Sunday 24/08/14 – We commence the long drive across the Nullabor. We made good time reaching Fraser Range before lunchtime, so after a quick look we continue and stop at Balladonia for lunch. The roadside and beyond is covered in small gum trees and wattles – some a mass of colour.
We continue onto the Caiguna Blowhole [approx 5klm before Caiguna], where we have a very good bush-camp, up to 3klm off the highway, which helped minimise the road noise, especially from the road trains. After 572 klm for the day we are glad to get out of the car and have happy hour after setting up camp. The nights are very clear and quite cool.
Monday 25/08/14 – We pack up early and are on the road before 7.30am visiting the Blowhole 10metres from the highway, but some 5klm from the coast. Another big day ahead as we intend to stop at Nullabor [SA], resulting in losing 1.5hours as we turn our clocks forward. We manage to cover 530klm plus the detours off the highway to view the Great Australian Bight. We have been travelling through many klms of treeless plain. Facilities at Nullabor are basically non existent for campers without a caravan. We get in late in the afternoon to setup – [ground only allows tent pegs to go in approximately 2- 3 “] , and the required cookup of vegetables [& fruit] to negate the handover at the next day Ceduna Quarantine Inspection. The sea mist rolls in after dark.
Tuesday 26/08/14 – We wake up to a tent saturated not only on the outside from the sea mist, but also on the inside from our breathing condensation. Great fun packing up a saturated tent and ground sheet……we are getting over this. In addition it is bitterly cold, so we visit the roadhouse for warming coffee and also have a bacon & egg toastie for breakfast. Whilst we are doing this Barbara is baking a zucchini slice to use up the last of her fresh veggies, in order not to hand over later in the day at the Quarantine Inspection.
We finally move off circa 8.00am and head for the Head of the Bight, where we are told that there were circa 170 whales [ including calves]. There was a free campground, with facilities, at the entrance to the National Park..[better than the Nullabor Roadhouse. It was brilliant morning with bright sunshine making visibility excellent, reflecting of the whales in the distance as they broached the surface, as well as their movement trails through the water. The cliff tops has decking walkways which provide excellent views of the mothers and their calves cruising and frolicking in the waters directly below. We also see dolphins fishing and playing around the whales,[once Michael puts on his polaroid sunglasses…blind beforehand], which were often in close groups of 4 – 6. The markings on each are very distinctive. Cameras were clicking and binoculars in use for well in excess of 1.5 hours…….what a great start to the day!!!!!
We make Ceduna mid afternoon, after 300 klm [ the last hour of driving demanding] and after the Quarantine check, a declined caravan park, we finally get a place at Shelly Beach Park. Dot & Michael are looking forward to a cabin, due to a saturated tent in the car. However no cabins available, so need to erect tent to dry then set up. Fortunately very sunny and in the mid to high 20s, so tent dries very quickly.
David has meantime gone into town to purchase a second hand spring set, which on his return he removes broken one and refits the purchase to the caravan, with very minimal help from Michael. As he starts to prepare to jack up the van, he identifies an internal flood due to a running tap, which needs to be cleaned up. This subsequently blew fuses in the caravan and then the park for their site. Once everything dried out, the matter was rectified at their park site.
While this was happening Dot was reviewing a couple of alternate caravan layouts of a Mt Martha and a Scoresby couple who have been stopping at the same parks since Southern Cross and the Kalgoorlie mine tour.
The campground is directly behind the dunes, with a section with power facilities on top of the dune viewing the beach and sea. This area can be booked. The apartment/cabins are located in the same area.
Good camp kitchen facilities utilised for tea.
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