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Into the outback (2) - Across the Nullarbor

30.000 km through the most remote areas of Australia

© Mill House

 

 

Text and photography by:

Fred Kamphues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photo by Tanja Wijnands

 

I press the accelerator deeply and try to climb the steep and soft sand dune one more time. The engine of our Landcruiser is badly overheating and we have to be careful not to blow a radiator hose. We’re following the Googs Track through the Victorian Desert. It has taken ages to find the right way and it’s getting dark quickly...

 

It all started three days ago, when we left Adelaide and decided to veer off the highway into the Gawler Ranges. Rather than following the boring bitumen, we wanted to visit Lake Gairdner and follow the Trans Australian Railway to Perth for as long as possible.

The latest edition of our book ‘Discover Australia by 4WD’ tells us that supplies and fuel are available in Kingoonya. However, the friendly owners of Mt. Ive homestead, where we camped last night, informed us that Kingoonya is now a ghost town, just like all the neighbouring towns and localities.

Even with our long range fuel tank of 180 litres we won’t be able to make it to the Yalata Roadhouse on the Nullarbor Plain. We meet an Aborignal woman and a deaf guy, who try to explain to us that the road along the railway has not been maintained for years and is full of bull dust. The prospect of getting stuck in this part of the outback is not very attractive. The land is extremely harsh and not many travellers visit this part of Australia.

 

 

 

 

A maze of tracks in the outback makes navigation sometimes difficult

 

Going back the same way is not a very attractive option. The only alternative is to take the Googs Track.

The entrance to the track proves hard to find. All our maps are more or less wrong, and there are more tracks than shown on our maps. We have to try them one by one, and check with our GPS if we’re going in the right direction. We succeed eventually, but with limited fuel supplies we have to be extremely careful not to get lost.

I’m keen to make it to Ceduna tonight, as tomorrow, during the busy Easter weekend, a number of cars will come through from the other way. The track is single lane, and you can’t see approaching vehicles on the numerous crests along the way. Utmost care is required on the top of the dunes.

 

The Trans Australian Railway

 

Navigation with GPS

 

The Googs Track is a lot of fun. Although it is advised to drive it in a South - North direction, we have no option than doing it the other way. In some places Mel walks the sand dunes to check for oncoming traffic. Some of the dunes are very steep and quite high. You have to take a long run to get over the top. The idea is to have enough initial speed to climb the dune, but end up with minimum speed at the top, in order to be able to brake in time for cars from the other direction. Driving in the dark makes it easier to see the headlights of other 4WD enthusiasts, and we decide to push on to Ceduna. We get lost one more time in the dark, as the exit of the track near the Denton Homestead ends in a maze of tracks, with endless possibilities.

It has been a five hour drive and we’re exhausted when we finally arrive in Ceduna.

 

 

 
A good night sleep does wonders and we’re back on the Eyre highway across the Nullarbor. Nullarbor is not an Aboriginal name, but derived from Latin and means ‘No Trees’. From Ceduna to Norseman it’s a lonely 1200 kilometres, with nothing more than a few roadhouses in low shrub country.

 

 

 

The start of our Nullarbor crossing

 
Just after Yalata we see our first glimpse of the Great Australian Bight. An endless row of cliffs stretches out to the horizon. Some of the cliffs are more than 100 m high. It’s an awesome sight! We stop at all the lookouts along the highway, eagerly watching for whales. Unfortunately we have no luck, it’s still too early in the season.

 

Eucla - clearly in the middle of nowhere

 

Our stop for tonight is Eucla, just over the WA border. We are thoroughly checked for fruit and vegetables at the border station, and we reluctantly say goodbye to an onion and a fresh lettuce. Luckily we have a good bottle of Wynns Chardonnay and some pasta, to celebrate tonight that we’re nearly half way to Perth!

Eucla is famous for its shifting sand dunes, and we enjoy a beautiful sunset that covers the half buried old telegraph station in a wonderful soft light. With the smell of anchovies and pasta we slowly sip on our wine and fancy ourselves in a 5 star restaurant...

Eucla is far from anywhere, even for Australians. We still have a long way to go, specially because we don’t want to take the shortest route to Perth. We’re attracted by the vast stretches of white beach and turquoise water near Esperance, and the Karri forests in the beautiful South West of WA. Our trip continues and shortly after Eucla we enter the longest straight stretch of highway in Australia. For 146.6 km there is not even a slight kink in the road!

 

 
We stop in Balladonia for fuel and to clean out our radiator. We have driven through a dense cloud of yellow grasshoppers, and the cooling system is clogged with dead bodies. It takes us about an hour to remove the majority of the insects, and the water temperature of our engine returns to normal.

Dead grasshoppers clog the radiator

 

The map shows a short cut to Cape Le Grand National Park via a dirt road. As we leave Balladonia, the sign at the beginning of this track warns us for washouts and rough conditions. Indeed the corrugations shake the car violently and I hope the cameras and other electronic equipment will survive this ordeal!

It’s Easter and the camp grounds in Cape Le Grand and surrounding areas are all full. We decide to pull up our camp at the Duke of Orleans Bay. It’s a lot colder here than in SA or QLD, and we decide to have an early night, after the long drives of the past three days.

The beaches of Cape Le Grand National Park are absolutely stunning! Turquoise water, white sand and a deep blue sky. What more can you ask for? We treat ourselves to a day of relaxing, swimming, and an afternoon stroll along the beach.

 

Mel takes a refreshing swim in the turquoise waters of LuckyBay

 
We are slowly approaching civilisation again, with Esperance and the old whaling town of Albany.

It’s really a weird experinece to see traffic lights again, after spending such a long period in the outback.

But before arriving in Perth there are still a number of wonders to be explored.

One of these places are the Karri forests around Pemberton.

These tall Eucalypt trees grow to a length of 80 metres. Some of these trees are used as watchtowers, to monitor the forest for fires.

A few of these lookouts are open to the public. Not for the faint hearted though. The trees are pegged with thin steel rods, and the only protection consists of some flimsy chicken wire on the outside.

Large gaps between the pegs mean that one little slip could mean the end of you.

It may sound scary (and it is!), but, believe it or not, no one has ever fallen from one of these trees.

And once at the top, you are rewarded with a magnificent view over the forest. The Bicentennial Tree in the nearby Warren National Park can be climbed and provides long views over the rolling hills. The Gloucester tree in Pemberton can be climbed as well.

 

Road through the Karri forests

 

Our last major stop before Perth is Rockingham. This little town is home of the famous pods of bottlenose dolphins that frequent the bay. Rockingham Dolphins runs spectacular swim tours, and on a good day, you’re absolutely encircled by these friendly and intelligent animals.

We were so impressed that we descided to do e repeat tour the next day, and reluctlanty said goodbye to the our curious friends. We’ll be back one day!

 

Swimming with wild dolphins in Rockingham

 
Upon our arrival in Perth we walked to Kings Park to watch a magnificent sunset over the CBD, with multiple colors scattering from the glass office windows. It has been a great trip so far, with an incredible amount of impression that will take some time to sink in. In our next report we will tell you what is further up North, along the road to Darwin.

Perth from Kings Park

 
The next part of our trip will lead us to the wonders of the Ningaloo Reef , into the heart of the remote Kimberley and finally to Darwin...

(article expected July 2004)

 

 

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