The Nullarbor continued

The smell of smoke woke us at dawn as fellow campers stoked the open fire, and again the sunrise was captivating.

We hit the road early, continuing along the straight stretch; first stop, Balladonie, for a look at the museum, which is neatly set out with information boards on the various Nullarbor activities. The fall of Skylab is the area's claim to fame: in 1979 the U.S. spacecraft fell out of orbit and crash landed on the Nullarbor Plain and put Balladonie in the international spotlight as people scrambled around collecting bits and pieces. For the car enthusiasts, there is also a display on the 1953 - 1955 REDeX Australia Reliability Trials where cars raced around the country starting and finishing in Sydney. Each year, less than half of the field of well over 180 cars finished the 14 day endurance race, which was run mostly on dirt roads with fuel stops sometimes 1000 kms apart. It's a little easier now, with an all-bitumen road right around the country and fuel available every 160kms or so.

Speaking of fuel, we got our first windy day today, and it happened to be a tail wind so I have established a new record for Delvy at 11.3 litres to the 100kms. Now that helps with the fuel bill!

We stopped for lunch at the Fraser Range rest area, in amongst the Great Western Woodlands that covers 16 million hectares. It is the largest remaining intact Mediterranean climate woodland on Earth. The salmon gums are particularly striking; so too are the large clay salt pans that stretch for miles.

A quick spin around the gold town of Norseman and its lookout finished off the day before heading to our overnight camp on the road north.

And so ends the drive across the Nullarbor: 1194 kms from start to finish. What a journey! The scenery is captivating; so many shades of green within the native flora. There is a variety of wildlife from whales to wedge tail eagles, and the sky is enormous. Time seems to stand still in amongst all the vastness. The wonder is in the details; look closely and you will be rewarded. Even the bitumen changes colour.

A day in Kalgoorlie is planned for tomorrow: we need fresh fruit and vegetables as we haven't seen any since the border. And mum's shouting me lunch for my birthday.