Thursday 29 April 2010

Through the Nullarbor - again.

After leaving Ceduna I am about to enter the Nullarbor again after about a year when I last crossed it from west to east.  This time it will be in the opposite direction.  It certainly is an area of wide open spaces, quite varied in fact, as the vegetation changes from virtually tree-less plain to a variety if quite large Eucalypts.  

View of the ocean before crossing into WA from SA.

As I drive west, the ocean is on my left, but too far away for me to see, just a large expanse of scrub with the endless blue Australian sky above.  I am driving along a flat top mountain range to my right, several kilometres in the distance.

 On and on wide open space
On two occasions there is a large yellow sign by the highway, indicating that this part of the road is also being used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (or R.F.D.S.) as a possible landing strip in case of an emergency.  The landing area is complete with the "piano keys" painted onto the highway.  
Emergency Landing provided on Highway

After re-fuelling at the Caiguna Roadhouse, the road leads up to the mountain range on my right, leading to a plateau, about 100 metres higher then before.  I have reached the longest straight part of a highway in all of Australia.  Its 146 km long.  Quite a lot of traffic on this road with lots of Road Trains coming east.  The only othe vehicles on the road are Caravans or similar.
The next Rest Area 250km ahead
A rising full moon at sunset

I pull off the road at a rest area 67 km west of Caiguna where I stop for the night.

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