INTREPID NULLARBOR TRAVELS

Thought you’d seen it all on the Nullarbor? Think again! Check out the gems Fred’s unearthed

WORDS BY FRED WRIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRED WRIGHT AND JOHN HABERFIELD

Our journey to Streaky Bay began in Port Lincoln, SA. We travelled up and along the Eyre Peninsula and through such places as Coffin Bay, Elliston, Venus Bay, Port Kenny, Baird Bay and Sceale Bay. The road along the Flinders Highway is packed with attractions. This is a journey that takes you along cliff faces and through inland plains. You’ll be tempted by signs beckoning you to swim with dolphins, or visit with sea lions. Perhaps you’ve highlighted a few fishing spots in the guide book or you’re keen to check out those oddly shaped stones, known as Murphy’s Haystacks. Although this drive is only 300km long, I recommend you take your time, as you’re going to want to stop at each beautiful place you pass.

STREAKY BAY

As you approach Streaky Bay, the Flinders Highway turns almost due east so at the turn off proceed straight ahead to the township. A stop at Streaky Bay foreshore Tourist Park will be your first goal and here you’ll find two camp kitchens, several amenities blocks, a kiosk and a dump point. Aside from the camper conveniences, the best features of the park are the powered drive through sites that provide magnificent views across Streaky Bay to the Great Australian Bight.

After setting up our base camp here we were off to the information centre for maps and local advice on tourist attractions.

Streaky Bay is the business hub and service centre of the district with several supermarkets, a well-equipped hospital with resident doctors, a chemist, beaut cafes and a bakery. The powerhouse museum has hundreds and hundreds of working engines and miniature ones as well. If this is your interest you might be here all day. There’s also a National Trust Museum, once the local school, and it’s packed with history of the early sailing ships, heaps of pictures and even a rare bird’s egg collection. While you’re there, don’t forget to give Eyre’s crafts a good look. You can park your RV out front and then admire the locally made crafts and wares. The range is huge and the creativity of the locals is amazing. Don’t miss it!

If you don’t mind travelling out of town and have a relatively small rig or motorhome you might consider stopping by the bush camps at TractorBeach or Speeds Point. At the time of writing they were $4 a night, had limited sites and no amenities. It might also be a good plan to consider a scenic drive, where you can explore the Yanerbie Sand hills and the Blowholes.

No luck fishing? Then head to Streaky Bay Marine Products for the freshest oysters, King George whiting and plenty of seafood in convenient fridge-sized packs. I couldn’t think of a more pleasant experience than enjoying a fresh seafood meal, looking over the bay as another golden sunset bathes the ocean. Now that’s living dream.

It was the natural beauty of Streaky Bay that attracted us and the open and friendly community that won us over. RVers are welcomed with open arms in Streaky Bay – what a seaside treasure! There is so much to see that the locals advise you to ‘take a week’ and I’d agree with them. However, time was of the essence and as much as I love Streaky Bay, it was time to head off north to Smoky Bay, located about 40km down the road.

SMOKY BAY 

Moreton Bay Trees line the foreshore with quaint thatched roof shacks, perfect for hot summer days on the beach. A long jetty provides easy access out into the bay and good catches of King George whiting, garfish, tommies, salmon and blue swimmer crab are abound.

Smoky Bay Caravan Park is located right near the club and you won’t have much trouble picking up oysters for a special happy hour. Smoky Bay is one of the last stops before the big Nullarbor drive and its beauty makes it the perfect place to stop and have your van checked – because if you do need repairs, you want to get them done in a place with ample accommodation and great scenery.

In no time at all you’ll find yourself north in Ceduna on the Far West Coast beside Murat Bay. There’s something here for everyone including four caravan parks to choose from, a long jetty for a pleasant walk, supermarkets, great fish and chips, museums – in fact everything an RVer could want. In the main street there’s cafes and eateries, banks, a post office, hotel and at the end a service station, complete with dump point. Ceduna also has a hospital, medical centre and pharmacy.

The Eyre Highway runs through the heart of Ceduna, so whether travelling east or west it’ll take you to this inviting seaside place.

CEDUNA AND BEYOND

We chose to stay at Ceduna Shelly Beach Caravan Park just out of town and enjoyed a great welcome and outstanding service. Take a stroll down the road to find some fantastic views across the sand hills, or walk a little further to the beach for a swim or fishing. Ask Brownie and Anna for Ceduna information. They own the park and have been here on site for more than 15 years.

The Ceduna National Trust museum is a revelation and we loved the Maralinga Room devoted to the story was almost too much! of the British atomic bomb explosion. Artefacts are everywhere, even a heavy steel bucket used to store radioactive material. There’s a classroom full of memorabilia, a sewing room with the earliest machine going back to the 1880s, a blacksmith shop and another classroom where our Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s mother used to teach.

From Ceduna we travelled west approximately 71km to visit the woolsheds at Penong. The Penong woolsheds are a mixture of museum and art gallery, displaying historical artefacts and local arts and crafts. Carefully curated by devoted volunteers, the heritage of the building highlights the ingenuity and humour of days gone by. Inside you’ll find a telephone exchange once operated by a blind woman with all directions in braille, meticulously hand-crafted glass platters, jewellery, plates and bowls, by local artist Cindy Durant and a rather comical picture of a policeman in a camel drawn wagon, complete with sunshade. The woolsheds definitely deserve a day of exploration.

Travel further afield and you’ll find Fowler’s Bay, approximately 140km west of Ceduna. This place is becoming ever so popular due to an improved road entry, a 300m long solar powered jetty, Caravan Park and kiosk. From June to October Fowler’s Bay is perfect for whale watching and from October to March it’s the season for mulloway and salmon. This delightful coastal fishing village will surprise you with its beauty, sand hills and wealth of early history. Don’t forget to take an eco-trip on the bay while you’re there.

You can’t visit this region and not stop at the Head of the Bight, particularly during whale season. It’s 290km west of Ceduna and another 13km of bitumen to the well-stocked and informative Head of Bight Interpretive Centre. The staff are most welcoming and from here you can make your way via wooden walkways to viewing platforms. Southern Right whales use this area as a nursery and you’ll enjoy watching them frolicking with their calves.

Only a short distance away is the Nullarbor Roadhouse. You can’t miss it, just look for the huge beach whale out front. Here’s where you stop for full powered sites, clean toilets and coin operated showers. There’s a restaurant and souvenirs but you’ll need to be quick because places fill up fast. While you’re there, spare a thought for the roadhouses as they must desalinate 11,000L of drinking water every day and the cost of upkeep for their diesel generators is $250,000 a year.

As you drive further west across the Nullarbor you come to the Bunda Cliffs – a beautiful spot to see the limestone cliffs that drop 90m into the Great Australian Bight. There are many overnight camps along this stretch of coast but again, get in early. It’s best to mark them carefully on your map.

We finally reached our destination at Border Village. There’s a roadhouse with fuel and a restaurant and importantly a dump point out front near a huge kangaroo called Rooey II. There’s powered sites for RVers, but please note that there’s no food other than that cooked here.

It’s also important to note that a quarantine station is only metre away and you must surrender any fruit and vegetables before entering WA.

Yes, the Nullarbor really is one of Australia’s great road trips, but take a tip from me and come in spring for the best seafood, whales and green rural scenery everywhere.