The Nullarbor

A week ago we began our epic journey from Ceduna, South Australia, across the Nullarbor Plain to Norseman, Western Australia. Just a touch over 1200 kilometres in total. This stretch of the Eyre Highway passes through the traditional lands of many different First Nations peoples and we pay our respects to their decedents and elders.

We hadn't been across the Nullarbor before and weren't entirely sure what to expect. So we stocked up on supplies in Ceduna and made sure we had the emergency distress beacon at the ready, just in case something went horribly wrong and we were stranded alone in the desert. But there was no need. Water and fuel were plentiful (albeit horrendously expensive) and there were fellow travellers filling every roadhouse and free camping spot along the way.

From Ceduna we made our way to the Head of Bight, then crossed the WA border at the creatively named Border Village where we had to say goodbye to all our fresh veggies. For the benefit of our British followers, this is akin to surrendering a haggis when crossing the Scotland-England border lest there be any wee nasties lurking within and seeking to wreak havoc on English agriculture.

We stayed the night at Eucla, on the WA side of the border and the next day travelled to Caiguna then finally to Norseman, which emerged out of the scrub like a dusty, corrugated iron oasis where we could restock the fridge, do a bit of washing and take a much needed shower.

People who think travelling across the Nullarbor is Nulla-boring really need to look again. Its diversity is both beautiful and fascinating. But I'll let the photos do the talking and leave you with the Dreamtime story about the Nullarbor, which sums it up much more eloquently than we can.

"The Sun Mother is asleep in a cave beneath the Nullarbor plain, and the Great Father Spirit woke her, telling her to leave her cave and stir the universe into life. The entire world was dark, and the moment she opened her eyes, she bathed the world in rays of beautiful sunlight. When she took a breath, the world kissed its first breeze. She started a journey, creating grass, shrubs and trees wherever her rays touched the ground. She found living creatures: insects, lizards, and marsupials sleeping under the earth before the Great Father Spirit woke her. So she woke these creatures too from their slumber, and asked them to spread throughout the trees and grasses. Great rivers flowed behind the snakes, teeming with life.

One day, as all the creatures watched, the Sun Mother travelled far to the West, painting the sky red to black until darkness returned to the land. The creatures huddled together in fear.

But sometime later she returned, once again painting the sky yellow and blue. The creatures understood that darkness was a time for rest, and that she will always, always come back." (www.nullarborroadhouse.com.au)