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