{"id":358,"date":"2013-01-27T23:45:34","date_gmt":"2013-01-27T15:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.joel.net.au\/?p=358"},"modified":"2026-06-20T16:03:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T08:03:38","slug":"the-big-crossing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/day.lat\/lon\/2013\/01\/27\/the-big-crossing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Crossing"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The Great Australian Bight along Eyre Highway, South Australia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sometimes I think the Nullarbor, as much as people complain about crossing it, is one of the last undiscovered frontiers of Australia. There seem to be endless roads shooting off north and south of the Erye Highway to interesting places. There are spectacular cliffs along the southern edge of the continent and huge caves underneath. There are a number of bird- and whale-watching sanctuaries along the way as well. Other roads in the area lead to historical paths that once carried many more people. I found the road to Cook and followed it up to the Old Eyre Highway, which runs parallel to the current Eyre Highway, but chose not to follow it due to its roughness and remoteness.<\/p>\n

\"Southern
Southern Ocean near eastern end of the Great Australian Bight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Southern
Southern Ocean and beaches near eastern end of the Great Australian Bight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Great Australian Bight along Eyre Highway, South Australia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Great Australian Bight along Eyre Highway, South Australia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once you cross out of South Australia and into Western Australia, you descend from the plateau you’ve been driving on, so you continue your journey along the coastal flats rimmed by cliffs to the north. Eventually, you drive back up to the top of the plateau again to see spectacular views out across the coastal plane. Soon afterwards, you reach the ninety-mile straight, which is just what it sounds like – ninety straight miles of perfectly straight road. Not my favourite part of the drive, I must admit, because it can be quite trance-inducing. <\/p>\n

\"Nullarbor
Nullarbor Plain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the drive in Western Australia, you come across a few signs about a mysterious timezone known as Central Western Time that nobody seems to recognise. The last time I drove across the Nullarbor, I dismissed it as some relic from another era, but this time, as I crossed into W.A, I had my GPS watch contact the satellites to adjust it to Perth time. Lo and behold, the GPS system actually recognised Central Western Time as legitimate and adjusted my watch accordingly! It is an odd time, 45 minutes earlier than Perth. When I drove past the signs and had my watch connect with the satellites again, it changed the time again to Perth time. Very odd since this time doesn’t seem to be recognised by anyone else. Most organisations just recognise one timezone for Western Australia. On the train, there was “train time”, but that was an hour off from Perth time.<\/p>\n

By the time I got to Balladonia Roadhouse, I knew it was time for me to get off the highway for a night’s rest. Some friends had recommended travelling south down a 4WD track across the street, so I hopped on it and started looking for possible campsites far enough south of the Eyre Highway to not be within earshot. I did manage to find quite a few places, but chose a nice quiet one to settle in for a night of bush camping.<\/p>\n

Today’s Drive<\/strong>
\n\r\n\t\t

\r\n\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t
© OpenStreetMap<\/a> contributors<\/span><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/canvas>\r\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t