Boring Across The Nullarbor

Over the next two days we're crossing the Nullarbor. It's a short backtrack to Ceduna then it's west to Penong. The ground becomes very flat with few obstacles to obscure the view of the horizon. There's a forecast for thunderstorms today. I find it hard to believe we're headed into one of the driest places on earth and it's going to rain. Just our luck.

Heading into Penong we witness an amazing spectacle. Towering directly over the town is an incredibly large thundercloud. It must reach at least ten thousand feet into the atmosphere and it's clearly dumping buckets onto Penong. By pure good fortune the rain eases just as we reach town so we refuel and get moving before it starts again. Maybe the rain gods are taking pity on us.

The trees begin to thin and soon I see a sign announcing the start of the Nullarbor. It isn't what I expected. I thought Nullarbor meant no trees however I see many trees and shrubs. They're actually quite densely packed. We are still very close to the southern coast and I guess there's a long (very long) distance yet to cover. I was simply hoping for something more dramatic.

As we pass the Head of Bight we stop at one of the few tourist centres on this stretch. It's a lookout on a section of cliffs where whales are frequently spotted. We are lucky enough to see three Southern Right Whales. They swim at a leisurely pace right past the lookout. The wind is fierce and bitterly cold so we don't stay for too long.

We spend the first night at the Nullarbor Roadhouse. It is expensive but we're not in a position to argue.

The next day is perfect weather. Despite ominous warnings from the gray nomads we aren't riding into gale strength headwinds. In fact there's a slight tailwind and the sky is clear blue. The roads are still very straight and there's not much to do except stave off boredom by counting roadkill.

As I'm passing number forty seven I notice another kangaroo standing near his unlucky friend. Much to my surprise the kangaroo leaps into the air and sprouts a pair of wings. It's actually an eagle and it's nearly as wide as the bike. I had no idea they got so gigantic. I guess they're very well fed along this stretch of road.

The sun is setting quickly and neither of us want to risk hitting a kangaroo at dusk, so we spend our second night on the Nullarbor at Caiguna.