Nullarbor Plain worst spot for crashes between vehicles and animals

kiwijims · Guru

Nullarbor Plain worst spot for crashes between vehicles and animals

Ondabeach · Senior Member

I'm with you Jim... I've only crossed the Nullarbor once, but the only animals I saw the whole way was 1/2 dozen rabbits????

Cheers, Steve.

Meredith · Senior Member

We didn't see any animals on the Nullabor when we crossed it, but we only drove well after dawn and stopped well before dusk. We definitely saw more wildlife during the day in many other places throughout WA. I think the big difference could be the number of people who drive through the night across the Nullabor.

Felicia · Guru

Crossed the Nullarbor 12 months ago and did the same as Meredith. On the way across saw 5 birds, on the way back nearly hit a roo family but it was while there was vegetation around just out of Norseman. Only other thing I saw was 8 camels way in the distance. On the way across met a young man who had totaled his ute in a service station but had left his camp site at 6.30 am.

Lynda

Bruce and Bev · Guru

we never travel before 8am and after 5-6pm and have never had an experience other than the odd roo, emu or farm animals hop or stroll across the road, but we saw them far enough off that we were not at risk of hitting them.

I agree with KiwiJim about animals on or grazing alongside the road edge in the North west. When we travelled the Nullaboor it was full daytime over 2 days and we didn't see a single, non-flying animal - not even in the distance (oh, other than Rvers dogs)

Hey Jim · Guru

I'm Allways out early. Fresh is best, before the maggets ruin the next feast. Wouldn't you agree Bruce. biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

Jim

blaze · Guru

traveled the nulla a few times now, a couple of night an early morning trips included, never struck any animal or bird. Got a good roo up inland nsw and an owl up near headland and a crow in tassie and a dog back home in smithton. I am 54 and been licenced to drive since 15 (long story) and thats my grand total of animal stikes and I just think night is the perfect time to drive, with or without the van
cheers
blaze

Hey Jim · Guru

Hi Blaze,

How the hell did you score a Crow. Still on my bucket list. smile smile smile smile

Jim

Possum3 · Guru

I hit a big red roo (on the first RFD landing strip) September last year during night driving with van on back - fortunately the bull bar pushed him down. During day light travel I've always managed to kill nothing other than 500 million grasshoppers down in Sth Australia - the "Shoo-Roos" don't seem to work with them.

kiwijims · Guru

That could be the answer, those little plastic "Shoo Roo's" , I've had a couple of them on the front of the Nissan for years, Can't say if they do work , as you can't hear the high pitched whistle they are supposed to produce, and like I said, I've never had a problem while crossing the "Sand Patch" in all of a dozen crossings.

The nearest I've come to disaster was the time a Black Fella suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, he was holding a heap of boomerangs up, trying to flog them off, that was well before the highway was sealed and those days you had to open and close a gate as you entered a Native Reserve.

Can't say I've even seen a Camel on the crossings, saw an Wombat one time, we did see a great flock of Native Budgies on one crossing, that was the trip when the mid-day temp was sitting on 53deg C , we actually saw birds dropping dead from heat exhaustion while on the wing.

"Yep" that Nullarbor can be a dangerous place for the fool hardy who don't take all the precautions, but no way as dangerous hitting a mob of Cattle up in the North.

caravan accident 1.jpg

K.J.

Oma · Guru

We have crossed there 3 times & seen not one animal!

jrg · Senior Member

Have hit several roos over 48 years of driving the majority of them in day light now dont drive at night if I can avoid and especially not towing .A great advert for a radio on our last Nullabor trip listened to 2 truckies talking about a herd of 10 camels on the edge of the road so I was prewarned didn,t see them camped up before we got there it was late in the arvo about 2pm.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

definitely uhf radio on ch 40 is the way to go and listen to the truckies. The number of warnings we have heard between them about animals (mainly sheep and cattle in northern WA) as well as breakdowns on the road or over width vehicles

pricey43 · Guru

We arrived in Norseman yesterday after taking 4 days to cross. The only roadkill we saw was on a stretch of about 80 km east of ****lebiddy. In this stretch there were plenty but otherwise maybe 1 or 2. There had been talk about the same thing on FB with people saying they saw no animals alive or dead which I found very hard to believe.

Bent Axle Bob · Senior Member

Same for me! Have made the crossing both directions several times. Thinks I have seen fewer than 5 dead animals on the road, not counting rabbits. Try driving the road between Wiluna and Meekatharra. The worst stretch of road I ever drove in regards to animal impacts was in QLD, Charters Towers to Mt Isa, in 1993. Big drought and roos and cattle were surviving on what they could find on the road verges. Dozens of carcasses littered the road.