On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 02:35:24 GMT, kangaroo16
wrote:

On 27 Sep 2007 02:38:22 -0400, Dick Adams
wrote in :

kangaroo16
Dick Adams wrote:

Where does the Nullarbor begin and where does it end?

No definite points, opinion differs. IMHO, when driving from
east to west, would say that Ceduna was the last eastern outpost.

Wasn't paved when I last drove it. Reasonably flat and level. Can
see car and truck headlights from miles away. Little traffic,
especially at dusk, night, and dawn.

Actually, should have gone into a bit more detail here. On many
highways and roads, even comparatively near the major cities.
most people prefer to travel during the day.

At dusk, night, and dawn there is simply more chance of hitting
a large animal. Many, if not most, Australian animals are
nocturnal, and "brush up" in the heat of the day.

This tends to make city people think that Australia is running
short of Kangaroos. Even if they see a lot of "road kill" they
still think that kangaroo numbers must be down. They
aren't really. At night can drive slowly around farming or
ranching properties, even those on main country highways, and
will usually see more than can be counted. They are about as
common as jackrabbits in the US west, perhaps even more common.

"Most kangaroos have no set breeding cycle and are able
to breed all year round. Because they are such prolific breeders,
a kangaroo population can increase fourfold in five years if it
has continuous access to plentiful supplies of food and water."

" The four species of kangaroo that are commercially
harvested have very large populations. None is threatened or
endangered. The Red kangaroo, Eastern grey kangaroo and Western
grey kangaroo are the most abundant species and make up over 90
per cent of the commercial harvest. Their combined population
size has fluctuated between 15 and 50 million animals over the
past 20 years in the harvested areas, depending on seasonal
conditions."

"Kangaroos continue to be used as a resource but only
under strict government controls. All Australian States and
Territories have legislation to protect kangaroos. Only the four
most abundant species of kangaroo and small numbers of two common
wallaby species can be commercially harvested, and then only by
licensed hunters."

"There is no farming of kangaroos in Australia. Kangaroos
are harvested in the wild by licensed hunters."

Above, and more, at:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/kangaroos.html

Most people don't travel bush highways at night. If stop
or camp next to a major bush highway at night you will mainly see
large trucks. There are _very_ few cars.

Not only is it more hazardous to drive at night, but towns in the
bush are few and far between. Petrol ["gas"] stations are
generally closed at night, not worth keeping them open. Most
other businesses are closed at night as well.

Run out of fuel at night in small country towns, and you may as
well plan to spend the night there.
------
Nullarbor Plain

"This is a vast, treeless, flat, limestone plain covering
270 000 square kilometres. It is 50 m - 200 m above sea level,
extending for 2000 km across the southern parts..."

Nullarbor plain...... 2000km across..... I don't think so......

"... world's largest single piece of limestone, covering
the plain with a 15 m - 60 m limestone layer..."

"The Transcontinental Railway stretches across the
Nullarbor from Port Augusta in South Australia to Perth in
Western Australia, and includes the longest section of straight
railway track in the world (478 km). The Eyre Highway passes
through the its southern-most area, and includes the longest
straight section of tarred highway in the world (146.6 km)."

Now I'm sure that most drivers have suffered "highway
hypnosis" on long straight stretches of desert highway. The
Nullabor plain is even worse, even in the daytime. The plain is
practically featureless, on the surface, at least, with one mile
much like the miles to come. 146.6 km ~= 91 miles. It seems
longer...

Driving at night is even worse. You can see the driving lights
of approaching trucks many miles away, and the
effect is a bit "spooky" actually.

Now that it has been paved, at least you usually don't have
to worry as much about washouts. :-)

Carry lots of water especially in summer. It is a very
dry place.

"The Nullabor Plain has an arid to semi-arid climate,
with 150 mm - 250 mm annual rainfall and 1200 mm - 2500 mm annual
evaporation."
150mm ~= 6 inches 1200 mm ?~= 47 inches


At least in those days.... When you see the first signs of
civilization, after several hours, you will probably stop, at
least to refuel, and get a meal.

National Highway 1 now paved all the way around Australia, the
last stretch in 1988.

What precautions shoud be taken when driving through it.

These days, as is fairly well traveled, possibly none. ...But if
I was doing it again, would at least have water and food for a
couple of days at least.

To clarify a bit here, someone will probably come along before
you die of thirst!

Then again, I am a cautious type.

Me too. Yjis advice I will take.

On less traveled inland roads or even "highways" , would
personally carry two weeks worth of food and water.

Actually, would even do this between Sydney and Rockhampton, or
Cairns, both in Qld.

Basically, I'm "realistic" or "pessimistic", take your choice!

Um, I wasn't all that clear here either. :-) I consider
"pessimism" and "realism" as being synonyms. The ones who
usually get into trouble are the "optimists":-)

I'm thinking realistic. Because we'll be driving west to east,
I'll get some clip on sun glasses.

Be sure they are of adequate density. The sun is bright here,
with more UV than you may be used to.

Most quoted facts from Australian Museum site, which is well
worth a read and has other interesting links.
http://www.amonline.net.au/geoscienc...h/nullabor.htm

Online conversions at:
http://www.convertit.com/Go/ConvertI.../Converter.ASP
or
http://www.convertit.com/Go/ConvertIt/Measurement/
or
http://www.onlineconversion.com/

.....Whichever you find easier to use. Americans who are
unfamiliar with the metric system may want to carry a cheap
pocket electronic calculator.

All road distances are in kilometers, not miles. Incidentally,
distances aren't from "city limits" to "city limits" as they tend
to be in the USA, but from General Post Office to General Post
Office, so basiclly the centre of one town to the center of the
next.

"east/west orientation and long straight, level
stretches of highway necessitate vehicles alternately being
driven into blinding sunshine or glaring vehicle headlights.
Heavy commercial vehicle use often leads to a breakdown
of the road surface, and conflict with feral and native fauna is
an ever-present hazard. These factors represent
challenges to already fatigued drivers.
It is unarguable that the Eyre Highway between Ceduna in South
Australia and Norseman in Western Australia,
a distance of 1200 kilometres, is the most sparsely populated but
heavily travelled section of road in Australia.
The highway traverses some of the country’s most inhospitable
terrain with temperatures ranging from well
below freezing in winter to intensely hot in summer.
east/west orientation and long straight, level stretches of
highway necessitate vehicles alternately being driven
into blinding sunshine or glaring vehicle headlights. Heavy
commercial vehicle use often leads to a breakdown
of the road surface, and conflict with feral and native fauna is
an ever-present hazard. These factors represent
challenges to already fatigued drivers.
It is unarguable that the Eyre Highway between Ceduna in South
Australia and Norseman in Western Australia,
a distance of 1200 kilometres, is the most sparsely populated but
heavily travelled section of road in Australia.
The highway traverses some of the country’s most inhospitable
terrain with temperatures ranging from well
below freezing in winter to intensely hot in summer."

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:...ient=firefox-a

or
http://tinyurl.com/38bn4g

In more isolated areas, even locals can run into unexpected
trouble. See:

How a desert claimed two ill-prepared travellers
By Lindsay Murdoch
April 13, 2005

""If they had walked nine kilometres west from their
vehicle to the Georgia Bore they would have found fresh water and
survived," a WA police spokesman said. "Instead they walked east,
in the wrong direction, then walked back to the vehicle where
they perished."

Police said the men broke basic rules for travelling the
2000-kilometre Canning Stock Route, which traverses the Great
Sandy Desert, the Little Sandy Desert and large portions of the
Gibson Desert.

Their vehicle, a 31-year-old Land Rover, was run down and
unsuitable for such a rugged track. They carried little water and
did not have enough petrol to get to the next refuelling stop.
They set off without a map showing the location of more than 50
wells along the route. They did not tell anybody what route they
planned to take or when they expected to arrive at their
destination. Their vehicle was not fitted with a two-way radio,
and they took a mobile phone into an area with no mobile
coverage, leaving them no way to call for help."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Nation...251629492.html

Nine kilometers ~5.6 miles.

For map, click on link "Death In The Outback". Or go to:

http://www.theage.com.au/media/2005/...251630263.html

Cheers,
Kangaroo16