While summers are hot, winter is a much milder affair, as soon as you begin. Our trip across the nullarbor the grey nomads travel. The nullarbor roadhouse is a welcome sight, where i stop for a good lunch ie not deepfried. The nullarbor plain is a remote limestone plain, which because of the porous nature of the rock has no surface water, but a lot of caves and some blow holes. If the term middle of nowhere ever meant anything, it must certainly apply to the remote railway town of cook, sa. Rumours of a big meteorite on the nullarbor plain had circulated since the 1940s, but it was not until 1966 that the mundrabilla iron meteorite was discovered north of the transaustralian railway. The nullarbor is the worlds largest karst system and nul2 contains the majority of cave in this system. Head of the bight is one of the best places to watch the whales.
Small group tours by luxury landcruisers includes head of bight sa whale watching, whale watching cruise, blowholes and murrawijinie limestone caves visits, port lincoln tuna farm and cruise. If you are travelling across the nullarbor, a free hard copy of the nullarbor map is available from the ceduna, kalgoorlieboulder and norseman visitor centres. The driver of the vehicle is believed to be an 81year. Located near the nullarbor plain in the states far. We rested up for two nights before continuing west to spend some time in the historic goldfields region. Crossing the nullarbor australia cave diving nullarbor. The cliffs were formed when australia separated from antarctica approximately 65 million years ago and are made up of fossiliferous limestone called wilson limestone. From the colour and vibrancy of the pilbara, our hema nomad explorers headed southeast to traverse a section of australia famous for being devoid of almost anything.
At the head of the bight you can see a unique whale nursery from the top of the bunda cliffs and experience the isolation of the nullarbor plain one of our favourite travelling activities is nature spotting. The book is complemented by numerous historical and contemporary photographs and. Vegetation change, erosion risk and land management on the. It is the worlds largest limestone karst landscape covering an area. Nullarbor plain is the section of southern land between norseman in western australia and ceduna in south australia. The vegetation is predominantly chenopod, with a number of bluebush and saltbush species, sometimes with a scattered overstorey of. Southern right whales are the mainly what you will find but youll also see some humpback whales as they migrate to wa at the same time. We run amazing tours from perth to adelaide and adelaide to perth so you can see and experience the wonder of the relatively unexplored area of australia the nullabor plain the nullarbor and the great australian bight blow your mind as you are amazed by remote national parks, stunning bush scenery and during. Best time for whale watching in australia about australia.
The plain occupies 100,000 square miles 260,000 square km of generally flat surface in bedrock. Nullarbor bioregion has been considered for nomination as a world heritage site, indicating its significance and uniqueness. Driving across the nullarbor everything you need to know. The best time for whale watching in this region, however, is between july and september. Videos nullarbor links the worlds longest golf course. The name comes from bad latin meaning no trees but in fact there is vegetation, this is not the sahara, most of the way you will see low scrub, but yes there are no trees. Whalewatching at the head of the bight a nullarbor. Though the events were more than 50 years ago, i was haunted by the spectacle of miserable aborigines begging and trying to sell souvenirs to passengers on the eastbound transaustralian train at ooldea, sa, on the eastern fringe of the nullarbor plain. Whales begin to gather at head of bight accomnews australia. He had described it as a blot on the face of nature and the sort of place one gets into in bad dreams. The head of the bight is located 20 kilometres to the east of nullarbor roadhouse.
The nullarbor plain of southeastern australia, 200,000 km2 in area, is flat and mostly treeless. Be familiar with all equipment before you use it, and definitely before you use it in a critical situation. Pdf karst evolution of the nullarbor plain, australia. My wife and i are looking to drive from brisbane to canberra and across the nullarbor to perth and return. Do not enter a cave system without the proper training and equipment. The nullarbor plain a history is recommended reading for persons travelling through the nullarbor and for those interested in the australian landscape. Located near the nullarbor plain in the states far west coast, the head of the bight is one of the best whale watching sites in the world. Fraser range is a working sheep station, the first property to be founded on the nullarbor plain, back in 1872. There was barely a hint of dawn in the inky sky, but i looked. The great australian bight marine park is south of the nullarbor plain and adjacent to the south. Splashfree sightseeing the head of the bight is known throughout the country for its impressive landbased viewing of whales migrating to south australia. Whale watching on the gold coast if youd rather keep your feet on the ground but still yearn for the special experience of seeing a whale, australias east coast is. Achieve todays challenge and create a nullarbor disco for the trees. Even though the nullarbor has very harsh weather conditions it is home to a surprising amount of animals.
Crossing the nullarbor has become a rite of passage for. This article is authored by melbourne based divers and includes the expenses. Whale watching on the nullarbor its a long way to go but it is worth the drive. Nullarbor roadhouse is 182km east of the state border and sells fuel, food, drinks and ice and offers motel accommodation and a camp ground more suited to vehicle based campers and caravans the head of bight turnoff is 14km on and 11km in reaches the carpark. Information and translations of nullarbor plain in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. In june 1998, a small party of divers left for a 12 day trip to dive four nullarbor caves. Make the most out of your outdoor adventure by paying the whales a visit on the nullarbor. Since european settlement there has been considerable change in the vegetation, with significant reduction in shrub and grass. Two dead in nullarbor crash, near balladonia perthnow. Driving across the nullarbor plain tourism australia. Despite its flat and reputedly featureless landscape, the nullarbor offers the. Alternatively its now also possible to download a nullarbor map app from. Nullarbor traveller our local experts for south australia and western australia.
Southern right whales, which can grow to 18 metres. Kangaroos, emus, wombats and even camels all call the nullarbor plain home. It is particularly directed toward those who are arranging their first excursion into the west. Nullarbor roadhouse offers petfriendly accommodations in nullarbor plain.
The area bears little resemblance to the rest of the nullarbor plain, with a range of granite hills and hardwood eucalypt forest. The nullarbor plain is a large, flat and arid area of south australia and western australia which is almost treeless. If you love australian wildlife and outdoor experiences download this list. Your escorted tour of australia begins with three nights in sydneywith sightseeing that includes the famous opera house, a visit to bondi beach, and a cruise on sydney harbour. Basically meaning no trees the nullarbor plain is the worlds largest single exposure of limestone bedrock, and occupies an area of about 200,000 square kilometres, stretching about 1,100 kilometres from east to west across the border between south australia and western australia. It is the worlds largest single exposure of limestone bedrock, and occupies an area of about. The nullarbor plain stretches between norseman in western australia and. The whale watching platform here is one of the worlds best landbased vantage points to see a whale nursery.
The best time of year to travel from perth to adelaide. The magnificent bunda cliffs extend approximately 100km along the great australian bight from border village to the east of head of bight. This area is a natural breeding ground for whales you might be lucky enough to. Nullarbor national park, wilderness protection area and regional. As a result, this article has been written to supply information which will assist with future expedition planning. Crossing the southern part of australia means crossing the nullarbor just above the great australian bite. Dolphins, wombats, platypus you name it, we love seeing it in the wild. Anyone who may have seen the crash is asked to call crime stoppers. The plain itself covers around 200,000km 2, and is gutted east to west by the ramrod straight eyre highway, which begins at the wa end at norseman and terminates almost 1700km later in sas port augusta. Nullarbor head of bight whale watching tours youtube. The 18hole par 72 golf course spans 1,365 kilometres with one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the eyre highway, from kalgoorlie in western australia to ceduna in south australia. The nullarbor plain nullus arbor meaning no trees extends north from the eyre highway up to the transcontinental railway line and west in western australia. The nullarbor plain is best known for being the worlds largest piece of limestone, but what lies within this otherworldly bioregion is far more memorable to those who traverse it.
Nullarbor plain, vast limestone plateau, extending westward for roughly 400 miles 650 km from ooldea in south australia into western australia and northward from the great australian bight a wide bay for 250 miles 400 km to the great victoria desert. Nullarbor is a locality in the australian state of south australia located 295 kilometres 183 mi to the west of the town of ceduna in the western part of the state immediately adjoining the border with western australia the name and extent of the locality was officially established on 26 april 20 in respect to the long established local name. More than that, they sing, frolic, lop, dive and do somersaults. It contains widely scattered collapse dolines and a few hundred caves, some of which are large and. From some areas of the cliff tops you can go fishing or see migrating whales offshore. I stop out of curiosity at the yalata roadhouse right and am seriously the only white face there. The bunda cliffs are the spectacular highlight of the nullarbor plain and can be accessed at several lookout points along the coast west of nullarbor roadhouse. The roadhouse sells fuel, food, drinks and ice and offers motel accommodation and a camp ground more suited to. The 14th and 15th holes of nullarbor links at the town golf club were dispatched very promptly with my trusty 5iron. Head of bight whale watching centre great australian bight, nullarbor highway, nullarbor 5690 rated 4. We are looking at about 5 weeks including 4 days in canberra.
Whales gather inshore here in winter, creating opportunities for whale watching from the coast. Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. Come whale season, pods of 70tonne southern right whales migrate from antarctica to give birth and raise their young. Travel guide and general information for the region between norseman in wa to ceduna in sa, plus. We have a 3 year old camry ateva which has only done 21,000km so should be no. Nullarbor means no trees in poor latin, which is exactly what you will see as you drive through sections of the nullarbor. It was first crossed by explorer john eyre in 1841. The grey nomads is an informative website about openroad travelling and holidays within australia. Id just decamped from my red kangaroo daynight seat to the lounge car for a better view. The plain is a great limestone plain which is porous and does not hold water, making vegetation difficult to grow and people to live. The south coast of australia, between adelaide and perth, has a much less extreme climate than many other areas of the country particularly in comparison to places along the northwest coast that you might encounter on a journey north from perth to broome.
This is where the beaches meet the cliffs and a whale watching platform sees action between may and october. Great australian bight marine park australian marine parks. In between, youll find only a few things to disrupt your train of. It is recognisable from orbit because of many unusual features including what at first looks like an enormous bite taken out of its southern edge.
The first southern right whales have arrived at australias head of bight. Caves of the nullarbor plains are considered to be of world importance. The nullarbor plain is the largest arid karst area in australia 220 000 km 2 and is divided into extensive closed karstic depressions separated by low rocky ridges, while the dominant vegetation is chenopod shrubland. Cross southern australia by rail on this epic adventure that includes a twonight train trip on the historic indian pacific train. The nullarbor cliffs literally feel like the end of the. Its easy to imagine the nullarbor as it must have been millions of years ago when it was thought to be a vast seabed. Crossing the nullarbor australia, ceduna, south australia. What to expect nullarbor means no tree, and the terrain of the plains is a great reflection of that, but. The nullarbor plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semiarid country of southern australia, located on the great australian bight coast with the great victoria desert to its north. One hundred kilometres north of the great australian bight, cook is smack in the middle of the featureless nullarbor plain. The nullarbor plain starts in western australia in norseman which is a two hour drive south of kalgoorlie.