#ceduna

Once more we found ourselves packing all our meagre belongings into the back of the Toyota. We were leaving the Eucla Motor Hotel after two very comfortable nights. We had eaten there and meals were both tasty and reasonably priced. The establishment was as described, a Motor Hotel as opposed to a Motel or Roadhouse. We filled up with petrol and made our goodbyes.

Very soon, on Highway 1, the route first established by Edmund John Eyre and his faithful companion Wylie, we approached Border Village, on the Border with our new adopted State, Southern Australia. We sailed straight through control, because for some reason, going East they don't check you for contraband for another 300 miles! I don't know why. Now as Southern Australians, we carry on along this very straight road to our destination for the next two nights, Ceduna. We are still driving again the Nullarbor Plain, specifically through the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Arena, followed by the Nullarbor Regional Reserve. The clocks did a little hiccup, and suddenly sprang forward 2.5 hours, which somewhat startled us since the expected arrival time in Ceduna incremented accordingly. This also meant that what was just after breakfast suddenly became just before lunch! We coped.

Now the academic will instantly have worked out that the Latin for 'no trees' could be scribbled as 'Nullarbor'. The section we were about to enter, could not be described more appropriately in any other way. We pulled into a well pedigree'd Roadhouse; the Nullarbor Roadhouse, and for as far as the eye could see in 360 degrees, there was not a tree in sight. The place resembled a film set from the Apollo landing on the moon. The ground was white with the natural local limestone, the buildings white, and the only punctuation of colour was from the petrol sign, Mobil, with its red and blue logo. We half expected Wallace and Grommit to walk over from the film set of Grand Day Out. Then surround this 'set' with literally miles of nothingness, I hope we get close to the picture. We spoke to the Brazilian staff in the café as we bought our coffees and muffin. They had been working there for 3 months without a break, and were soon to resume their travels, this time to Thailand and Vietnam. I showed them the Polar Steps route Liam and Almond are currently taking in South America. They were most impressed. I said they want to visit anywhere that speaks Spanish, so I'm sure they will make it to Brazil. We speak Portuguese there he said. I bit my tongue and stopped myself from saying, well, Spanish/ Portuguese, it's all the same. He wished them well nonetheless.

We debated about our next stop, but decided to go anyway. It was in a National Park and 7 miles off the Eyre Highway, Head of Bight. This is primarily seen as the number 1 location for whale watching. However, whale season is usually May to October. Whales in that time are to be found either going east to west, or west to east. Anything outside of that time, they are somewhere else entirely. With that in mind, management are entirely happy to reduce the entrance fee to a mere $8. Very reasonable. The board as we approached the office stated: Number of Whales spotted today, 0. With this evidence noted, we offered our $8. To think we debated whether to make the detour or not! This place was stunning. The board walks took you down the 'oh so white' cliffs, zig zagging lower and lower with views as surreal as they were beautiful. The white sands and limestone illuminating the sea bed, transmitting an almost fluorescent light of hues that would require an artist's complete set of blues and green before joining a cloudless sky. Then, along the shoreline were the white dunes and limestone again, providing stark contrast and welcome relief from this vivid palate of blues. This place was so unexpected and beyond belief. As we stood, taking all this in, a kestral/ kite flew in and perched metres away from us, sentinel, predatory, awaiting his meal.

By now, in our new timezone, we were aware we needed to shift. We still had another 100 miles or so to go, and we were unsure about sunset. It's not advisable to drive after dark for fear of hitting kangaroos. Before long, we were pulling into the quarantine area on the Eyre Highway and the car being searched for any fruit, veg or livestock. They are most particular not to bring items with soil on from neighbouring States. We were clean, and soon were checking into our accommodation for the next 2 nights, the Shelly Bay Caravan Site. Our allocated billet is a fantastic chalet overlooking the ocean with tremendous sunset views. We shall be most happy here.

A crested bicycle dragon (Ctenophorus cristatus) recharges in the sun near Ceduna, South Australia.

Outback Frieight...

Eyre Peninsula Bulk Gypsum Train

One off the most isolated train services in Australia.

Genesee & Wyoming Australia operates the isolated Eyre Peninsula Railway in South Australia. The narrow gauge (3ft6in/1037mm) system now only has one regular service, gypsum from a mine at Kevin to the port at Thevenard near Ceduna - a route of approximately 60km.