Advice on driving Addelaide to Perth

Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of "BOB BURKE"
:

If you have the time, a nice side trip is to go via the Eyre Penninsula,
particularly visiting Port Lincoln, with it's Tuna farming industry. Turm
south about 26 klms west of Port Augusta. To be worthwhile, this side trip
would add several days to the trip.

The cheapest fuel, (some 12 cents per liter less than the rest), we found
crossing the Nullabor in April & June 2004, was at Mundrabilla, some 65
klms west of Eucla. Mind you this could have changed since then. Compare
notes with travellers coming the other way when you stop for fuel.

Bob

Has anybody else found Balladonia a little creepy?

The following is an extract, covering the Nullabor crossing,of the journal
my wife & I kept on a caravan trip around Australia in 2000. While not a
complete coverage of the Nullabor crossing, you might find is helpful.


We followed Highway West, via Port Augusta to Ceduna. On the way we drove
through the edge of a plague of Locusts. We stayed overnight at the Beach
Front Caravan Park at Ceduna (After removing innumerable locusts from the
car's radiator). Useless information: A pile of squashed, semi cooked
locusts smell rather like not quite fresh fish.



Tuesday 9th May, left Ceduna and started on the long trip across the
Nullabor Plane. Spent the night at Eucla. On the way, we visited three of
the lookouts over the cliffs bordering the Great Australian Bight the cliffs
were impressive, but not as awesome as the Cliffs of Mohor on the West Coast
of Ireland, however at the right time of the year, Whales can be sighted
from some of the lookouts. Next day, we drove on to Norseman, where we spent
the night.



Crossing the Nullabor Plane: For most of the way, the landscape is
featureless with low scrub. As you approach Norsman, the scrub changes to
low trees these grow more dense as you approach Norsman. In one section,
there is a 90 mile straight stretch of road, this stretch of road is dead
straight, without a single bend. We did not see a house from a few klms out
of Ceduna till Norseman, about 1200 klms further on. Every 200 klms or so,
there are Fuel Stops usually with basic Motel accommodation in some cases,
they also provide sites to park your caravan overnight. In places, sections
of the highway were designated as emergency landing strips for the Royal
Flying Doctor Service. At intervals, at the side of the road, there are
emergency water tanks, these are supplied by rain water and are surrounded
by corrugated iron roofs which collect any rain which occurs and channels it
into the tank.

Note: travelling West, there is a fruit and vegetable quarantine station at
the W.A. border, where you will have to hand in all your fresh fruit &
vegetables.

--
Remove "NO SPAM" to reply
"Geoff Lowry" wrote in message
...
Thanks to all the people who responded. This has been most useful.
I now have plenty of information to digest and use to plan my "trek".

"Geoff Lowry" wrote in message
...
I would like to drive from Adelaide to Perth for a holiday as I have
never
seen this area of Australia.
If anyone has advice on the best time of the year to undertake this trip,
from a scenery and comfort point of view, I would certainly be most
appreciative.
Any other advice on stopovers, must see places, etc. would also be well
received.

The following is an extract, covering the Nullabor crossing,of the journal
my wife & I kept on a caravan trip around Australia in 2000. While not a
complete coverage of the Nullabor crossing, you might find is helpful.


We followed Highway West, via Port Augusta to Ceduna. On the way we drove
through the edge of a plague of Locusts. We stayed overnight at the Beach
Front Caravan Park at Ceduna (After removing innumerable locusts from the
car's radiator). Useless information: A pile of squashed, semi cooked
locusts smell rather like not quite fresh fish.



Tuesday 9th May, left Ceduna and started on the long trip across the
Nullabor Plane. Spent the night at Eucla. On the way, we visited three of
the lookouts over the cliffs bordering the Great Australian Bight the cliffs
were impressive, but not as awesome as the Cliffs of Mohor on the West Coast
of Ireland, however at the right time of the year, Whales can be sighted
from some of the lookouts. Next day, we drove on to Norseman, where we spent
the night.



Crossing the Nullabor Plane: For most of the way, the landscape is
featureless with low scrub. As you approach Norsman, the scrub changes to
low trees these grow more dense as you approach Norsman. In one section,
there is a 90 mile straight stretch of road, this stretch of road is dead
straight, without a single bend. We did not see a house from a few klms out
of Ceduna till Norseman, about 1200 klms further on. Every 200 klms or so,
there are Fuel Stops usually with basic Motel accommodation in some cases,
they also provide sites to park your caravan overnight. In places, sections
of the highway were designated as emergency landing strips for the Royal
Flying Doctor Service. At intervals, at the side of the road, there are
emergency water tanks, these are supplied by rain water and are surrounded
by corrugated iron roofs which collect any rain which occurs and channels it
into the tank.

Note: travelling West, there is a fruit and vegetable quarantine station at
the W.A. border, where you will have to hand in all your fresh fruit &
vegetables.

--
Remove "NO SPAM" to reply
"Geoff Lowry" wrote in message
...
Thanks to all the people who responded. This has been most useful.
I now have plenty of information to digest and use to plan my "trek".

"Geoff Lowry" wrote in message
...
I would like to drive from Adelaide to Perth for a holiday as I have
never
seen this area of Australia.
If anyone has advice on the best time of the year to undertake this trip,
from a scenery and comfort point of view, I would certainly be most
appreciative.
Any other advice on stopovers, must see places, etc. would also be well
received.

Any other advice on stopovers, must see places, etc. would also be well
received.

Did the opened the golf-course already? Heard something on tv the other
day. Largest golf-course in the world with one hole at every road house.

Any other advice on stopovers, must see places, etc. would also be well
received.

Did the opened the golf-course already? Heard something on tv the other
day. Largest golf-course in the world with one hole at every road house.

Poss wrote in message ...
Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of "BOB BURKE"
:

If you have the time, a nice side trip is to go via the Eyre Penninsula,
particularly visiting Port Lincoln, with it's Tuna farming industry. Turm
south about 26 klms west of Port Augusta. To be worthwhile, this side trip
would add several days to the trip.

The cheapest fuel, (some 12 cents per liter less than the rest), we found
crossing the Nullabor in April & June 2004, was at Mundrabilla, some 65
klms west of Eucla. Mind you this could have changed since then. Compare
notes with travellers coming the other way when you stop for fuel.

Bob

Has anybody else found Balladonia a little creepy?

Not only that but you have to pay about $5 a head for a trickle of water out
of the shower.
If I can help it (and I can park my caravan elsewhere for a sleep) I won't
be using that place.

Gerrit

"BOB BURKE" wrote in message
u...

SNIP

Note: travelling West, there is a fruit and vegetable quarantine station
at the W.A. border, where you will have to hand in all your fresh fruit &
vegetables.


Also note: When travelling eastwards there is one of these just outside
Ceduna!
Both are pretty strict. If you have a windup (like a Jayco) they make you
wind it up and they crawl inside to check your fridge etc.

Further note: You are NOT allowed to take honey into WA.

Gerrit

Gerrit 't Hart wrote:
Poss wrote in message ...
[deleted]
Has anybody else found Balladonia a little creepy?

Not only that but you have to pay about $5 a head for a trickle of water out
of the shower.
If I can help it (and I can park my caravan elsewhere for a sleep) I won't
be using that place.

It has been some time, late 2000, but we can't remember anything bad
about Balladonia. We looked again at our photo of the campground, diary
and the leaflet of the caravan park. The latter specifically says that
the cost of a shower is included in the camping fee. But, as I said,
that was four years ago, so YMMV.

"Frank Slootweg" wrote in message
...
Gerrit 't Hart wrote:
Poss wrote in message
...
[deleted]
Has anybody else found Balladonia a little creepy?

Not only that but you have to pay about $5 a head for a trickle of water
out
of the shower.
If I can help it (and I can park my caravan elsewhere for a sleep) I
won't
be using that place.

It has been some time, late 2000, but we can't remember anything bad
about Balladonia. We looked again at our photo of the campground, diary
and the leaflet of the caravan park. The latter specifically says that
the cost of a shower is included in the camping fee. But, as I said,
that was four years ago, so YMMV.

When we were there in 1995 (agreed it may have changed since, but I'm not
going to try it out since the place still looks just as bleak) it was an
amount for parking and hooking up the van to electricity plus $5 a head if
they wanted a shower.

Gerrit

"Frank Slootweg" wrote in message
...
Gerrit 't Hart wrote:
Poss wrote in message
...
[deleted]
Has anybody else found Balladonia a little creepy?

Not only that but you have to pay about $5 a head for a trickle of water
out
of the shower.
If I can help it (and I can park my caravan elsewhere for a sleep) I
won't
be using that place.

It has been some time, late 2000, but we can't remember anything bad
about Balladonia. We looked again at our photo of the campground, diary
and the leaflet of the caravan park. The latter specifically says that
the cost of a shower is included in the camping fee. But, as I said,
that was four years ago, so YMMV.

When we were there in 1995 (agreed it may have changed since, but I'm not
going to try it out since the place still looks just as bleak) it was an
amount for parking and hooking up the van to electricity plus $5 a head if
they wanted a shower.

Gerrit