The Nullarbor

 What a huge week we have had!  We have travelled approximately 1550 kms from Ceduna to Esperance.  The Nullarbor seems to have a bad reputation, but we really enjoyed the trip.  We were however glad to stop driving for a few days.  We are also glad that we prepared well, as there was no water available and food was really expensive.  We splashed out on lunch (2 burgers and chips) at a roadhouse one day and with Flynn sharing our food, it still came to $50.  The scenery was amazing and changed regularly.  There were some absolutely flat and vast areas like I have never seen before.  There were some very woody areas, and the dirt was constantly changing colour from sandy to red.

 On our first night we stayed at the Nullarbor road house and the low shrubs were so beautiful and as the sun set, changed between shades of green, blue and purple.  There was lots happening to excite Flynn as well.  He met a truck driver who was driving a huge, over sized truck and got to have a seat behind the wheel.  We also saw three planes land, including a tigermoth.  He was also pretty interested in the many large holes in the ground that were the homes of some big black beetles- there was lots of stick poking happening!  Hopefully there werent any casualties because there was no stopping this activity!

Big day for Nick!
Our celebratory dinner- Nick resigned from Coles on this day after 16 years!!

Plane landing at the Nullarbor roadhouse

Whales at the Great Aust Bight- mother and calf

Bunda Cliffs

We were lucky enough to see some whales at the Great Australian Bight.  There were about six of them including a mother and calf.  There were beautiful views of the Bunda Cliffs which are the largest and longest in the world.

We took a side trip to the Koonalda Homestead which has been deserted since the 80's.  In years gone by passing travellers would fill up on fuel at the homestead and it became a graveyard for cars that broke down or were damaged by the large pot holes.  It took us about 45 minutes to drive 14 kms to the homestead from the main highway.  The dirt road wasnt in great condition and with a caravan in tow we took it pretty slowly.  You are able to walk through the homestead which still contains some furniture, an old sewing machine and newspapers from the 70s.  There is a smaller hut where you can stay and light the fire.  There must have been a hundred old, rusty cars, all have been stripped of anything valuable and windows broken, some turned over.  The property is now owned by parks SA, and they allow camping, so we had planned to stay the night.  However the place was so spooky and depressing, that I was not staying, and we drove back out and found a great spot off the side of the highway.

Our campsite that night.  Flynn and I quite weary after a long day.  Nick and I spent the evening infront of the fire and under a sky full of stars.  We kept an eye out for UFOs and thought we saw one, but then agreed it was a satellite.  We confirmed this the following night when it was blinking at us from the same part of the sky!  Must admit that I was a bit jumpy after spending the afternoon at a deserted homestead- phew, we survived the night!!

We stopped in Eucla after crossing into WA and discovered a park with play equipment that reminded Nick and I of our childhoods.  There was an old tractor, a slide that was huge, a seesaw that was a big heavy plank of wood, all smooth from years of use.  It made me realise how safe playgrounds have become!  So Flynn learnt how to walk the plank of the seasaw and land on the other side with a big bang of the plank, and he climbed the biggest slide that he has ever been on, and loved it!  Mummy even had a go, and you go fast!!

Over sized road train- we saw lots of these and they take up about two thirds of the road.  We just got off the road anytime a truck came up behind us or an oversized one was coming the other way.  The great thing about the Nullarbor is that you see them in plenty of time and can get out of the way.

Longest, straightest bit of road in the world.

We stayed a night at Fraser Range Station, which was really beautiful and was like absolute luxury after a week of bush camps and roadside stops.  We met some lovely people and went on a sunset tour of the property.  It is something like 140kms long by 22 kms wide (something like that)!  It was a bit of an eye opener though, the owners are obviously looking towards tourism for an income as the government wont allow them to run sheep as the property is too damaged.  There were rabbit warrens everywhere and trees dying because of it.

Flynn at Fraser Range station, sitting on the wall of a dam built by convicts and aborigines built in the 20s.

Flynn driving the tour bus.

So as not to misrepresent ourselves as being the only family to cross the Nullarbor with no dramas or concerns, we thought that we would let you in on one little exchange of words.  Aidan decided that throughout the Nullarbor crossing, he would wake up at around 2.30am and cry for about 2 hours, each night.  Needless to say he woke Flynn a few times also and both wanted to sleep in our small double bed.  So after a few nights, we were feeling a little tired, and one afternoon when we were thinking about things such as showers, flushing toilets and heating, I took out our last fresh item from the fridge- some chicken.  It was off and Nick felt like this was a disaster.  I began opening cans and was making dinner when the gas ran out.  We have a spare bottle but the damn bit that screws on is really tricky and takes ages to do (Flynn beside himself by now).  So Nick tells me to change the gas bottles, to which I cracked it, and then he cracked it right back at me.  Nick put Flynn in the pram and started walking to Perth.  It started raining and Flynn wanted to 'do play doh with mummy', so he turned around.  So we were lucky that there were no accidents, flat tires, etc etc.  But it has been a challenge at times!  I discovered a new recipe that night-  rice pilaf with peas and carrots (tinned).  Well I called it that to make it sound a little more appetising!