Australia Day, and what better way to celebrate it than hitting the Nullarbor. That was always my plan, anyway. I figured it would probably be a bit quieter over a holiday weekend, but as I drove up north from Adelaide to Port Augusta, the traffic sure looked heavier. Perhaps it wasn’t an original idea? Fortunately, by the time I was turned in the right direction and out on the Eyre Highway, the crowds had completely dissipated. I think I only passed about three cars and had three others pass me over the entire day, which did seem awfully light.
It is a little frustrating to drive from either Adelaide or Alice Springs to Perth because the road network forces you to drive hundreds of kilometres/miles in the wrong direction before you can get on the main southern highway and head in the right direction. Occasionally, you see a 4WD track that looks a little more direct, but you never know how rough it might be. When driving from Adelaide to Perth, you have the ocean in the way. There is a ferry crossing that can make the journey more direct, but it is very expensive and only runs once a day.
So after driving a few hours northeast from Adelaide, even though Perth is dead west, I stopped by the last major town for a coffee before heading westward. The whole town of Port Augusta seemed boarded up on Australia day, but I did manage to find a bakery open with mediocre coffee and, oddly enough, a hair stylist open a few doors down. I’d been looking for a place to get a cheap buzz cut for weeks now, since I hadn’t been able to shave myself while on the road. Lo and behold, the hair stylist had a sign in the window, “Haircuts $10, enquire within”. That’s about half the lowest price I found anywhere else. Turns out they had a apprentice who would cut hair and then get it reviewed by her supervisor. Worked for me! Can’t go too wrong with a buzz cut, so I finally got my trim.
After a long day of driving through forests that were getting shorter and shorter, I started looking for a place to camp that was not along the highway. Most camping along the Nullarbor is a bit too close to the highway for my liking. With road trains barreling down the highway with 3-4 trailers in tow, you would think a plane was about to land on your tent from all the noise they generate. Fortunately, I pulled out my trusty camping book and found a recommended site about a 1/2-hour drive south of the highway, next to an amazing beach with huge surf (and a fair few surfers), surrounded by monster sand dunes and saltwater lakes. It was called Point Sinclair, and it was a really special place I would have liked to have spent more time in, but couldn’t. The swimming was a bit disappointing due to all the sharp, holy limestone just under the ocean’s shallows, but I did manage to find a spot for a few dunks anyway. The place was run by some old, aging surfer/hippie who seemed to take great pride in keeping it as comfortable and clean as he could.
The Drive
