Nullarbor Plain in Summer.

Tony LEE · Guru

RE: Nullarbor Plain in Summer.

Tony Bev · Guru

Hi catswhiskas, welcome to the forum

During normal times, (without any pending border travel restrictions), I usually travel over the Nullarbor (West to East), between Christmas and New Year period

I usually do the return journey (East to West), around May

Over the years I have found the wind to be unpredictable, as it always seems to change

As others have already said, if you think that the headwind is too much for your rig, then just pull over for a while

I usually stop at the free camps, so have never stopped at a caravan park, on the Nullarbor

When it is stinking hot, I usually go a bit slower, to avoid overheating the engine

The biggest danger (in my opinion), on any long trips without breaks, is that a person can get speed drunk

Sometimes there is not much traffic on the Nullarbor, (and other rural roads), so some people may go a little faster, than normal

When something unexpected happens, animal jump out, wind suddenly changes, some people may find that they are going faster, than they thought

I usually pace myself, and stop for frequent (15 minute stops), and walk around the motorhome, every couple of hours

Hope that you have a good holiday, when you come over here

villatranquilla · Guru

Left Perth 15th Dec - not hot at all - were not towing. We left Lakes Entrance 8.30am on 31st Dec , not towing, the temps as we got into Western Victoria then SA were in the high 30's/ low 40's, first night we stayed in a motel at Port Wakefield. Was cooler the next couple of daysas we headed west.
Then another trip across from lakes Entrance in late Jan/early Feb - only got hot for the last 700 k's before Perth , this trip towing van without issues.
Just look at the forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology a day or so ahead.

Whenarewethere · Guru

This is handy to see prevailing winds

https://www.windy.com/?-32.523,129.966,5

Derek Barnes · Senior Member

Through South Australia watch for the enormous amount of flies! By the time we reached the Eyre Peninsula our radiator grill was caked with a thick layer of them which took hours to remove! Surprisingly we found very few flies in Western Australia. It was only when we hit the South Australian border going East that the radiator started getting caked with flies. So remember to take something to remove all the flies from the radiator.

landy · Guru

Whenarewethere wrote:

This is handy to see prevailing winds
https://www.windy.com/?-32.523,129.966,5

Looks great thank you I think that will be very handy.

TheHeaths · Guru

Derek Barnes wrote:
Through South Australia watch for the enormous amount of flies! By the time we reached the Eyre Peninsula our radiator grill was caked with a thick layer of them which took hours to remove! Surprisingly we found very few flies in Western Australia. It was only when we hit the South Australian border going East that the radiator started getting caked with flies. So remember to take something to remove all the flies from the radiator.

Must have been an unusually fly blown day when you drove. I have lived and worked in SA for over 50 years, much of it on the west coast, and never experienced such a thing. Have had several instances of severe grass hopper plagues during the time though, especially in the north of the state.

Catwhiskas, it will be hot, flies may bother you at camp sites (but SA is no orphan with that), but you will be fine apart from that if you decide to travel. I must say it amazes me that many view the Nullarbor as a wilderness drive, and yet have no qualms with the Stuart Highway, and the highway from Kununurra to Broome, Port Hedland and down, both of which are long, hot and equally remote.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Flies are very seasonal and weather related & more often seen in cattle country but not always.
I have never had then thick on the Nullarbor and the worst was in on the Kimberley coast. Second worst was in the Simpson a couple of years ago.
Pot luck.
Cheers,
Peter

Whenarewethere · Guru

landy wrote:
Whenarewethere wrote:

This is handy to see prevailing winds
https://www.windy.com/?-32.523,129.966,5

Looks great thank you I think that will be very handy.

& just a reminder, high pressure systems coming across the Bight are anticlockwise & low pressure systems are clockwise

So then you can work out what it's going to be like for the next week.