29 July 2014

This morning started out early again with the sun coming up it was good to see what I had not been able to see the night before as it was dark when I arrived. The place was just the same as most of the other Roadhouses and the accommodation block like most of the dongas I have seen on the trip. I guess the main difference here is that they have an plane for senic flights over the Bight. .

The sun rise was great and the plains just stretched away in the morning light, really is a vast area

 First up I headed to the Head of Bight Visitor centre and was the first one there for the day, they have a viewing platform over the Bight and from here you can watch the humpback whales who are visiting the warmer waters for the winter. I really don't have the lenses to do the experience justice as they were still a fair distance away and they were fairly slow in the morning sun, probably waiting to warm up a bit. The Bunda Cliffs at the Head are mighty impressive too, again the very edge of Australia.

Back on the road, as there is a heck of a long way to go, it was on and on until arriving in Ceduna at the other side of the plains. It is a long way over the middle there, 1200km from Norseman to Ceduna, and I have to say that I was surprised that although I have ready lots of tourist brochures etc about the places along the way I always thought that these places were towns, all the brochures read like they are towns, but from Norseman to Ceduna there are only roadhouses with motels and bars and campgrounds, but not towns, shows how little I know doesn't it. I didn't actually see a lot of Ceduna but it is another nice clean and neat little place, lots of people around and a lot going on, looks like a nice place to visit on a short visit. I spent most of my time there trying to get the headlights working properly yet again, but failed, oh well so it goes.

It was then back on the road again and heading on for the ultimate goal of Adelaide. It was getting late and was dark by the time I passed through Kimba, which is another small town, though as with most of the small towns along the road in South Australia you actually have to turn off the highway to get to them or just stay on the highway and you just get another roadhouse and continue on, which is what I did so I didn't see anything of Kimba in the dark, well nothing other than the big Galah.

I decided that it was too late to be carrying on with only one and a half headlights and everyone seeming to think I was on high beam, so I gave up after 470km and stayed at Port Augusta for the night, have to have a look about tomorrow...

28 Jul 2014

Well this one is going to end up being a short one as well, as there really isn't too much to tell when you're just in the car diving all day and there aren't many places to see or the scenery stays much the same the whole way. Started off relatively early, though the tent was wet so that took a bit extra time to sort out and pack away, then hit the road for the run across the Nullabor proper (the actual plain, not  just the road across the centre).

Ummmm there are some interesting signs, you don't really get anything else and, although it does happen in other areas, I still find the emergency landing strips for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) fun.

Piano Keys marking the end of a landing strip section of the highway

Crossed the border into South Australia in the afternoon and I guess it was another milestone as the Count has never been there before, so now it has officially been to every state and territory in Australia, ok Tasmania wasn't on this trip around, but we have both been there before, back in 1993, as I have mentioned before somewhere.

Oh and along the way there are three lookouts, though they aren't billed as such, they just have a little picture of a camera on a sign. The first one, well there third one as I was doing them from west to east and they are numbered the other way, I didn't stop at as time was getting on and I wanted to be somewhere to sleep for the night before it got dark, so I didn't have to put the tent up by headlight (yes singular), well the other reason is that those pesky free camping grey nomads had again set up a small village and were blocking most of the area. The second and third ones I thought Oh heck I guess I had better go and see just in case and two pluses, the view was definitely well worth stopping for and the car park was completely empty, YAH! It was starting to get late as when night falls here it drops like a stone, but the edge of Australia it sure is, so well worth the time, and the skies were just amazing with all the clouds and light seeming to come from one point just below the horizon (last pic shows it best)

So at this stage I was basically running late and it was really starting to get dark, though the setting sun was making for a great colour show in the clouds, I am not sure why I thought of it but about 15 kilometres from the Nullabor Roadhouse (there are no towns out there) I had a quick look over my shoulder and then hit the brakes and pulled over, late I would be though it was well worth it I think, if only the picture could do the actual event justice, the colours were just incredible and the way the light played through the cloud formations amazing!

I reached the roadhouse and it was dark, and not really wanting to set up the damp tent in the dark I opted for a "Backpackers" room, was probably more expensive than any backpackers I have ever stayed at, but i have to say for the ease and not having to set the tent up and having a real bed, well worth it.

More driving tomorrow...

27 July 2014

Well what a difference a bit of sun makes to a town, after yesterday afternoons storm clouds rolling in it should be a little bit obvious the difference in some of the pictures this morning. I started with the Esperence esplanade though there is not a huge amount of it (well near to the town as it stretches for quite some distance) as they are redeveloping it all, but what they have done is really looking great.

From here it is just a short stroll one block into the town centre and the main street. It is a very nice looking town and has a relaxed feel about it, and they even have a tank, what town doesn't need their own tank.

Then it was back up to the lookout from yesterday for a much improved view over the town and one of the beaches that are along the Great Ocean Drive as they call it, which is basically a 40 kilometre round tip that takes you out of one side and back into town on another side and also goes past the Pink Lake, which unfortunately was more a murky treatment works colour when I went by so I didn't photograph it.

Then headed off through the Mallee country

and the start of a few days of lots of driving and not much in the way of stopping, though of course the first stop along the way, 203km from Esperance, has to be Norseman as the road east goes from there. Very quiet place on a Sunday afternoon I tell you, everything apart from the Tourist office was closed and the main street was like a ghost town, all bared and boarded up really makes the place look a bit sad, despite the money that has obviously been spent there. I had a drive around and went up to the lookout, though there isn't a lot you can see from there because of the trees.

On leaving Norseman it was just driving 190km on some long lonely and quite straight roads to the Ballodonia Roadhouse to pull up on a rock hard patch of bare dirt for the night. Tomorrow it is off across the Nullabor I guess...