Epilogue - Sydney to Perth and back

It took a long time to get this trip happening but finally, I was done. The trip from Sydney to Perth across the Nullarbor had been a distant dream and I have been preparing for it. My trip from Sydney to Alice Springs around was 6,000 kms. So I had dropped my plans for a one way trip to Perth and putting the car on a truck for the trip back. I was going to drive back and forth, twice across the Nullarbor. And so I did. What's more, I took an occasional detour to push it over 10,000 kms.

Day 14 - Dubbo to St Ives

Dubbo, NSW to St Ives, NSW - 390 kms 5:00 hours.

I am now in Dubbo, just under 400 kms from home. Limping home on a spare tyre, I take it easy for a while.

Day 13 - Wilcannia to Dubbo

Wilcannia, NSW to Dubbo, NSW - 557 kms 5:45 hours.

With the space saver tyre on, I slowly limped back home to Sydney. The 1 day trip from Wilcannia to Sydney now became a two day trip with a stopover at Dubbo. This was to allow for travelling at the space saver tyre's limit of 80 kmph plus frequent stops to avoid it from overheating.

I did lose some time last night and got up late in the morning. I would be reaching Dubbo late in the night. Besides having to drive at dusk, yet again, I would reach my hotel late.

Day 12 - Trip hits a road bump - literally!

It was late in the night and I was barrelling down the highway at 100 kmph when I heard and felt a massive bump.

I soon heard a nasty grinding noise that could mean only one thing - I had a flat tire.

Day 12 - Port Lincoln to Wilcannia

Port Lincoln, Victoria to Wilcannia, NSW - 951 kms 10:13 hours.

I set out in the morning from Pt Lincoln up the coast of the Spencer Gulf towards Pt Augusta. I went through Whylla and 4 hours later and passed through Pt Augusta for the second time.

Once past Pt Augusta, I come across Lake Bird. This is yet another "lake" that is basically a dried up version that turns wet when it rains. The main water discharge from a power plant stopped after it was shut down. What remains is this dry, smelly salt pan.

Day 11 - Border Village to Port Lincoln

Border Village, South Australia to Port Lincoln, Victoria - 882 kms 9:10 hours.

Having driven half way across the Nullarbor, it was time for the second half. As it was the start of the day's drive, I took a few detours into viewing platforms giving me a view of the Great Australian Bight.

Day 10 - Kalgoorlie to Border Village

Kalgoorlie, Western Australia to Border Village, South Australia - 910 kms 9:20 hours.

Setting out, this time I will keep going till I am halfway down the Eyre Highway, stopping at Border Village.

Day 9 - Albany to Kalgoorlie

Albany, Western Australia to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia - 870 kms 9:10 hours.

Leaving Albany, I try to stay as close to the coast, on the way to Esperance. Then I will travel north, overshoot Norseman till I reach Kalgoorlie. As I have already stayed at Norseman on the way in, I will stay overnight at Kalgoorlie instead, even if it involves a small detour.

Day 8 - Perth to Albany

Perth, Western Asutralia to Albany, Western Australia - 680 kms 7:30 hours.

The quick route is to go back the way I came, directly eastwards. But I am trying to take a different route in each direction and hug the coast where possible. A quick 8 hour drive becomes two 8 hour drives over two days. So I will be going along the coast to Albany and stop there for the night. Then I will continue to Esperance. There is no accomodation available there and I have already stayed at Norseman. So I will overshoot north to Kalgoorlie which I had bypassed on the way to Perth.

Hugging the coast means taking Forrest Highway going south rather than South Western Highway. The Mandurah train line runs along this road. In the video above, you can see the track and a train pass by. Built in 2007, this line connects Perth and Mandurah.

Ceduna to Nullarbor - A short story

A short story about a journey across the Nullarbor

Day 6 - Norseman to Perth

Norseman, Western Australia to Perth, Western Asutralia - 715 kms 8:00 hours.

The last leg westwards and I will be in Perth where I will take a day of rest. The Eyre Highway that spans the Nullarbor comes to a T at Norseman. North is the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie. South is the coastal town of Esperance. I head towards Kalgoorlie.

The video above brings together the three themes of the road from Kalgoorlie to Perth - the road itself, the rail that often runs parallel to the road and the water pipe in the foreground.

Day 5 - Nullarbor Roadhouse to Norseman

Nullarbor Roadhouse, South Australia to Norseman, Western Australia - 900 kms 9:20 hours.

This leg is the backbone of the trip. And I will be doing it twice. From Ceduna to Norseman stands the only road - the Eyre Highway. At Nullarbor Roadhouse, I am 300 kms into the 1200 kms stretch. I will also pass through the straightest stretch of road in Australia (11th in the world) - 146 kms.

Day 4 - Port Augusta to Nullarbor Roadhouse

Port Augusta, South Australia to Nullarbor Roadhouse, South Australia - 765 kms 8:00 hours.

This is a shorter drive than usual - 8 hours instead of 10. Well past the halfway point of the drive, I will enter the Nullarbor. Destination - the Nullarbor Roadhouse - one of the first roadhouses dotted across the Nullarbor. It will be long straight roads with nothing around. Or so I am told.

Day 3 - Warrnambool to Port Augusta

Warrnambool, Victoria to Port Augusta, South Australia - 965 kms 10:35 hours.

Today will take me into South Australia and I will keep going till I reach Port Augusta. I did try to hug the coast. I drove along the Coorong but bypassed Cape Jarvis. I reached close to Port Augusta by sunset.

Day 2 - Lakes Entrance to Warrnambool

Lakes Entrance to Warrnambool - 795 kms 10:35 hours.

This leg of the trip takes me through the Great Ocean Road. I have travelled down this road before and this time it will be in broad daylight the whole way through. It is also a longish leg so I have to find a balance between making distance and stopping to enjoy the sights

Day 1 - Sydney to Lakes Entrance

Sydney to Lakes Entrance - 730 kms 9:30 hours.

As usual, I am late getting out - it is nearly 10 AM. As I am taking the long route, I am hugging the coast on the way to Lakes Entrance. I stopped at a few places along the way.

Prologue - Across the Nullarbor

A solo trip from Sydney to Perth and back, 10,000 kms in all

  

A road trip across the Nullarbor has always been a dream of mine. But after my trip to Tennant Creek, a total of 6,000 kms just a trip to Perth of 4,000 kms was not going to cut it. It will have to be Perth and back. So I get to cross the Nullarbor twice! The trip would be 4 days each way at a minimum. But I had nearly two weeks up my sleeve. So I will take a slightly longer route, hugging the coast. On the way to Perth, I would hug the Victorian coast and then take the Great Ocean Road. On the way back, I would travel via Albany and Esperance. This brings the distance to a respectable well-rounded 10,000 kms. I would take a whole day to recover, once in Perth and then turn around to make my way back.