Travelling Nullabor in January

LibMon · Newbie

Travelling Nullabor in January

Whenarewethere · Guru

On another forum someone had 56C crossing the Nullarbor. If you have to go look at the BOM weather for the following week to delay the trip as needed. Quadruple check to make sure everything is mechanically ok. Carry heaps of water just in case you get stuck.

Greg 1 · Guru

Have done it a couple of times in January. It can be very hot usually high 30's low 40's but can also be pleasant in the 20's depending on the weather pattern at the time. Eucla has only had the odd day up in the higher temps this year most have been high 20's so you could strike it lucky. Usually what the south of WA is getting Eucla cops a day or so later. Further east is more affected by what's happening north of Perth and into the Pilbara so you maybe into some serious heat over S.A.. As stated, you need to carry plenty of water as the road houses are not keen on giving you any due to their own short supply so carry enough to see you through from Ceduna to Norseman.

Knight · Senior Member

Remember no road service (RACWA) until Norseman WA so if you need their assistance be prepared for a long delay.

And if confronted by a Pilot vehicle and or Police directing a wide load pull off and stop. On one journey travelling west I heard two drivers of empty cattle road trains on the radio talking about where to pull off the highway and I did the same shortly before pilot and police vehicles appeared. They were escorting two prime movers towing a many wheels trailer being pushed by a third prime mover that was as wide as the bitumen two lane roadway. The load was a transformer the size of a two bedroom cottage.

At a Norseman caravan park where I stayed until the RACWA Depot serviced my then AWD I met a man who was waiting for caravan and vehicle repairs following an accident on the Nullabor, he was asleep in the passenger's seat of a Falcon Station Wagon with his wife driving and woke as the car and caravan skidded across the highway and did a 180 degree turn to face in the opposite direction. Apparently caused when a fast moving road train passed by, the turbulence.

The rear suspension of the car was damaged and both wheels bent, the caravan also had suspension and wheel damage, but thankfully nobody was injured.

-- Edited by Knight on Friday 4th of January 2019 01:34:54 PM

-- Edited by Knight on Friday 4th of January 2019 01:35:53 PM

erad · Guru

I have done the trip both ways in February and March, and the heat can be just as bad as January. The outside thermometer was showing 52 Deg C on one of the trips, and when I went to refill the car at ****elbidy, the bowser was so hot that I had to wrap the nozzle with a rag until the fuel flow cooled it down. The return trip was a comfortable 25 Deg C, so it is all a matter of luck with the weather. Be prepared for the worst and you probably won't get it.

LLD · Guru

Timely post as I am planning on travelling Nullabor in mid Feb and back early April. Talked to some people from Esperance in Port Lincoln a few years ago in mid-Feb. They were heading back home and were more concerned about wind than heat. It had been 40 in Whyalla & Port Augusta a week earlier.

Meredith · Senior Member

It will likely be very hot and you should try to ensure your vehicle is in good condition and that you carry plenty of water. But lots of vehicles cross it every day, including in January, while its a long hot trip its not exactly remote these days, and Telstra phones should have coverage the whole way across. Though of course as somebody mentioned earlier if you break down don't expect road service to get to you without a very long wait.

Possum3 · Guru

Early in the year the prevailing winds are Westerly so no problems coming from WA to SA - If going other way plan to travel only in the early mornings to miss driving into the wind. It can seriously dent the fuel budget if travelling against the wind.
Plenty of traffic on the Highway so no problems as long as vehicle/s are well serviced. there is fuel available (at a premium price) but any price is cheap when running low.

Whenarewethere · Guru

It's a long way between mechanics out there & you feel very vulnerable WHEN something goes wrong. Last trip we had 3 punctured tyres in WA last year. Make sure you have good tyres including the spare. Get a tyre repair kit, top quality compressor (don't even think about a $100 job), pressure gauge. Also get TPMS so you will catch a flat tyre early & stop straight away before it is destroyed, so you can in general repair it & keep it going & still have a spare.

Last week in Kosciuszko NP at the end of Long Plain Road a 4WD punctured a tyre with a rock. They had no ability to repair the tyre. Their spare was flat & was well over a decade old! So I pumped up the spare, we repaired the puncture with 3 plugs (if you get to 10 plugs it is probably worth giving up), it was a pretty bad hole but they should be able to limp back slowly if they get another puncture. They probably got the puncture because the tyres were at 44 PSI cold (49 hot).

Someone else had started to help changing the tyre, but had no tyre plugs, he had a cheap compressor in the back of his 4WD but it did not work, so what is the point!

It is not difficult to repair a puncture other than trying to push the plug in in smaller holes. But being able to repair a tyre a long way from help gives you more back up with flat tyres and a LOT of peace of mind when something goes wrong!

Builders gloves will save your knuckles jacking up the car!

Get some windscreen sun shades & cut them to fit the side windows (see photo below) will take a bit load off the air conditioning stopping heat entering the car. A light weight white cloth to put on the passenger's lap to reflect the sun's heat in the afternoon travelling west. Also we propped up a baby wire rim sun shade for the passenger. Good to keep the passenger comfortable & alert for everyone's benefit & keep up the water supply!

Also allow for strong head winds, that will dramatically increase fuel consumption. We had a tailwind half way & a strong head wind the other half. Refuelling near Eucla, between buying fuel at Esperance, topping up at Norseman & refuelling at Ceduna:

erad · Guru

I have to disagree with Meredith above re Telstra coverage all the way. I strongly suspect hat it has not changed over the years. There are towers, but they do not have any Telstra mobile aerials on them. You get coverage at r near the roadhouses and that is about it. However, should you fail to proceed. there will be plenty of cars & trucks travelling each way. Just be prepared to wait in the hot weather , so have plenty of water at least with you, and don't leave the vehicle should you stop when you don't want to.'

There are a few lookouts along the way. They have gone to a lot of trouble to put in access roads,so make the effort and go and have a look at what they are showing you. At Eucla, make the effort and go down to the old telegraph station - it is interesting. If you have the time and energy, make the extra 500 km walk out to the beach there and look at the pier as well. Worth the trouble.

Be prepared to pay through the nose for fuel along the way as well. It is expensive, but if you want to travel outback, you have to pay for the privilege.

Whenarewethere · Guru

erad wrote:
If you have the time and energy, make the extra 500 km walk out to the beach there and look at the pier as well. Worth the trouble.

'500 km'..... the sand must have increased! There is a golf marker on the old telegraph station if interested. World's longest golf course.

The pier is quite photographic at the right angle plus all the birds.

If coming in from the east you can drive down the hill, & out to the left at roughly at the bottom of the hill, dirt road. We didn't stay overnight down there but spoke to someone who stayed in their caravan for a few nights.

Wear a hat & sun glasses as the glare is pretty intense off the sand.

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

Crossing the Nullarbor in summer? NO! NO! That is a winter trip only for well equipped vehicles.

Driving the Eyre Highway? Perhaps if you rely on the BOM site to get you some cooler weather!

We lived at Ceduna for 15 years - the hottest there in the 1980s was 48.5 degrees (it was nice in the sea after work). On that day, out west we (Telstra) had a couple of chaps working. It was 53 degrees in the shade of the building - so hot that a crow came in looking for water (it was given some) but then the fellows had issues trying to chase it out - it thought it was in paradise!
One time we had a failure & I was flown out (courtesy of our visiting engineer's plane) to the site near Head of Bight. The rack that held the faulty unit normally was at room temperature (approx. 25 deg). This day, the rack was 55 degrees!

You don't need to be driving in those temperatures - wait until a cold front comes through & travel behind it.
Travel sensibly, ensure your car is ready for the trip (serviced), carry basic spares & you should be ok. Overloading with more spares, too much water & fuel only puts more strain on your car.

I'm not certain if they still do it but the SA Police at Ceduna used to run a patrol (on the bitumen road) - to Eucla one day, back the next.

Look at & photograph the cliffs at the viewing areas - do not go too close to the edge as they are unstable.

I have just copied the Telstra mobile coverage map out - there is a dead area from about Nullarbor Stn (roadhouse) to about BP Border Village but up on the Nullarbor, if you are adventurous, it would pay to have a sat phone.

And REMEMBER if you are carrying fruit, veges and honey - COOK it, EAT it before you reach Eucla or Ceduna. It & any cardboard boxes that have held fruit will not remain in your possession. At Eucla, they are real "Little Hitlers" - they check everything!

Greg 1 · Guru

The Eyre Hwy is really a bit of a doddle these days if you are well prepared but you really don't need to go overboard. I have been travelling that road since the early 60's when there was 1600k's of dirt. Lost count of how many times I have been across. You are never more than 100k's from a roadhouse and lots of traffic Drive safe stay alert and enjoy the trip

Meredith · Senior Member

erad wrote:
I have to disagree with Meredith above re Telstra coverage all the way. I strongly suspect hat it has not changed over the years. There are towers, but they do not have any Telstra mobile aerials on them. You get coverage at r near the roadhouses and that is about it. However, should you fail to proceed. there will be plenty of cars & trucks travelling each way. Just be prepared to wait in the hot weather , so have plenty of water at least with you, and don't leave the vehicle should you stop when you don't want to.'

There are a few lookouts along the way. They have gone to a lot of trouble to put in access roads,so make the effort and go and have a look at what they are showing you. At Eucla, make the effort and go down to the old telegraph station - it is interesting. If you have the time and energy, make the extra 500 km walk out to the beach there and look at the pier as well. Worth the trouble.

Be prepared to pay through the nose for fuel along the way as well. It is expensive, but if you want to travel outback, you have to pay for the privilege.

The Nullabor coverage has changed fairly dramatically over the past few years, without an external aerial we were able to get Telstra coverage for all but a few km along the road when we travelled it last year, a couple of years before that it was good for all but a couple of hundred km.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Not sure how reliable it might be, but Telstra coverage across the Nullarbor has improved considerably since my last trip -

Telstra Coverage 01.JPG

Cheers - John

Tony Bev · Guru

I have just crossed the Nullarbor (west to east), between Boxing Day and New Year, (close enough to January)

It was hot, and for whatever reason, the winds were the strongest I have known, in that area

My advice to anyone, is to never put yourself on a strict time frame, and to drive to the conditions

In my opinion, on any long journey, slower with plenty of short stops, is much safer than going faster to get there, before you fall asleep at the wheel

It was hot in plenty of places during the last few days, not only on the Nullarbor

It is only just cooling down in the Adelaide area

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Take it easy . If driving into head wind ? I found camping up early . Chances are? In the morning the wind would have changed direction .

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

From the perspective of vehicle and personal safety, 45C+ combined with a strong tail wind (NW) is not uncommon and many vehicles will fail to cope.
The prospect of broken down or failed tyres with no respite and no A/C in sight should not be taken lightly.
Cheers,
Peter

-- Edited by Peter_n_Margaret on Saturday 5th of January 2019 10:22:54 AM

Hetho · Senior Member

Im at Balladonia now,

24 at lunch time, 22 all day yesterday Steaky Bay to Boarder Village.

Regards.

Hetho

Ausdigga · Member

I hope the caption for the first pic wasnt , " All those fuel cans and no b@%#@y" nozzle !

Rob Driver · Guru

Hi, Rob here,
We operated trucks across there for many years in all seasons and summer will take its toll on any vehicle or person who is under prepared.
Probably considering the elements, the winds can be the biggest problems followed very closely by the daytime temperatures.
We tried to take advantage of night travel but that has its own set of problems with the wildlife out there.
It has been said, take your time, pick the better days for travel, dont travel at night, ensure your vehicle and van or trailer has good tyres and they are at the correct pressures.
Carry water, some food and ensure spare tyres and wheels are completely serviceable.
Ensure you have enough fuel as wind can make a huge difference with consumption.
Actually most of us have advised nothing more than what a traveller should be doing on any outback road in Australia at any time of the year.
As far as phone service is concerned the service from Telstra is or at least was, far better than the other main prime carriers.
Dont fall for maps which are notoriously out of date and dont rely on individual reports because of the variety of phones available will vary greatly with service from brand to brand.
A phone antenna may be useful again depending on the phone brand.
Angie changed our phones to another provider on the Telstra service with no problems with coverage but we all used I phones.
If you feel you need phone support then get a Sattelite phone.
Your question, would you cross he nullabor in Jan.?
Yes just do it wth thought and respect for the outback.
Travel safe and enjoy the journey.

regards Rob.

-- Edited by bentaxlebabe on Saturday 5th of January 2019 09:01:56 PM

Whenarewethere · Guru

As said above don't travel at night & be very careful dawn & dusk but you should stop well before dusk!

Put a black cloth or black T-shirt on the dashboard to cut back dashboard reflections. Little things make driving easier.

Some of the trucks out there, warning sign in the north that make you sit up & think, 7.8 L/100 tailwind (photo) & 11.5 L/100 headwind (no photo).

blaze · Guru

I am going to disagree with some comments
I feel in summer the best and coolest time to travel is at night and early morning
The temps are lower and the wind is a lot less than the day
Pull up about 10 am and have a sleep before temps get to high
Do you sight seeing in the hottest part of the day
Catch a few more hour sleep from about 6pm
Back on the road by 10pm
I have never had an animal strike on the Nulla and seen more in daylight hours than at night
99% of drivers at night are pro drivers (less dickheads)
That's how I do my crossing of the Nulla

Cheers
Blaze

Ps

your fuel economy will be better in the cooler air at night also

-- Edited by blaze on Sunday 6th of January 2019 12:49:56 AM

Ger08 · Senior Member

The Nullarbor is an amazing trip and not that daunting as some seem to think. We did it in July - a lot cooler than January and throughly enjoyed it. Carry a couple of jerry cans and that will save a few dollars at some of high cost roadhouses and I would certainly carry a bit of extra water as well.

Telstra coverage is surprisingly good and we had coverage for a significant part of the crossing.

Knight · Senior Member

Reading the above comments on communications in remote areas where even Telstra towers are out of range, I purchased a personal GPS tracking device: SPOT GEN3

It is compact and light and you register it and your personal details on the world wide satellite network and then the following suctions are available;

S.O.S.: push a button GEOS International Emergency provides your GPS coordinates to local response groups.

TRACKING: Record your travels and share with family and friends who can locate SPOT via Google Maps or post to SPOT ADVENTURES

CHECK-IN: Let family and friends know you arrived safely at each destination even when you're outside of mobile phone coverage. Also you can send pre-programmed in SPOT text messages

HELP/SPOT: Alert your personal contacts that you need help in non-life threatening situations. Or use it to contact professional services on land.

And other services available. I understand that this device is used by many businesses and individuals who work in remote areas

website

FindMeSPOT.com/Gen3

On line shop Australia

https://satstore.pivotel.com.au

-- Edited by Knight on Sunday 6th of January 2019 08:53:30 AM

Knight · Senior Member

Another point regarding communications, 3G/4G Tesltra network is still the best and widest coverage service.

Look for a phone with the BLUE TICK country phone identification as they perform better, longer distance from the towers.

Add an antenna and car kit phone holder, a glass mounted antenna is good ensuring that the antenna is above the vehicle rooftop height. Some mount them on a bullbar or nudge bar but that, even with a longer antenna, tends to reduce reception from and to following vehicles and mobile towers behind.

All travellers in remote areas should have a UHF radio to receive and send messages, the truck drivers really appreciate it when a driver communicates and invites them to overtake when ready and then back off when they overtake, that is when the truck is on the right hand side, not while still behind your vehicle. Radio also receives Police messages, and if your vehicle has broken down and there is no mobile phone coverage you can ask a passing vehicle for help.

I have received police warnings about accidents on the road ahead and other hazards, including a couple of families of indigenous people trying to get vehicles to stop north of Coober Pedy.

blaze · Guru

Knight wrote:
Another point regarding communications, 3G/4G Tesltra network is still the best and widest coverage service.

Look for a phone with the BLUE TICK country phone identification as they perform better, longer distance from the towers.

Add an antenna and car kit phone holder, a glass mounted antenna is good ensuring that the antenna is above the vehicle rooftop height. Some mount them on a bullbar or nudge bar but that, even with a longer antenna, tends to reduce reception from and to following vehicles and mobile towers behind.

All travellers in remote areas should have a UHF radio to receive and send messages, the truck drivers really appreciate it when a driver communicates and invites them to overtake when ready and then back off when they overtake, that is when the truck is on the right hand side, not while still behind your vehicle. Radio also receives Police messages, and if your vehicle has broken down and there is no mobile phone coverage you can ask a passing vehicle for help.

I have received police warnings about accidents on the road ahead and other hazards, including a couple of families of indigenous people trying to get vehicles to stop north of Coober Pedy.

Cant call the Nulla reomote travel, even at night there would be a vehicle going past every 1/2 hr. Don't disagree with your other statements but don't confuse the Nulla with remote

cheers

blaze

rockylizard · Guru

bentaxlebabe wrote:
Hi, Rob here,
SNIP~~~It has been said, take your time, pick the better days for travel, don't travel at night, ensure your vehicle and van or trailer has good tyres and they are at the correct pressures.
Carry water, some food and ensure spare tyres and wheels are completely serviceable.
Ensure you have enough fuel as wind can make a huge difference with consumption.
Actually most of us have advised nothing more than what a traveller should be doing on any outback road in Australia at any time of the year.~~~SNIP

Travel safe and enjoy the journey.
regards Rob.

Gday...

I agree with ya Rob ... good advice for travelling this wide, brown and exciting country.

I have 'done' the Nullarbor a few times and from the first time, I find it underwhelming. Even taking three weeks my first time to do Ceduna to Norseman and visiting all the side-trips - the actual Eyre Hwy is a very high quality, wide, busy road.

It is difficult to really classify it as 'a remote journey' - especially compared to a few decades ago.

There's roadhouses every 100Km or so and there is constant traffic - day and night.

Whilst the traveller on the Eyre Hwy is away from 'serious' vehicle repair/maintenance outlets, there are some 'bush mechanics' at the roadhouses with experience if not 'pertinent model' knowledge. Struth there is now mobile coverage for probably 70% of the journey with only 'gaps' between roadhouses.

One of my favourite 'remote' journeys is from Winton QLD to Boulia to Mt Isa.

There is very little, if any, traffic on that road, and fuel is only available at Winton then Boulia (360Km), Djarra and The Isa. There are no places for any mechanical assistance - irrespective of the vehicle one drives.

Road is sealed all the way albeit single lane so if the traveller meets an oncoming vehicle - eg road train - then one needs to get completely off the seal and let the other vehicle have priority - not the law ... jest common sense.

Mobile phone coverage is non-existent except for in the towns of Winton, Boulia, Djarra and The Isa. UHF CB is invaluable out here - although one has very few to chat to.

There is fantastic scenery for the whole journey. There are lots of places to get off the 'highway' and camp in the bush so take ya time.

I took 11 days to get from Winton to Boulia and then four days up to The Isa.

Winton to Mt Isa 01.JPG

I am sure others have their own little 'favourite' truly remote drives.

Cheers - stay well, travel safely, be prepared and enjoy it on the road - John

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

As a few have pointed out above, there are some wonderful sights to see. Some are easy - eg the SA Govt made cliff viewing areas, some not so easy (you either have to know where they are or have a local/former local tell you about them).

There are blowholes that connect with the coast with cool air blowing, some are neutral depending on the wind at the source, some are sucking air down. We found that a kestrel (one of Australia's small hawks) had nested about 800mm down one just off the old highway to the east of the Nullarbor Roadhouse with air conditioned comfort, free from predators.
And there are caves with or without stalagmites/stalactites, with or without water (the latter mainly from Eucla onwards). Koonalda Cave is one of the more famous with bones & fossils dating back well before man came to the area. The Gurney family planted their fruit trees in it. Wee Bubby Cave supplies the Eucla motel with its water.

For the average tourist who wants to travel the highway without stopping because it is "boring", do your thing & go! For people who are more interested in nature, do your research, get a DCA (aircraft) map, come back in the cooler weather & enjoy what we used to see in out lunch breaks, after work.

For those who are looking for adventure, try the track across the Nullarbor (alongside the rail line) - BUT NOT IN SUMMER! If that's not on, I'm sorry as you've missed out as the old Eyre Highway was realigned & finally sealed in 1976.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Warren-Pat_01 wrote:
As a few have pointed out above, there are some wonderful sights to see. Some are easy - eg the SA Govt made cliff viewing areas, some not so easy (you either have to know where they are or have a local/former local tell you about them).

There are blowholes that connect with the coast with cool air blowing, some are neutral depending on the wind at the source, some are sucking air down. We found that a kestrel (one of Australia's small hawks) had nested about 800mm down one just off the old highway to the east of the Nullarbor Roadhouse with air conditioned comfort, free from predators.
And there are caves with or without stalagmites/stalactites, with or without water (the latter mainly from Eucla onwards). Koonalda Cave is one of the more famous with bones & fossils dating back well before man came to the area. The Gurney family planted their fruit trees in it. Wee Bubby Cave supplies the Eucla motel with its water.

For the average tourist who wants to travel the highway without stopping because it is "boring", do your thing & go! For people who are more interested in nature, do your research, get a DCA (aircraft) map, come back in the cooler weather & enjoy what we used to see in out lunch breaks, after work.

For those who are looking for adventure, try the track across the Nullarbor (alongside the rail line) - BUT NOT IN SUMMER! If that's not on, I'm sorry as you've missed out as the old Eyre Highway was realigned & finally sealed in 1976.

Couple of corrections needed here...

The blowholes "blow" because of the heating and cooling of the air underground. Nothing to do with any connection to the coast.

"We Bubby" is actually "Webubbie" - here is a pic of it taken in 1954. It is not open to tourists.

1954 Nullarbor - Weebubbie Cave 2E.jpg

There were 2 Gurney families on the Nullarbor.

Cyril Gurney had Koonalda Station and Roy Gurney had Nullarbor Station. The Government forcibly acquired the leases after Cyril passed away and turned them into National Parks in 1989. The Gurneys at Koonalda used a blow hole to cool their house. Trevor Gurney (Cyril's son) who I met in 1954 (when we were both 9 years old) still lives west of Ceduna. I met him again in 2017 for the first time since 1954.

This is a pic of Koonalda Cave in 1954. Yours truly in the foreground.

1954 Nullarbor - Koonalda 3E.jpg

Lastly, it is illegal to drive the track along the Trans Continental Railway without a permit and they will not issue one. This applies Rawlinna in WA to the turnoff to Googs Track about 50km west of Tarcoola in SA.

Cheers,

Peter