Esperance and crossing the Nullarbor
Posted on 24 Mar 2008 |
When we know we are moving to Adelaide we decide to finally do what we’ve always wanted to do: drive across the Nullarbor. We take the kayaks and the mountain bikes and drive via Esperance, Cape Le Grand NP and Cape Arid NP via the 4wd track to the Eyre Highway. We only stay on the tarmac to ‘enjoy’ the longest straight road in Oz and get straight off it as soon as we can to drive the old Eyre highway (= dirt track). We stop a few times on the way, stay overnight at the Eyre Observatory where we take a tour of the old telegraph building and do a few short walks, we have a look at the massive cliffs of the Bight (no whales this time of year but we do see some dolphins again) and then camp the last night in Mt Remarkable NP in SA. We arrive on Friday 21 March, and meet up with Alex and Ed (who are over for Troye and Abby’s wedding the next day) for some climbing at Morialta NP.

dinner in the dark

very well camouflaged beetle

spider

procession caterpillars – you can see why they are called that…

close up of the procession caterpillar

breakfast

lots of pelicans

we take the kayaks out for a paddle

and explore the area

these beaches are the most stunning in the world

Jude kayaking

a friendly racehorse goanna

beautiful coastline

fun rocks to climb

camp site right on the beach

where we watch a seal surfing the waves

this emu is in a hurry

another swim

kangaroos on the beach

Jon

Jude

sensational sunset

a tiny mouse around our camp site

lots of lizards sunbathing on the rocks

checking for lizards

plenty of amazing hiking options here

lunch break overlooking the beach

the hiking trek continues along the beach

these are definitely the most beautiful beaches in the world!

another swim on a private beach

we ride the bikes back at the end of the hike

view from Frenchman’s Cap

isn’t this amazing

views to the ocean

we go out for another paddle

with some cool rocks as backdrop

and of course another swim

our camp site

there are some huge eagles flying around here

exploring the local beach

another great camp site

with more beautiful sunsets

another paddle

in the calm waters of the ocean

another swim…

packing up our camp site

kayaking again

this colourful frog comes for a visit at night

start of the longest stretch of straight road on the Nullarbor

many wedge tailed eagles alongside the road due to plenty of road kill

we stop at the Cocklebiddy Caves

and check them out

very impressive

great driving on the old Eyre Highway

we stop at the old telegraph station and find a camp near the ocean

sheltered from the hard wind…

we spot these beautiful and very rare Major Mitchell’s cockatoos the next morning

inside the old telegraph station

it’s been rather dry here lately

quite a rugged coastline

only 1253km left until we are in Adelaide

love these typical Australian road signs

it gets a bit dusty…

we find these old cars abandoned near an old station

we find some more cave systems on the Nullarbor

and of course some of the dromedaries roaming the deserts

some more huge caves

the great Australian Bight

and of course a selfie 🙂

a great camp site again, no need for the fly so we can look at the stars at night!

fantastic outdoor shower!