We rested up for two nights before continuing west to spend some time in the historic goldfields region. In between, youll find only a few things to disrupt your train of. Crossing the southern part of australia means crossing the nullarbor just above the great australian bite. Though the events were more than 50 years ago, i was haunted by the spectacle of miserable aborigines begging and trying to sell souvenirs to passengers on the eastbound transaustralian train at ooldea, sa, on the eastern fringe of the nullarbor plain. Even though the nullarbor has very harsh weather conditions it is home to a surprising amount of animals. The nullarbor plain is best known for being the worlds largest piece of limestone, but what lies within this otherworldly bioregion is far more memorable to those who traverse it. The grey nomads is an informative website about openroad travelling and holidays within australia. Southern right whales, which can grow to 18 metres.
Anyone who may have seen the crash is asked to call crime stoppers. Do not enter a cave system without the proper training and equipment. My wife and i are looking to drive from brisbane to canberra and across the nullarbor to perth and return. We run amazing tours from perth to adelaide and adelaide to perth so you can see and experience the wonder of the relatively unexplored area of australia the nullabor plain the nullarbor and the great australian bight blow your mind as you are amazed by remote national parks, stunning bush scenery and during. As a result, this article has been written to supply information which will assist with future expedition planning. Achieve todays challenge and create a nullarbor disco for the trees. The nullarbor is the worlds largest karst system and nul2 contains the majority of cave in this system.
Nullarbor plain is the section of southern land between norseman in western australia and ceduna in south australia. Information and translations of nullarbor plain in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The best time for whale watching in this region, however, is between july and september. From the colour and vibrancy of the pilbara, our hema nomad explorers headed southeast to traverse a section of australia famous for being devoid of almost anything. Make the most out of your outdoor adventure by paying the whales a visit on the nullarbor. Head of bight whale watching centre great australian bight, nullarbor highway, nullarbor 5690 rated 4. The cliffs were formed when australia separated from antarctica approximately 65 million years ago and are made up of fossiliferous limestone called wilson limestone.
If the term middle of nowhere ever meant anything, it must certainly apply to the remote railway town of cook, sa. Southern right whales are the mainly what you will find but youll also see some humpback whales as they migrate to wa at the same time. In june 1998, a small party of divers left for a 12 day trip to dive four nullarbor caves. Head of the bight is one of the best places to watch the whales. We have a 3 year old camry ateva which has only done 21,000km so should be no. The south coast of australia, between adelaide and perth, has a much less extreme climate than many other areas of the country particularly in comparison to places along the northwest coast that you might encounter on a journey north from perth to broome. Whalewatching at the head of the bight a nullarbor. Cross southern australia by rail on this epic adventure that includes a twonight train trip on the historic indian pacific train. If you are travelling across the nullarbor, a free hard copy of the nullarbor map is available from the ceduna, kalgoorlieboulder and norseman visitor centres. I stop out of curiosity at the yalata roadhouse right and am seriously the only white face there. Nullarbor traveller our local experts for south australia and western australia. Our trip across the nullarbor the grey nomads travel. It contains widely scattered collapse dolines and a few hundred caves, some of which are large and. This area supports an extensive network of dolines sinkholes, blowholes, caves and underground caverns, which have been created over thousands of years by water dissolving and eroding.
Id just decamped from my red kangaroo daynight seat to the lounge car for a better view. Basically meaning no trees the nullarbor plain is the worlds largest single exposure of limestone bedrock, and occupies an area of about 200,000 square kilometres, stretching about 1,100 kilometres from east to west across the border between south australia and western australia. It is the worlds largest limestone karst landscape covering an area. This area is a natural breeding ground for whales you might be lucky enough to. Dolphins, wombats, platypus you name it, we love seeing it in the wild. Driving across the nullarbor plain tourism australia. The nullarbor plain is the largest arid karst area in australia 220 000 km 2 and is divided into extensive closed karstic depressions separated by low rocky ridges, while the dominant vegetation is chenopod shrubland.
The whale watching platform here is one of the worlds best landbased vantage points to see a whale nursery. Located near the nullarbor plain in the states far west coast, the head of the bight is one of the best whale watching sites in the world. Nullarbor roadhouse is 182km east of the state border and sells fuel, food, drinks and ice and offers motel accommodation and a camp ground more suited to vehicle based campers and caravans the head of bight turnoff is 14km on and 11km in reaches the carpark. If you love australian wildlife and outdoor experiences download this list. It was first crossed by explorer john eyre in 1841. The great australian bight marine park is south of the nullarbor plain and adjacent to the south. The nullarbor plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semiarid country of southern australia, located on the great australian bight coast with the great victoria desert to its north. Be familiar with all equipment before you use it, and definitely before you use it in a critical situation. The book is complemented by numerous historical and contemporary photographs and. Its easy to imagine the nullarbor as it must have been millions of years ago when it was thought to be a vast seabed. The plain is a great limestone plain which is porous and does not hold water, making vegetation difficult to grow and people to live. Whale watching on the gold coast if youd rather keep your feet on the ground but still yearn for the special experience of seeing a whale, australias east coast is. One hundred kilometres north of the great australian bight, cook is smack in the middle of the featureless nullarbor plain.
Since european settlement there has been considerable change in the vegetation, with significant reduction in shrub and grass. Videos nullarbor links the worlds longest golf course. The nullarbor plain is a remote limestone plain, which because of the porous nature of the rock has no surface water, but a lot of caves and some blow holes. Whale watching on the nullarbor its a long way to go but it is worth the drive. The nullarbor cliffs literally feel like the end of the. Nullarbor head of bight whale watching tours youtube. From some areas of the cliff tops you can go fishing or see migrating whales offshore. The area bears little resemblance to the rest of the nullarbor plain, with a range of granite hills and hardwood eucalypt forest. Alternatively its now also possible to download a nullarbor map app from. Travel guide and general information for the region between norseman in wa to ceduna in sa, plus. The name comes from bad latin meaning no trees but in fact there is vegetation, this is not the sahara, most of the way you will see low scrub, but yes there are no trees. Nullarbor bioregion has been considered for nomination as a world heritage site, indicating its significance and uniqueness. Nullarbor means no trees in poor latin, which is exactly what you will see as you drive through sections of the nullarbor. Caves of the nullarbor plains are considered to be of world importance.
More than that, they sing, frolic, lop, dive and do somersaults. The roadhouse sells fuel, food, drinks and ice and offers motel accommodation and a camp ground more suited to. It is the worlds largest single exposure of limestone bedrock, and occupies an area of about. Whales begin to gather at head of bight accomnews australia. Crossing the nullarbor australia, ceduna, south australia. He had described it as a blot on the face of nature and the sort of place one gets into in bad dreams. The nullarbor plain stretches between norseman in western australia and. The nullarbor plain starts in western australia in norseman which is a two hour drive south of kalgoorlie. This article is authored by melbourne based divers and includes the expenses.
The plain itself covers around 200,000km 2, and is gutted east to west by the ramrod straight eyre highway, which begins at the wa end at norseman and terminates almost 1700km later in sas port augusta. The 14th and 15th holes of nullarbor links at the town golf club were dispatched very promptly with my trusty 5iron. Located near the nullarbor plain in the states far. Best time for whale watching in australia about australia. After such a wonderful run of warm, sunny weather, geraldton heralded our instant return to the cold. The 18hole par 72 golf course spans 1,365 kilometres with one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the eyre highway, from kalgoorlie in western australia to ceduna in south australia. What to expect nullarbor means no tree, and the terrain of the plains is a great reflection of that, but. The best time of year to travel from perth to adelaide. Crossing the nullarbor has become a rite of passage for. Your escorted tour of australia begins with three nights in sydneywith sightseeing that includes the famous opera house, a visit to bondi beach, and a cruise on sydney harbour. The vegetation is predominantly chenopod, with a number of bluebush and saltbush species, sometimes with a scattered overstorey of.
Two dead in nullarbor crash, near balladonia perthnow. The bunda cliffs are the spectacular highlight of the nullarbor plain and can be accessed at several lookout points along the coast west of nullarbor roadhouse. Nullarbor national park, wilderness protection area and regional. Vegetation change, erosion risk and land management on the. Whale watching on the nullarbor its a long drive but its worth it. Splashfree sightseeing the head of the bight is known throughout the country for its impressive landbased viewing of whales migrating to south australia. Crossing the nullarbor plain by car ceduna message board. The nullarbor plain is a large, flat and arid area of south australia and western australia which is almost treeless. It is recognisable from orbit because of many unusual features including what at first looks like an enormous bite taken out of its southern edge. While summers are hot, winter is a much milder affair, as soon as you begin. Crossing the nullarbor australia cave diving nullarbor. The nullarbor plain nullus arbor meaning no trees extends north from the eyre highway up to the transcontinental railway line and west in western australia.
There was barely a hint of dawn in the inky sky, but i looked. Fraser range is a working sheep station, the first property to be founded on the nullarbor plain, back in 1872. Nullarbor roadhouse offers petfriendly accommodations in nullarbor plain. The nullarbor roadhouse is a welcome sight, where i stop for a good lunch ie not deepfried. Great australian bight marine park australian marine parks. The head of the bight is located 20 kilometres to the east of nullarbor roadhouse. If you travel the nullarbor between june october, you can spot whales off the coast. The magnificent bunda cliffs extend approximately 100km along the great australian bight from border village to the east of head of bight.
Pdf karst evolution of the nullarbor plain, australia. The first southern right whales have arrived at australias head of bight. The nullarbor plain a history is recommended reading for persons travelling through the nullarbor and for those interested in the australian landscape. Driving across the nullarbor everything you need to know. Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. Despite its flat and reputedly featureless landscape, the nullarbor offers the. This is where the beaches meet the cliffs and a whale watching platform sees action between may and october. The nullarbor plain of southeastern australia, 200,000 km2 in area, is flat and mostly treeless.
The driver of the vehicle is believed to be an 81year. After a refuel, we checked out the town and i checked out a meat pie from the local cafe. At the head of the bight you can see a unique whale nursery from the top of the bunda cliffs and experience the isolation of the nullarbor plain one of our favourite travelling activities is nature spotting. It is particularly directed toward those who are arranging their first excursion into the west.