Tomorrow Tuesday I will be starting out to cross the Nullabor leaving Ceduna behind.
I am aiming for Cactus Beach some 22kms from Penong but will ultimately be guided by the road conditions. The Hi Ace already has a rattle underneath from previous excursions down dirt roads and I do not want to aggravate the situation.
It has been posted that the Optus internet coverage is poor across the Nullabor so I may have to prepare my daily posts and photos on Open Office pages ready for pasting as and when. I will return and post when possible.
Not much use asking for the best stops when I may not be able to access the replys. I have used the time here to good advantage by thinning down the annex and taking off the sides to make it lighter and more compact on the pop top. Also using the annex bag that was formerly on the front roof to house them and now resides on my front bull bar.
John
gordon_adl said
05:10 PM Oct 3, 2011
Good luck, take your time and enjoy. I'll be heading out that way in Nov.
Brian88 said
05:15 PM Oct 3, 2011
come across the Nullabour once and there was a rabbit plague it was like running over cane toads , splat spat etc.
jonathan said
05:57 PM Oct 3, 2011
You should enjoy Cactus area .. especially if you surf .. sharks took a bloke there last year, but I never saw any whenever I went there years ago as a youngster.
There's 3 good breaks there .. Cunz (which comes into a rocky point where you often get a choice at the last minute to go either right or left) .. Cactus (can provide both breaks depending on the swell) & Castles, which was smack in the middle of a seaweed bed.. and waves would not break even at 3 metres .. was usually ridden with a 4" single fin ..
memories .........
Jon
Travel Bug said
08:35 PM Oct 3, 2011
Safe and happy travels John.
Enjoy!!!!
Cheers.
Travel Bug said
08:36 PM Oct 3, 2011
Jon, Love your new avatar...
The likeness is amazing!!!
jonathan said
08:51 PM Oct 3, 2011
like this better !
Travel Bug said
08:53 PM Oct 3, 2011
NO!!!
That dog is scary!!!!
-- Edited by Travel Bug on Monday 3rd of October 2011 09:00:59 PM
Happywanderer said
10:11 PM Oct 3, 2011
Have a great trip across the Nullabor John. Take it slow and enjoy.
jules47 said
10:39 PM Oct 3, 2011
Enjoy John!!
milo said
01:10 AM Oct 4, 2011
id love to do Nullabor , i think some one said the breaks between towns arnt that bad? ie for fuel etc.. good luck and let us know it goes.
bronnie said
08:20 AM Oct 4, 2011
Have a great trip John!
RALPHRALPH said
07:42 AM Oct 5, 2011
good luck take plenty off photos
Esmeralda said
11:25 AM Oct 5, 2011
Have a great trip John - one of my dreams to travel the Nullabor
Heading out in november to do the nullarbor. Can't wait to see John's pictures so I can have a good idea things around there.
Elle on Wheels said
10:58 PM Oct 6, 2011
The Nullabor is great and I cross it whenever I have the opportunity.
snapper49 said
11:02 PM Oct 6, 2011
Did it last november I found it nothing like I expected Many places to camp, some beautiful scenery especially along the Head of the Bight,whale watching was a high light On the north side of the highway an impressive range of hills We actually didnt see much in the way of animals but plenty of decorated trees
Elle on Wheels said
11:29 PM Oct 6, 2011
snapper49 wrote:
Did it last november I found it nothing like I expected Many places to camp, some beautiful scenery especially along the Head of the Bight,whale watching was a high light On the north side of the highway an impressive range of hills We actually didnt see much in the way of animals but plenty of decorated trees
Decorated trees - was it xmas? :) It's such beautiful country and so isolated and it's incredible to think of the early explorers crossing it by horse and establishing a telegraph line etc... although there was some boat travel involved as well from memory.
snapper49 said
05:12 AM Oct 7, 2011
decorated trees like a saucepan tree, a bra tree, a shoe tree, a beer can tree,a knicker tree etc I thinkk you get the pic
You get to see a fair bit of the bight as you travel very close to the coast
Arrived in Esperance and booked into the Bushlands Holiday Village Camp6 40 for 7 nights at $20 per night with the last night free, Have heard much about Esperance and decided to check out the area for myself.
So about my Nullabor trip, I will make 3 posts covering the 3 days with photos relevant to the day.
Tuesday set off from Ceduna but the weather was poor and it rained all the way to Penong so I didn't go to Cactus Beach but carried on to the Scenic Look out Camp6 805 just over 300 kms where I free camped next to the most staggering views, the colour of the ocean was vibrant the pics came out ok but you had to see it to believe. I bought a smart charger 16 amps before I set off and used the generator to charge up the batteries, run the fridge and power the laptop, with the solar working on the top of the van all is going well.
pauline said
10:16 PM Oct 7, 2011
One of my favourite things i have heard is, LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF BREATHS WE TAKE, BUT BY THE MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY, i imagine this would be one of them. Cheers
yeoeleven said
10:20 PM Oct 7, 2011
Wednesday and I set off from the Scenic Look out but the weather was overcast and whilst I went to all the nominated camera locations I was not able to get good photos. Arrived at Moodini Bluff Camp6 9 and settled in for the night. Am now 650 kms from Ceduna with no internet or TV so the music on my mobile phone got a good work out. For the most it is very plain scenery but the excitement comes from the realization that I am actually driving across the Nullabor.
yeoeleven said
10:29 PM Oct 7, 2011
I am now 100 kms from Norseman so I must have traveled 440 kms today. Had to buy fuel at Madura, Caiguna and Balladonia all up $126 and now am staying at Frasers Range Rest Area in another free camp. What can I say about today? Kilometer after kilometer of pretty much the same scenery. There was a sign just after Caiguna pointing to a blowhole, I took the bush track for several kms until it stopped at a parking area. I got out and went on to find the blowhole, I got lost and was very worried trying to find the car or the road, fortunately the solar saved me because I remembered the position of the sun in relation to the solar. I realized that I was in the wrong direction this got me back on track and I found the car. Further on stopped and took a video of 360 degrees of nothing at all. Australia's longest straight stretch of road from Caiguna towards Balladonia some 146 kms came and went. A little feathered friend called in to say hello, he probably was fed regularly by truckers and he has lost his fear.
ChiChi1 said
10:59 PM Oct 7, 2011
Yeo, be a bit more careful leaving you van!!!!!
snapper49 said
11:30 PM Oct 7, 2011
Good to see you got across okay Was thinking we should here from you tonight or tomorrow but I suspected from norseman not Esperance Well done
Elle on Wheels said
01:22 AM Oct 8, 2011
Wow you have crossed in great speed. A bit of a worry getting lost at Caiguna, that could have been serious. Esperance is beautiful so enjoy your time there. If you want to spend a couple of days in Albany the Kalgan River park is a great spot - see Blaze's posts.
Tomorrow Tuesday I will be starting out to cross the Nullabor leaving Ceduna behind.
I am aiming for Cactus Beach some 22kms from Penong but will ultimately be guided by the road conditions. The Hi Ace already has a rattle underneath from previous excursions down dirt roads and I do not want to aggravate the situation.
It has been posted that the Optus internet coverage is poor across the Nullabor so I may have to prepare my daily posts and photos on Open Office pages ready for pasting as and when. I will return and post when possible.
Not much use asking for the best stops when I may not be able to access the replys. I have used the time here to good advantage by thinning down the annex and taking off the sides to make it lighter and more compact on the pop top. Also using the annex bag that was formerly on the front roof to house them and now resides on my front bull bar.
John
You should enjoy Cactus area .. especially if you surf .. sharks took a bloke there last year, but I never saw any whenever I went there years ago as a youngster.
There's 3 good breaks there .. Cunz (which comes into a rocky point where you often get a choice at the last minute to go either right or left) .. Cactus (can provide both breaks depending on the swell) & Castles, which was smack in the middle of a seaweed bed.. and waves would not break even at 3 metres .. was usually ridden with a 4" single fin ..
memories .........
Jon
Safe and happy travels John.
Enjoy!!!!
Cheers.
Jon, Love your new avatar...
The likeness is amazing!!!
like this better !
NO!!!
That dog is scary!!!!
-- Edited by Travel Bug on Monday 3rd of October 2011 09:00:59 PM
good luck and let us know it goes.
Have a great trip John!
good luck take plenty off photos
Have a great trip John - one of my dreams to travel the Nullabor
This is John , when we left Ceduna
On the north side of the highway an impressive range of hills
We actually didnt see much in the way of animals but plenty of decorated trees
Decorated trees - was it xmas? :) It's such beautiful country and so isolated and it's incredible to think of the early explorers crossing it by horse and establishing a telegraph line etc... although there was some boat travel involved as well from memory.
decorated trees like a saucepan tree, a bra tree, a shoe tree, a beer can tree,a knicker tree etc I thinkk you get the pic
You get to see a fair bit of the bight as you travel very close to the coast
Early morning shot of the plain itself
Arrived in Esperance and booked into the Bushlands Holiday Village Camp6 40 for 7 nights at $20 per night with the last night free, Have heard much about Esperance and decided to check out the area for myself.
So about my Nullabor trip, I will make 3 posts covering the 3 days with photos relevant to the day.
Tuesday set off from Ceduna but the weather was poor and it rained all the way to Penong so I didn't go to Cactus Beach but carried on to the Scenic Look out Camp6 805 just over 300 kms where I free camped next to the most staggering views, the colour of the ocean was vibrant the pics came out ok but you had to see it to believe. I bought a smart charger 16 amps before I set off and used the generator to charge up the batteries, run the fridge and power the laptop, with the solar working on the top of the van all is going well.
Cheers
Wednesday and I set off from the Scenic Look out but the weather was overcast and whilst I went to all the nominated camera locations I was not able to get good photos. Arrived at Moodini Bluff Camp6 9 and settled in for the night. Am now 650 kms from
Ceduna with no internet or TV so the music on my mobile phone got a good work out. For the most it is very plain scenery but the excitement comes from the realization that I am actually driving across the Nullabor. 
I am now 100 kms from Norseman so I must have traveled 440 kms today. Had to buy fuel at Madura, Caiguna and Balladonia all up $126 and now am staying at Frasers Range Rest Area in another free camp. What can I say about today? Kilometer after kilometer of pretty much the same scenery. There was a sign just after Caiguna pointing to a blowhole, I took the bush track for several kms until it stopped at a parking area. I got out and went on to find the blowhole, I got lost and was very worried trying to find the car or the road, fortunately the solar saved me because I remembered the position of the sun in relation to the solar. I realized that I was in the wrong direction this got me back on track and I found the car. Further on stopped and took a video of 360 degrees of nothing at all. Australia's longest straight stretch of road from Caiguna towards Balladonia some 146 kms came and
went. A little feathered friend called in to say hello, he probably was fed regularly by truckers and he has lost his fear.