We have conquered the Nullabor! And we are still alive and are still all friends. And it was exactly how I thought it would be - bloody boring!
Once again, I was in charge of directions and I can proudly say that we did not get lost! (it's pretty easy - drive straight for hundreds of miles. Do not turn left or right). The only thing we did lose was two teeth! And pleased to say that the tooth fairy found us on the Nullabor even though he/she found it difficult to part with my washing machine/clothes dryer gold coins.
Tom lost two teeth on the Nullabor. We think he was so bored, he wobbled them until they fell out
We started playing eye spy but quickly realised that there was not a lot to spy... So that game lasted 30 seconds into a 15-hour drive. Bella then attempted to teach the boys the macarena.
After leaving Ceduna we were initially planning on staying 493km away in Eucla. Fortunately the night before I was on WikiCamps (my new favourite app) and was reading comments and luckily I noticed that the Eucla Caravan Park has had no power for the past five months. We then decided to stay the night at Border Village but we drove straight past the roadside caravan park without seeing it (which may demonstrate the size of the park).
We therefore had to travel a further 176km to the next caravan park. We did buy petrol at Border Village (and still didn't see the caravan park) and paid $1.65 per litre which was significantly more expensive than 65km down the road at Mundrabilla at $1.43per litre. My other favourite app which tells you petrol prices in the neighbouring area - Petrol Watch - is great but not much good in the Nullabor with no telephone service!
So our night at the Nullabor was spent in Madura with the noise of the power generator draining out the tranquil sounds that make staying in the outback unique. It cost us $25 for a family of six and apparently there was hot water in the showers however I did not meet anyone who experienced a hot shower. The amenities were very basic and we decided to skip showering the children. We had a lovely night and there was something special eating a sausage in bread, in the middle of nowhere waiting for the tooth fairy.
Yep, that was exciting!
Before tackling the Nullabor it's important to plan your food particularly because you are not able to take any fruit, vegetables and honey across the border. I had lunch and snacks planned for the first day and we had sausages in bread for dinner (very creative). We bought half a loaf of frozen break for almost $5 and was told at most places to ignore the use-by-date for dairy products as most of them had been frozen. While I tried, I did not find a skinny latte and freshly made raspberry and white chocolate muffin.
Bella at the Great Australian Bight
One of the highlights of our trip was our visit to the Great Australian Bight. It had an entry fee of $7pp (or $14 for family; kids are free). While not the most spectactular shoreline, it was good to be standing on the edge of Australia and was great value for money. Just important as the places you see are the people you meet. The managers (a middle-aged couple) at the Great Australian Bight were fascinating to talk to. Their nearest neighbours were hours away. At one stage they did not leave the property for eight months with deliveries arriving every Friday night. It's just the two of them so they are admissions, shopkeeper, cleaner, tourist guide and entertainers.
The big bight
Matt and I definitely bonded even though he wore the same pair of shorts for eight days and won't sing the boy parts to the Meatloaf duets.
We were going to stay in Norseman but stopped for a break and decided we would drive another 200km to get to Esperance. It was a good decision as Esperance is a beautiful place to relax after two big days on the road.
The kids (and me) were fascinated with these golden trees
