Post 6 Madura Pass - The Great Australian Bight - Streaky Bay SA

Wednesday 8^th July 2015

It's a week since we left home. In some ways it feels like it has gone by quickly yet in others it feels like we have been away long a long time.. We were awake early and decided to just take the hand brake off and roll down the hill for breakfast  Madura Roadhouse– well not really but it felt like that’s what we did. As we drove along a ute with an Oversize warning sign and orange flashing lights  on its roof headed  towards us – we couldn’t even see the actual wide load on the horizon, it eventually came into sight a good 5 mins later when the warning ute was long gone.

The quiet beauty of the Nullabor

 We all know I love my shops, cafes and cities but there really is a different kind of attraction out here, where instead of buildings my eyes rest on stretched out plains of low vegetation  By turning my attention to the left side of the car I see the gentle folds of the scrap wrap around the plains and the road, as if to protect us. Loving this country 

Yet another phone tower pops up in the middle of nowhere.  At least there’s not too much distance without communication if an emergency was to occur.

We went past Mundrabilla- roadhouse and motel in the blink of the eye. Every so often we see a group of crows playing with a sleeping roo (roadkill) . Moose always jokes about them trying to wake it up – he’s a barrel of laughs!



Swimming pool with ocean views

The scenery changed as we drove towards Eucla pass. White sand hills stand out against the grey saltbush. To the right a glimpse of the ocean reminds us we are not in the centre of Australia. The road house has modernised their frontage. This gave me hope that they had upgraded their coffee machine to enable it to make a trendy skinny flat white was available Moose topped up the fuel tank and Bonnie woke up from her travelling coma.

Garden dining area



 

New frontage on Eucla Roadhouse

Long way to everywhere from here

The improvements here were amazing. They include a beautiful garden dining area, a pool with ocean views and the good coffee. Moose gave a 5 star rating to the bread and butter pudding and I have to say the chocolate muffins with the secret chocolate sauce inside are to die for (not a secret any more).

Fruit & veg check for leaving SA entering WA

Big Rooey at Border Roadhouse

Border road house appears just before the official checkpoint not for drugs but fruit and veg. This is the check point for entering WA from SA so our stocks were safe for a little while longer. But we did loose one and a half hours too. While it is 11.15 in WA, it is 12.45 in SA. 




I feel the Crazy man on his push bike might regret his decision to ride across the Nullarbor when the predicted bad weather arrives.

 

 

 

 

We chatted with another crazy push bike rider and a family who had shared our camp site last night. Bonnie provided pet therapy to the kids, letting them think they were telling her to sit while we all know she was just getting comfortable for a pat, while we took in the view.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Photos taken and campsite details exchanged we were back on the road. Our next stop was at the Nullabor roadhouse.

This was Yaks favourite stop as a child so it was appropriate he should ring as we pulled in. On hearing where we where he whale song to his favourite whale.  A beautiful cement monument.

 

 

Steve pointed out the old Nullarbor road which runs alongside the one we drive on for now but further in land in other spots, it is a single lane dirt track. I can’t imagine travelling the length of the Nullarbor on a dirt road with no air con or heating or even comfortable seating but photos at the roadhouses prove it was done.

Narrow dirt road is the old main road

From a long way away we could see the flashing of police

lights which turned out to be a Double police escorted wide load. Two trucks each carrying half of a haul pak truck which are the big mining tip trucks. I was impressed with the size of these things and stood taking photos as they came into the roadhouse.

 

 

The caravan park was filling up fast, even though Moose and I are good for a chat - we are not so good at "group" camping. This trip we are all for finding a spot with a great view and no people - a hard call I know but we will try our best! 

 We drove 14 kms down the road to the road that lead to “The Head of the Bight” Whale watching look out. There was a free campsite just outside the gates to the lookout. An old hall was available for back packers or crazy bike riders.  A few other campers came in shortly after us but we all had plenty of room to spread out




 Our Australian Bight Sunset

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday 9^th July 2015

We awoke bright and early at 5.00 am with rain lightly tapping the roof of the van. I decided to cook crumpets for Breakfast, this involved buttering them then turning them upside down in the frying pan. They taste great but they tend to cause smoke alarms to go off. There was much waving of newspapers in the direction of the alarms guiding the smoke out the roof vents. Which let out a bit of the heat too. It’s so cold losing any heat is not a good thing. Moose had set up the gas heater to come on at 5.30 am making it a little easier to get out of bed on a cold morning.

So once the smoke emergency was dealt with and crumpets eaten we headed off for some Whale watching.  Luckily the scenery was amazing from the look out as there wasn’t a lot of Whale action. In the distance we could see a couple of Whale heads bobbing, a couple of water spouts and the odd tail sightings.  

The breeze was brisk but the sun took the bite out of it.  We spent our time enjoying watching the ocean, taking in the

 

Bunda Limestone Cliff faces and taking turns looking out to sea with the three young overseas tourists from the combi van that shared our campsite last night. A very pleasant way to start the day 

There wasn’t anything at Yalata roadhouse to entice us stop but just up the road I made Moose pull over at Nundroo, as this was the famous spot where Tomas (eldest son) and his partner in crime Ayden had to wait for help, after writing off Tomas’ car when they hit a kangaroo on their return trip from the Adelaide Fringe Festival, earlier this year. I popped in for some tourist memento for a crap Christmas present but there wasn’t much to be had. Chatting with the young guy behind the counter he informed me the story had become local legend, involving the two guys who caught a taxi to Ceduna. The funny bit was the story had gathered momentum and it is claimed the two tourists were not only entertainers (which they were) but were German (which they are not).

We headed towards Ceduna, I had been napping due to our early start when I felt the car had changed direction. Sure enough Moose was pulling over for a nap too so I suggested he head into the caravan for a decent stretch and sleep. As he and Bonnie enjoyed their break from the road I sat watching a pile of grey nomads who had noticed our van pulled up and decided to join us. Moose woke up to caravans set up all around us. Their faces were priceless as they watched us pull out onto the road again.

Our mission was to get to Streaky bay for the night. The town of Penong came into sight shortly after their racing club caught my eye. Farmland stretches out in front of us with Rustic windmills begging for a photo to be taken of them but Moose has assured me we have one from the last time we came through. The sun is shining while light rain hits the windscreen.  Moose has been merrily giving the “driver wave” that is both hands on the wheel while raising a finger or two of acknowledgement when another traveller goes past on the opposite side of the road. We have discussed a campaign needs to be activated to reintroduce this travelling tradition as few have returned his wave. 

The country side is a rich green with healthy trees full of new growth. Moose points out the Stobie poles which are concrete electricity poles.  This was because there wasn’t a lot of wood around to make wooden ones. People looked at us strangely when we would talk of a “Stobie pole” when we first moved to Perth from Adelaide.

 We travelled along happily listening to the radio until we arrived in Ceduna, this is the fruit and vegetable quarantine check point for us pesky West Australians coming into South Australia. We lost our zucchini, mushrooms and salad veg to the confiscation bin but got to keep our potatoes and carrots. All was forgiven a couple of metres down the road at the Ceduna Roadhouse, this place has just about everything to replenish the van and good coffee.




We then drove along the foreshore as in past trips Moose would have a paddle break here but it’s a little late in the travelling day to take the ski off the car so Moose felt happy just checking it out.  It wasn’t too long before the calm waters of Streaky bay were in front of us. We pulled into the Foreshore Caravan Park and have a site which is set in the perfect location turn right outside the van and there is a café for me, turn left and there is paddling water for Moose.

Our Streaky Bay Sunset

Seaside Moose & Happy to Stop Moz signing out x