Crossing the Nullarbor 2

We were now in the area of the Great Australian Bight, over 200 kilometres of cliffs with a 90 metre drop to the Southern Ocean.

It might have been a rest day but along the road there are several viewing spots of the cliffs and we thought if we visited some of those spots today we would be free to travel on towards the whale viewing spot the next day. Turned out to be a great plan.

We travelled over 200 kms visiting the Great Australian Bight Marine Park and the Bunda Cliffs at three different viewing spots. Spectacular!

Back at Border Village for some r & r before the next stage of our adventure.

Next morning we were able to drive on to the last of the viewing areas, along straight roads and with big skies. The cloud formations were ever changing and interesting.

  

 The treeless plain is mostly covered with salt bush. We arrived at the Nullarbor Roadhouse in time for morning tea. Crossing the Nullarbor is not the challenge it used to be as there are many stops, albeit hundreds of kilometres apart, and even good coffee and cakes are available.

  

The Old Nullarbor Roadhouse first sold fuel in this location in 1957. The current roadhouse was built in 1976. Many of the relics of the old stop are still on site and make an interesting diversion from the road.

More sand dunes came into sight as we neared Head of Bight. This is where the dunes meet the cliffs.

Head of Bight is on Aboriginal Yatala Community land and the whale watching site is run by the community. Each year the Southern Right Whales come into the Bight to give birth and raise their young. They can be seen from the boardwalk from May to the end of September. It is a spectacular sight and we were able to watch many mothers and calves playing in the water - 48 in total. We spent ages trying to photograph them; just as well we did the Bunda Cliffs the day before as we still had a long way to go.

  

After one last whale photo we drove on towards Penong and their windmill collection and then to Ceduna. The landscape was changing from desert saltbush to wheatlands and then to a seascape. 

We had made the quintessential Australian road trip. We had crossed the Nullabor!