19 | February | 2024 | Physio my way

Locations: Nullarbor, Cliffs of Bight, Penong, Point Sinclair

Regions: Alinytjara-Wilurara

Dates: Sunday 18 – Thursday 22 February 2024

Temperatures: 15 – 31 degrees, fog and sun

Monday 19 February, 15 – 29 degrees.

The night was cool and Rob and I are grappling with the time change. Yesterday the time had kept switching back and forth; four times, after we left Eucla. Starting at 11:50am WA time which changed to 2:20pm SA time then back again a short time later and then switching back and forth several times.

We arrived at the Bunda Cliff Camp 2 at 3:00pm WA or was it 5:30pm SA time? We decided to stick with WA time for the rest of the day and then SA time from tomorrow.

The night skies are amazing but I can’t get good photos with the iPhone… need to work on this!

Monday morning we wake at 3:30am WA time, 6:00am SA time just as the sky lightens. There has been a very heavy dew overnight and it’s a cool 15 degrees.

The sunrise is spectacularly beautiful.

We anticipate a quiet day with a long walk but around 9:30 a fog rolls in… and continues until about 4:30pm and then starts to lift a little. We set up the Starlink and Rob relaxes with a movie – Oppenheimer and I catch up the blog and make some date scones. Yum!

We head out for a long walk about 4:30pm but the mist continues, rolling in as it gets later in the day.

Tuesday 20 Feb, 18-31 degrees

Tuesday dawned, still misty on the cliffs so we decided to cut our time here and move on. This is one of the main benefits of free camping – flexibility.

A couple we met from Mandurah, WA the previous day on the cliffs (sorry can’t recall their names!) recommended Cactus Bay, 270kms East and 20km South of Penong which is about 60km West of Ceduna on the WA/SA border so we thought we would check it out.

The journey is uneventful (always what we hope for 😀) with a few wide loads on trucks to navigate; 4.5metres wide the largest, and again the UHF is a must when travelling these roads, even if you aren’t towing.

Crossing the Nullarbor the only animal we see is a dingo, very casually crossing the road as we approach Nullarbor Roadhouse but I miss getting a photo. We stop for a coffee and I find a very similar hat to the one Rob lost last week as a gift for him.

Love you handsome. ❤️

A STATION AT BOOKABIE, EASTERN END OF NULLARBOR

We stop at Penong for milk and greens to finish a roast beetroot and radish salad I have planned to go with steak for dinner and then turn South towards the Coast.

I’ve heard good things about this camp so I’m excited. The road out is tough with lots of corrugated ruts and holes so it’s a slow drive which is ok as there is lots to see. The pink lake at Point Sinclair may be pink in full sun, so maybe tomorrow, lake Mac Donnell stretches out on the left and towering sand dunes are both left and right.

This is a private camp and first in, best served to find a camp spot. It looks reasonably full so we feel fortunate to find a nice, reasonably flat spot with a flushing toilet nearby! The facilities are amazing including many toilets, cold showers and a camp kitchen at a very reasonable day rate per person. Happy Days!

The surfers beach is a short walk over the dunes and the point is just up the road. After setup we take a walk to explore the area.

Wednesday 21 Feb, 17 – 27 degrees

I start a sourdough for a loaf around 8:00am and after the folds set it aside for the 1st proof and Rob and set out for a cross country hike and a swim at Point Le Hunt.

We start the walk on Cactus Beach and then head for the rough coastal path which follows the point around to the left.

We follow the edge as long as possible but eventually need to go up and along the coastline before we come to a huge expanse of granite.

We continue to follow the Granite around the coastline until we can go no further due to the contour then head up and across the point til we find 4WD tracks which we follow, backtracking a few times until we reach the other side and Point Le Hunte.

We head down and explore the jetty and read about the shipwreck and the jetty and a the tragic loss of a young boy to a shark attack in 1975 before we take a dip in the shark protected netted area.

After our swim we walk back to camp along the dirt road admiring the huge sand dunes on either side of the point. We relax and once my bread has finished its 1st proof, I prepare for the bulk overnight proving in the fridge. Dinner is grilled fish and bean ragu.

This is such a lovely spot to relax and a credit to the original owner with such foresight to infrastructure in a remote outback area. Thank you. 🙏🏻

Our day is complete with another beautiful sunset. Complete with two surfers enjoying their last waves of the day.

Thursday 22 Feb, 16 – 28 degrees

We depart today, next stop Smoky Bay.

Love to all, stay safe, take care and be kind. xx

Locations: Norseman, Woorbla, Eucla, Nullabor, Cliffs of Bight.

Regions: Goldfields- Esperance, Alinytjara-Wilurara

Dates: Friday 16 – Monday 19 February

Temperatures: 15 – 41

Friday 16 Feb, 18-39 degrees

We set off from Esperance at 9:30am and it’s already 26 degrees! We planned to drive North to Norseman 220kms, then turn East towards the Nullabor and stop at Woorbla roadside camp just past Balladonia 236km, hoping for a cooler night.

The drive is uneventful, we pass through Grass Patch and Salmon Gums on the way to Norseman. I fell in love with this gum tree while exploring the Southwest. It has the most amazing bark which is an exquisite salmon-rose gold and silver colour with a tall straight trunk and towering top.

A quick stop at Norseman for fuel; we tend to fill up in most towns to share the love so to speak, and we continue on to Balladonia and our campsite.

We’ve read if you put water out for the birds, you will soon have visitors and when we arrive, some travellers have thoughtfully left a container and a sign so we fill the container and very soon have visitors. It’s a hot evening, only getting down to 24 about 11pm, 20 by 3am and already 27 by the time we leave the next morning.

Saturday 17 February 20 – 41 degrees

My left foot is still quite swollen from the March Fly bite, the swelling made my skin peel and it’s still uncomfortable on day 3.

We set off, headed for Eucla and the Old Telegraph camp tonight. about 500kms.

We pass Caiguna and then Cocklebiddy where we stop for fuel and a quick visit to Samantha and Bruce, two Wedgetail Eagles I’ve mentioned previously. They are held by special rehabilitation licence and help to educate drivers on their habits to prevent accidents. Wedgies are scavengers that often eat road kill. They are the largest raptor predator in Australia and due to their size; with a wingspan of up to 2.84metres, they lift off then swoop back down to catch wind-drafts so that they can gain height and this slow lift off means they are vulnerable to be hit by cars and trucks.

We pass Mundrabilla, about 1:30pm again stopping for a fuel top up, then arrive Eucla around 5:30pm. We don’t travel very fast, usually sitting on 90km per hour, mainly for safety and also fuel consumption. We don’t need to rush and the temperature in the car a/c is welcome as it hits 41 degrees at about 2:40pm.

The camp is in front of sand dunes and the old Telegraph station sits just behind. It’s about 1km walk to the coast and once again it’s full of March Flies. I adopt a a silly “March Fly” dance, waving my arms and stamping my feet so they can’t land on me and thankfully I survive the walk out and back before escaping into the van!

I spend the next few hours cooking up all the fruit and vegetables we have as we are about to cross the border into SA the next day. I stew apples and nectarines. I pickle cucumber and radish. With Rob’s help we roast beetroot, sweet potatoes, potatoes and garlic. I make a tomato sauce, a bean ragu to serve with fish and another version of ratatouille. I chop potatoes, zucchini and onions for the freezer and zest and juice lemons… the next day I find out the quarantine station is 490km’s away at Ceduna 🤦🏼‍♀️. Oh well, at least most of my cooking for the next week or so is done!

We set off, first back into explore Eucla before a short drive out to the cliffs.

Sunday 18 Feb, 17 – 29 degrees

A cool start but the day quickly warms up. We pass through the SA border (no quarantine this side 🤦🏼‍♀️) and on to the 10km peg camp on the cliffs. The site is nice but the cliffs are a fair way back from the coastline so we decide to move on to Bunda Camp 2, 138km South.

We arrive at Bunda Camp, only short 4km’s off the highway and the road out to the cliffs is not too bad.

The cliffs are stunning and the air is pleasantly cool 26 degrees with a mild breeze. We take a walk along the cliffs and chat to many campers, from Qld, NSW and Vic. The sunset is amazing and we cook roast lamb to have with ratatouille and potatoes already cooked. An easy end to a lovely day.

More tomorrow. Hope you have had a great weekend. Love to all. Stay safe, be kind. xx

Physio my way

Daily Archives: February 19, 2024

Aussie Lap – SA, Nullabor, Cliffs of Bight

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Life Moves!