to Balladonia with some anxiety. No worries said I (with a couple of silent prayers like the widows oil that never ran out) and we made the fuel stop with 8 litres to spare.
We headed a little west of Balladonia to 10 Mile Rocks camp for the night. A work colleague had told me that he had camped at Fraser Range Rest area, well back from the road and
On the road early
Another of Marg's pics. had emus and camels come to drink in the evening. The site didn't appear too good for a 2 WD motorhome, but seemed great for 4 WD. We would have loved the stop other than that. The billabong had plenty of water from rain the previous day or so, and looked quite picturesque. Ten Mile Rocks park is just a further 3 Ks closer to Norseman and on the northern side of the Eyre Highway. No waterhole, no furry or feathered visitors either.
Still the trees here are gum trees with shiny red trunks at this time of year. They make great photo studies against the clear blue outback sky.
We noticed that the MH seemed a bit cold on Saturday morning for the final leg of the trip, 79 ks to Norseman - it was 3 C. After a few days of 18 to 30, this was a bit cold! But not a cloud in the sky.
Along the road we share the road with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in several places. As we approach we scan the sky incase of a conflict of interest. Today there was only a gliding eagle in the airspace.
Norseman has a proud mining, transport and agricultural history, famous for the camel trains and a famous horse.
Today it seems to have gone backwards with few shops etc open, and hardly a soul to be seen other than a few local children walking and using their skateboards, and truckies or nomads passing through. The camels still dominate the highway, but now in outback tin art form at the main roundabout on the highway.
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Mum & Dad
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Good shots
Another sequel of shots on your journey west. The aircraft strip is interesting for we were just talking about it last night and wondering whether they had special places on the highway set aside for emergencies and you have solved that.