Among other things, this road trip will be remembered as the trip of rainbows. We were blessed with good weather, including occasional showers (which is always welcome in the outback) that turned into rainbows and double rainbows. The Lao word for rainbow is “goong kin nam” which translates to “prawn drink water”. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because of the shape of the prawn’s arched body if a prawn was to stand on the tip of its tail drinking water at the side of a river? We witnessed many rainbows on the trip back and the beautiful double rainbow above was photographed as we approached Hay, NSW from Mildura, VIC.
Introduction: About six months ago, we drove across Australia from Sydney to Perth via Albury for a brother’s wedding at unofficial land speed record time of 4 days (of solid driving)! 1 The road trip was a wonderful and unforgettable experience, and highly recommended if you have the time or feel so inclined to do so, and provided you’re prepared and know what’s ahead of you. It’s a great way to see and appreciate the geographic beauty/landscape and vastness of the continent, from urban jungle to rural/country towns, barren outback to awesome coastlines. According to Google Maps, the fastest driving route from Sydney to Perth is 3,938 kms (41 hours) via National Highway A1. 2 This post is about our return trip back from Perth to Sydney. It was an epic journey and this is an epic post. It contains 79 photos (with notes), so I apologise in advance if it slows your computer down a little. 3 I just thought it would be easier for everyone if I covered the whole trip in the one post.
[dropcap]Sooner[/dropcap] or later, we had to drive back to Sydney. Duty called and we had to return to the east coast to maintain peace and order. The trip from Perth to Sydney was equally awesome as the first and we enjoyed it even more as we (partially) retraced our path and appreciated the unique landscape for the second time. Like most return trips, it seemed shorter in distance, however we actually took more time as we made more stops. It was less stressful because our deadline was more flexible than the first. The road trip back to Sydney took us 7 days of consistent driving.
First, I would like to say thank you to Stirling (our much beloved 1995 Volvo 850 T5) 4 for transporting us safely across the country and protecting us from all of the elements.
Stirling, you nailed it! Especially across the nortorious Nullarbor Plain. 5Although, truth be told, it’s these long straight country drives that he enjoys the most. Even though we had issues along the way, including your Automatic gear transmission playing up (complete with alarming/never seen before flashing light), you managed to soldier on and got us home safely. Phew! It was an epic and challenging task I know, and you made us very proud. You’re a legend and a plum mate, and we love you and your family forever. 6
Thanks also to my dear partner for doing the driving. The road trip was a test on your driving skills, patience bigsmile and responsibilities, and you passed with flying colours. You did an amazing/commendable job, and both Swan and I felt like we were in very safe hands throughout the whole trip. Bravo, dear chap!
There were some close calls though, you must admit. Like that night when you had to suddenly break and luckily just missed hitting the vacuous kangaroo by metres that stood on the middle of the hwy grooming itself (and then leisurely hopped away when it suited it). Or when you had to abruptly stop for the stressed out parent emu and its brood of emu-kids to hastily/madly and comically cross the hwy like crazy cartoon performers (so cute though). Or when we crossed the path of the spooky solid black feral cat that ran across the hwy as it was defending itself from the swooping big black bird. Phew and weird! They were all close calls but we somehow managed to get through them unscathed.
And of course thanks mum and dad for all of your love and support. Mum, the thermos/flask of your deliciously brewed coffee, packed cut ham and relish sandwiches, fruits, crackers and biscuits, box of divine chocolates, and Beatles album box set were all godsend. The Beatles cds in particular were perfect for the drive and a joy to listen to. They were an education and a lovely contrast to our usual dance/electro playlist and helped keep us awake/concentrated/relaxed and entertained for the whole trip. 7
The return road trip was not a holiday nor a leisurely food tour/drive. Although, we did have a blast and made the most out of the experience. Our mission/goal was to quickly and safely drive back to Sydney, and we had to budget and spend wisely.
Fuel was the biggest and most important expense. The price of fuel varied from place to place, and expectedly, the more isolated the servo/roadhouse, the more expensive it was. What am I saying, fuel was expensive everywhere! Especially because Stirling has such refined taste when it comes to fuel. So be sure to fill up when you see cheap fuel. Take note that not all roadhouses will have your preferred type fuel. And remember to calculate your fuel stops correctly. Don’t even entertain the thought of running out of fuel/gas in the middle of woop woop.
Accommodation was another major expense. We found some good/affordable motels online on sites such Wotif.com and Bookings.com. There were some nights when we were less organized or wanted to continue driving, and decided to sleep in the car. We had packed doonas and pillows, so this was an economical and wise choice. The station wagon was full (and heavy), but somehow, the front seats moved/reclined back far enough for a relatively comfortable sleeping position. Swan slept/snuggled in the boot and enjoyed every inch of it, I’m sure.
Sleeping in the car added to the whole outback road trip experience. We chose safe signed parking/camping spots (where other cars, caravans and trucks were parked) to park our car. We had the doors locked, windows just ajar, and it was nice/lovely thought/feeling knowing that we were sleeping under the vast outback sky/stars. Also, fortunately, the weather at the time was comfortably mild and cool (compared to four months earlier).
Food wise, it was smart to travel with packed foods. Mum’s packed lunch and bag of goodies were delicious and got gobbled up quickly. For the rest of the journey, we stopped/shopped at grocery stores/supermarkets along the way and bought travel friendly foods so we could enjoy them on the go. These included fruits, bbq chicken/meats/cheese, coleslaw, bread, snacks and treats (a lot of chocolates for energy and to stay awake, you know). And of course food for lady Swan.
By traveling this way, we saved money on food, which should and will be spent on fuel. Besides, some roadhouses charged ridiculous prices for food stuff that we could not justify spending money on. Ribbons of licorice for example, crazy! Also, it was good to know that we could easily eat something at will without having to stop or wait for the next town/roadhouse. And, hypothetically, if we were to break down somewhere, we could easily survive for at least a couple of hours. 8 We did reward ourselves occasionally. This included takeaways and beers/bevvies in the towns we passed. However, our focus was on getting back to Sydney safely.
[dropcap]If[/dropcap] you do decide to give this journey/road trip go, make sure you do your research first (beyond reading this blog post), and are well prepared. Read up about other people’s experiences, tips and recommendations. Take note of distances between towns and servos/roadhouses and accommodations, etc. and plan ahead! By doing so, it will help save you a lot of pain and worry later on. 9
Similar to driving on other country roads in Australia, take care and travel safely and wisely. Use your discretion and practice all normal driving protocol, including taking the responsibility to rest when you’re tired and not speeding. Driving at night or in the rain is typically dangerous, so be extra cautious/vigilant of rogue wild/’straya animals and other traffic on the road, especially road trains and other extra wide/long vehicles, especially when overtaking.
It’s wise to travel with someone, and remember to regularly keep family and friends updated on your journey. Make sure your car is checked/fit/road worthy before heading off. Make sure you have a spare tyre, roadside assistance, a mobile phone and internet connection/reception. Check your coverage range beforehand so you know what to expect. We had Telstra 3G mobile phone and internet, as well as Vodafone phone for the trip, and the coverage was good but expectedly, there were areas where there was no coverage/range.
The three of us had such a great time on our return road trip from Perth to Sydney. It does take time and money, and patience. And at times, it can seem scary/daunting/isolated but overall, it was a wonderful and memorable experience and a great way to see a part of our beautiful country. The people that we chatted to along the way, from fellow travelers to locals were all friendly and helpful. You could easily fly from Perth to Sydney which takes about 4 hours, but hey, where’s the fun/story in that?!
While we had some car problems along the way, overall we had a great time and I do recommend it. Just make sure you’re well prepared and take extra care, especially if you’re not too familiar with country/outback or long distance driving. If you do decide to do it, I’m certain you’ll love it, both the challenge and the experience. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and/or leave a comment. I’ll try to answer them and help you as best as I can. Bon voyage!
Our return road trip from Perth to Sydney started on a late Friday afternoon in late August. After saying goodbye to our folks, we left the city and headed down south along the Albany Hwy. By the time we reached Albany, which is 417kms from Perth, it was already quite late so we booked in and stayed the night. Albany is a beautiful/picturesque coastal town with population of 36,940 people (Sep 2oo4)[ref]Reference: profile.id.com.au.[/ref]. We left Albany the next day and meandered our way to Esperance, another picturesque coastal town with population of almost 14,00 people[ref]Reference: esperance.wa.gov.au.[/ref] and 481 kms from Albany. The photo above was taken somewhere between Albany and Esperance, when we decided to take a detour from the main road to inspect the coastline, and then ended up on this dirt road. So, no this is not what the typical road from Perth to Sydney looks like! In fact, the main roads for the Perth to Sydney were all sealed and safe. From what I remember, we experienced only one road work, and that was later on our trip near Hay, NSW.
Our little dirt road detour lead us to this pretty/nice ocean/island view. Not bad is it? Unfortunately, it came at a price. I personally don’t recommend driving on dirt roads such as this unless you have a 4WD. However, it did look safe/flat/dry enough at the time so we headed forward. Stirling covered the track pretty well and we reached the bay/beach safely. We enjoyed the view for a moment but when we decided to head back, we drove over a little dirt mound and heard the car scraping on the ground. We drove over the noise and got back on track, and finally back on the main sealed road. Not long after though, we noticed a new/never seen before flashing light on the console, which we found out to be a error with the electronic device that controlled the Automatic Transmission. Damn you dirt road and pretty view! Take note to be extra careful when driving on country dirt roads. I personally don’t recommend doing so unless you have a 4WD.
After our dirt road incident, we continued on the main road to Esperance. The road was sealed, smooth and safe. There was hardly any other traffic/vehicles around. The sky was cloudy/overcast/patchy with occasional light showers and sunrays. The landscape was peaceful and beautiful with green shrubbery and trees. The earth on the side of the road was red/orange/brown. Incredibly bright yellow fields stretched forever on both sides of the road like bold geometric abstractions. We were amazed by them and decided to pull over so I could take more photos. I later found out that they’re fields of canola grown for canola oil. I had thought that they were unique to the region, but later saw them again on our journey, near Ceduna, SA and near Hay, NSW. They’re such a beautiful sight!
South Coast Hwy and canola fields, WA.
Mum made us a thermos/flask of delicious sweetened hot milky coffee for us to take on our trip. It’s such a great idea and a lovely gift. The coffee keeps warm/hot for up to 24 hours and we enjoyed it with our sandwiches and bikkies on the go. We made new/fresh brews at the motels we stayed at. It’s economical and mobile. I highly recommend it for anyone going a long road trip.
About an hour after our dirt road incident, we noticed a new/never seen before flashing light on the console. We knew that there was an issue so we pulled over at a the Jerramungup Hotel/roadhouse to find out what the problem was. The place we stopped at was quaint and quiet, and in the middle of what appears to be nowhere. Initially, I felt a little uneasy. I was at a place that I didn’t know, the building didn’t look too inviting, the sun was setting, we had car problems. We soon saw a couple of vehicles pull up in front of the building and then people waking inside, exiting with t/a drinks. It started to look more familiar and I felt a sight urge to go in, but we didn’t. It was just like any other place really, and the fabricated insecurity was just in my head. We found out that the flashing light indicated an error with the electronic unit that controls the Automatic Transmission. There was not much around and it was starting to get late, so we decided to continue to drive to Esperance so we could stay the night there and investigate/inspect our car further. We were concerned and baffled because as we continued to drive, the car felt like it was running normally, even with the flashing light.
We continued our drive to Esperance. When we were in Perth, my partner’s mum gifted him with the Beatles stereo box set. We opened it and listened to every album, randomly. I’m not fully versed with the Beatles music so it was a joyful and educational experience for me. I’d like to note how good, creative, diverse and entertaining the music is. Some things just don’t go out of style. Strangely enough, just after we started playing the Beatles, the skyscape around us started to change colour. It turned into the most beautiful display of psychedelic/iridescent/rainbow colours and patterns, reminiscent of the colourful/creative artworks on the many Beatles albums and a fabulous/shimmering aurora. The landscape looked even more beautiful and we felt blessed and induced.
Ringo, John, Paul and George.
This photo could possibly be the worst photo of a full moon ever! As we continued to drive to Esperance, it started to get dark. To our surprise and delight, a huge full moon appeared from the horizon. It started off as a huge bright red/orange biscuit and then it reduced in size and turned creamy yellow, before becoming a silver pearl high in the sky. I thought about wanting to stop so I could take better photos, but because Stirling was not well, I decided to let the opportunity pass and took this photo from inside the moving car stead. You get the idea. It was such a beautiful and surreal moment, from being on the country road, with full moon, and the Beatles music playing. I felt inspired and decided to jot down a poem on my phone. For the record, here it is, in its edited form:
~
Full Moon – Poem
Oh, perfect full moon, lighting and guiding our way east, across the desert hwy.
Rising slowly from the horizon, up to the sky above.
From a giant orange disc, you transform and reduce in size, into a white circular spot.
From spectacular bright saffron shades to shimmering brilliance, you become familiar white cream.
Like a holy wafer inscribed with sacred symbols as ancient as time.
Like the end of a pin hole camera, you open out into another ethereal, cloudy, sunny sky.
Like a perfect single circular gold leaf, you’re the centre piece on a dark speckled spun dish.
Like a grain of snail egg caviar, you glisten and glow in your perfection.
Like the start of Kusama’s trance,
Like the beginning of ancient stories.
Like a magical, luminous pearl, a pill, you answer and light up a dark moment in time.
Like one headlight of a celestial vehicle, floating in space, in the sky, you alert and centre focus.
Like an evening round mirror, your silver lining is a reminder of god and infinity.
Like god’s sacred eye, opened full tonight to overview and guide us on this path, giving hope and clearer vision, keeping creatures and passers-by at bay.
The lonely, pitch dark outback night desert is now more visible and feels more safe.
I thank you beautiful full moon.
Hang in there Stirling!
We reached Esperance safely, with Stirling’s light still flashing. It was dark and late and we were hungry and tired from the long drive. We booked a room online and tried to find a place to eat. Every place was closed or closing, so we drove to the servo for hot t/a pies instead. Our accommodation at the Esperance Beachfront Resort was comfortable and self contained, complete with a kitchen. It had three separate rooms in an unusual “T” shaped design. We opened the bonnet of the car and checked/inspected it further. We researched online about the flashing light issue and found on a forum site instructions on how to fix it, and it worked! Hooray! It is believed to have happened because dust from the gravel road dirtied the solenoid connections points. We were so happy that the light stopped flashing. We went inside, made a cuppa and relaxed/watched tv and then went to sleep with peace of mind.
Esperance Beachfront Resort, Esperance, WA.
We got up early the next morning and after checking the car, we decided to quickly check out the coastline/beaches of Esperance before getting back on the main road to Sydney. Esperance is very beautiful/picturesque coastal town. It is 718 kms from Perth, 481 kms from Albany and 391 kms from Kalgoorlie and somewhat isolated but magically located. For some reason, it reminds me of a coastal town on the east coast, perhaps Merimbula. However, it seems more laid back here and the water and beaches look more pristine.
West Beach, Esperance, WA.
Wind turbine in Esperance, WA.
On our Esperance coastal drive, we pulled over the side of the road to check our phones/emails. It was a fabulously bright and sunny day, and the ground was covered with these bright cheery native? wild flowers that screamed out to be photographed. Not sure what they are and I think Ive seen them before on the east coast but they’re so pretty. There’s quite a lot of variety in them too from solid bright yellows to orange/reds to one with spot markings and stripes!
Wildflowers in Esperance, WA.
As we were about to drive out of Esperance, we noticed a mob of people outside of the Esperance French Hot Bread Shop. We pulled over and I walked in and bought a salad roll and steak and kidney pie so we could eat it on the drive. It was a Sunday morning, but there was a buzz in the shop. Pays to be open on a Sunday. So much variety and to choose from. A recommended place if you’re in Esperance. I couldn’t see any banh mi though. Possibly all sound out. Time was passing by too quickly and we decided to leave Esperance asap. We forgot to refuel or go to the local supermarket to buy food/groceries for the drive. We decided to stop at Norseman, a town 203 kms away instead.
Esperance French Hot Bread Shop, Esperance, WA.
After we left Esperance, we decided to stop at a servo in Salmon Gums for fuel. It’s a small town and not much was happening, but I did notice one of my favourite eucalyptus on the grounds and just had to photograph it. I believe it’s a type of weeping gum? It’s a great looking tree with weeping/drooping branches and pretty huge gumnuts/flowers. You can also see the same wild yellow/orange/red flowers from Esperance in the background.
BP, Salmon Gums, WA.
We reached Norseman which is 203 kms away from Esperance. Norseman looks like a big town on the gps map and has a population of about 1,600 people.[ref]Reference: nullarbornet.com.au.[/ref] When we arrived on the Sunday arvo, unfortunately the whole town was very quiet. There no visible shops open on the main street for us to buy groceries. It was not what we had planned for. The only thing that stood out was the huge modern/electronic town clock/tower that stood in the middle of the main street. We didn’t see any other humans except for some passing cars/caravans like us driving through. I’m sure thinking the same thing as us. We pulled over at a park to check our phones and I noticed this lovely sculpture which I had to inspect and photograph. It is the town’s namesake, the horse that helped establish the town.
As we tried to find our way out of Noresman, we got a little lost and ended up on one of the back roads. To our surprise, we stumbled on this most bizarre/alien monolithic construction that resembled a cross between a massive ant/termite mound, a mining site and some form of alien/government construction/hq. It was huge, imposing and unexpected, especially in such a quite and small town like Norseman. You can see poles on and around it for size comparison. You can also see the same wild flowers in the foregrown following us. I later found out that it is a giant mine tailings dump.
We found our way out of Norseman and got back on the National Hwy. We had to get serious and focus on the driving. We still had a lot of distance to cover.We wanted to reach the WA/SA border by the end of the night. The Beatles was back on, Stirling was in good form and we were in our concentrated/relaxed driving zone again. I found the box of chocolates that mum had given us as a travel present and we treated ourselves to a couple. These chocolates are incredibly rich and delicious.
I closed my eyes and had a semi nono nap, only to be woken up by a sudden stop. I was in shock and my partner informed what was going on and that I had to quickly get the camera out to photograph the commotion. There on the left of the road was a hysterical emu parent that had crazily crossed the hwy. It was looking to the other side signalling and communicating with its brood of baby emu kids that had been waiting for it on the edge of the road. As our car was parked, and following the direction of the parent, the brood of emu-lings quickly ran/scattered across the bitumen hectically to reach the comfort/safety of the parent. The family finally reunited quickly disappeared into the safety of the bush. It was such a wonderful sight and experience to witness. I was in a stupor and we didn’t want to get too close or leave the car. It all happened quite quickly, and I managed to take a few photos of the family. If you click on the photo above, you can zoom in on it on Flickr.
The sun had set and it was dark when we reached the Caiguna servo/roadhouse for fuel. We had a toilet break, a bite, and took swan for a toilet walk. As I walked to the toilet to fill Swan’s bowl with water, I noticed a couple of garden statures/sculptures around the path. A baby crocodile/alligator and smiling/happy cartoon frogs. I thought they looked cute/interesting and decided to go and get the camera to photograph them. It was dark so I used flash. After viewing the first shots on the lcd, I noticed that there were a whole tribe/family of garden gnomes hiding in the background. All of them looked happy and glad to see and greet/welcome me, except for one who was obviously ready to retire for the night and didn’t want to be disturbed. It is known as the Caiguna Home for Wayward Gnomes. We wanted to stick to our plan of reaching the SA/WA border by the end of the night, so we continued driving. We drove as far/much as we could but it had been a very long day of driving. We reached Mundrabilla which is close to the border and we decided to park in the carpark and sleep in the car for the night. We had doonas and pillows, our seats went back and reclined. It was mildly/pleasantly cool and comfortable. Quiet, night sky looked beautiful for a few minutes before we quickly feel asleep. Car doors locked, windows down just a little. There were other cars/caravans around too. We felt safe. We found out in the next morning that it had rained the night before, so it was wise that we had stopped and had a rest.
We got up early on Monday morning and continued driving to the WA-SA border. We reached Eucla, WA but it was still too early for the town to be open. We continued driving and crossed the border and reached Border Village, SA which is 12.9 kms from Eucla. We refueled and had a rest and a bite and got online. We had driven 925 kms since Esperance and we still had only just crossed the border, proving just how big and wide WA state is. Border Village is a busy/popular roadhouse/servo with its own accommodation, chapel, bar, dining area and internet cafe. It’s a recommended pit stop to refuel and have a rest/something to eat. A lot of touristy souvenirs stuff here and lot of traffic and characters. We had coffee and lambsfry for breakfast. Simple, delicious comfort fare that filled our stomach for a long day of solid driving ahead.
Lambs Fry, Border Village Roadhouse, SA.
We got back on the road and continued east. We were on the Nullarbor and the landscape is unique and beautiful. It is not as dry or barren or desolate as I imagined. The heavens were clearing up and a combination of fluffy white clouds and blue sky and radiating sunlight. Not much distraction in the landscape except for flat subdued/muted earthy colours that contrasted shaply with the skyscape.
The road here is the longest straight road in Australia. It is long and straight which is good and bad. There’s not much distraction but still requires a lot of concentration. We turned up the music for entertainment and witnessed local wildlife, including occasional bird life from the sides including black birds and and wedge tailed eagles. The shape changing clouds provide a beautiful comforting visual display.
We reached the Nullarbor Roadhouse which is 186 kms from Border Village at around noon. It’s one of the popular/major pit stop on the cross country road trip. It’s a peculiar and surreal place. A servo/pit stop, complete with accommodation, pub/bar, diner, public showers in the middle of what looks like nowhere. The roadhouse and the Nullarbour is reminiscent of a desert planet space station in a Star Wars film, where intergalactic travelers from all corners of the universe stop to refuel. Most were travelling in high tech fancy 4WD or caravans and some buses, and the seldom vintage station wagon like us. Not really but sort of. I was rather excited as we pulled into the roadhouse and got out to properly photograph the surrounding area. I walked around a little, as reasonably far as I could without getting bitten by a snake or shingleback or something. Open landscape views looked similar from most angles/perspectives/ Blue and white cloud sky, horizon, mute green/shrubbery and combination of red/brown/grey/white earth. I had hope to see Sturt’s desert pea, probably looking at the wrong place, but managed to see/photograph some familiar yet still interesting/beautiful flora other than grass, including ubiquitous dandelions, Patterson’s curse and a black/blue/purple berry like bush/shrub which looks alluring but I’m certain is not blueberries and screamed out “don’t eat me”. Is it a nightshade? Can someone id it? It had rained the night before, and as you can see it turned out to be a beautiful day, with water puddles still on the ground. I don’t think it rains much here so every drop is a godsend.
Dandelions, Nullarbor Roadhouse, SA.
Mysterious plant, Nullarbor Roadhouse, SA.
Nullarbor West & Nullarbor East, Nullarbor Roadhouse, SA.
Travellers refuelling at Mogas, Nullarbor Roadhouse, SA.
It’s a big roadhouse, or perhaps it’s just the open space playing tricks on my mind. You might be wondering why there’s a sculpture of a whale on the premise? From the surrounding landscape, it’s easy to forget that the roadhouse/Nullarbor is actually close to the southern coastline. At certain strectches of the road, you can see the immense ocean and there are lookouts for you to turn off to, like we did on our trip from Sydney to Perth. There are plane ride hires that you can book from the roadhouse to fly to the coast to hopefully view water wildlife including these beautiful Souther Right Whales.
The Whale’s Tale Inn, Nullarbour Roadhouse, SA.
Nullarbor Landscape, Nullarbor Roadhouse, SA.
Next 88km, Nullarbour Roadhouse, SA.
We didn’t have any time to waste but we had urgent internet work to do. We popped into the the tavern and had a quick few drinks and beef jerky and worked on the laptop as we took a break from driving. Beers are from stubbies. I chose the reliable Coopers. The jerky was Jack Link’s and was good. Not sure why they don’t sell Aussie made jerky though. The staff here were friendly and helpful. One of them showed the art of rolling a Coopers bottle. Say what? It’s meant to mix the sediments at the bottom so it blends in with the drink. Doing it too fast/incorrectly could create a boy/bubbles. Asked one of them which is the next big town to stop at for internet. She showed a guide/table and advised to stop at Ceduna. I noticed the towns/names Penong and Nundroo and thought it would be good to stop for photos. We stopped at Nundroo but accidently passed through Penong. Next time Penong. We took her advise and headed off.
We got back on the road and headed for Ceduna, SA. As you can see in the photo, the road is ridiculously straight! You can click on the pic to zoom in on Flickr. We seldom passed other vehicles and when we did, it was a strange/rare treat and exchanged the friendly travellers wave and smile.
We stopped at Nundroo because I liked the name. The staff at the Nullarbor Roadhouse was right. This place is small. It is basically the roadhouse, and is a little isolated. Take note that some of the towns/stops that are on the Nullarbor map are just roadhouses. My partner popped in to ask for directions and buy food and said the lady was really nice and lovely. I decided to take some photos of the building and one of the windmill on the premise, facing the direction we had come from. As I later viewed the photos, I noticed that the clouds in the sky had formed an image/shape of the map of Australia and showed our path from WA to NSW.
Map of Australia in the sky, Nundroo, SA.
We left Nundroo and got back on the road and headed for Ceduna. The sky clouded up and it started to rain. It was a nice shower and I’m sure Stirling appreciated the wash. We drove pass this imposing roadtains which we’ve passed several ties on our trip. It is segmented, long and wider than a normal vehicle so when we pass it it have to veer to the side to give it room. From rain comes rainbow. You can see one in the photo above, appearing at the top of the roadtrain.
Double rainbows on the road to Ceduna, SA.
As we entered Ceduna, we drive through a fruit/quarantine inspection. The welcoming rainbow is in the distance.
We arrived at Ceduna before it was completely dark. We book and check in at the Ceduna Motor Inn. We then drive into the town to Foodland and buy t/a food so we could eat in the motel room. It’s a basic room, but we were exhausted and looked forward to just relaxing, eating, watching tv, haing a shower and sleeping on the bed. The place is next to the Eyre Hwy, so it got a little traffic noise at night as road trains/traffic drove by. We’re so tired and fell fast asleep quite easily and ignored the noise.
Ceduna Motor Inn, Ceduna, SA.
The next morning, we left the motel and decided to pop into the Ceduna Foreshore Hotel Motel because we had work to do on the internet/laptop. The place is big and lovely with a dining area, bar and pokies room. There’s also an art display section near one of the entrance. We ordered some beers and worked/relaxed. I had a look at the Aboriginal painting and photo exhibition. There’s a strong Aboriginal community here. All of the paintings looked amazing/wonderful. I was particularly liked the one on the left in the photo above. It’s called “Sturt Pea Landscape” by Denise Scott and if you zoom in you can see that it’s detailed with many tiny Sturt’s desert peas. The staff here were also very friendly. I ordered a glass of red and asked if I could take a photo of the bottle for my food blog and they obliged. It’s a delicious drop but didn’t last too long so I reordered beers instead. Ceduna is a beautiful coastal town with beautiful views. I’m sure its a great place to visit and stay for longer.
Rosemount Estate Little Berry McLaren Vale Shiraz 2013.
Coopers Ale, Ceduna Foreshore Hotel Motel, Ceduna, SA.
Ceduna Foreshore Hotel Motel, Ceduna, SA.
We left Ceduna and followed the A1/Eyre Hwy. We noticed a huge long above ground water pipeline along the side of the road. I’ve read that the pipe carries water from Port Lincoln to Ceduna, and the supply of fresh water to this part of SA is a permanent problem.[ref]Reference: http://www.travelling-australia.info/Journal2006/24Apr.html.[/ref]
We drove through Poochera, SA for fuel which is home to the Dinosaur Ant (Nothomyrmecia macrops). A giant scuplture has been erected to commemorate it.
We read about the Big Galah in Kimba, SA before we left Sydney on Nullarbor Net. We saw it on our trip from Sydney to Perth, and this time round, I wanted to see and photograph it again. Kimba is located halfway across Australia. It’s a pretty town with a population of about 800 people.[ref]Reference: Nullarbor Net.[/ref] The sign partially reads “One year as an April Fool’s Day joke an egg was placed in the nest so we can assume with such evidence that the galah is female!”
From Kimba, we drove past Iron Knob, a historic mining town. To visit the town, we had to turn off Eyre Hwy, but we could still see part of the mine out the car window. It was getting dark at this time. For some this reason, this random photo from the car tuned out brighter and better than I expected. It was before here that we saw a feral black cat run across the hwy as it was being swooped by a large black bird.
We reached Port Augusta, SA a small city with a population of 13,504 people[ref]Reference: Wikipedia.[/ref] when it was dark. We stayed here on our trip from Sydney to Perth and thought about staying again for the night. But we still had a lot of distance to cover so we decided to continue on driving. We popped into the Woolies bought takeaway food for the drive. Take note, we found the roads/signs around the south-east of Port Augusta to be a little confusing. Perhaps, it’s because it was dark and that our gps and internet was not working properly at the time. There were also many kangaroos around here so take care. We left Port Augusta and followed the B64/Goyder Hwy to Mildura, VIC. The roads were winding and narrow, and it was dark and quiet but with the potential of kangaroos. We pulled over the road to have a coffee/toilet/food break. I got out and took Swan to the toilet and took a photo of another above ground water pipeline, similar to the one we saw near Ceduna. We continued our drive to Mildura in the dark country road. It was a little scary and we were vigilant hoping that no silly animal would jump/run out in front of us. We reached Renmark, SA and my partner was too tired to drive further. It was also starting to rain so we decided to park the car at a safe place and slept/rested for a few hours before being woken up by a noisy council leaf blower/gardener. We woke up early the next morning and continued to drive Mildura.
We reached Mildura on early Wednesday morning. It was overcast/gloomy/raining. Again we had some work to do online, so we popped into the Mildura Grand Hotel to do so and ordered some beers. Really friendly staff here.
View fro Mildura Grand Hotel, Mildura, VIC.
Mildura Grand Hotel, Mildura, VIC.
At around noon, we left Mildura and continued driving towards Sydney. The sky was overcast, the road was wet. It was raining for most of the day. I hate rainy drives, especially in the country. It’s dangerous and scary. The landscape here looked flat and barron and reminded me of the Nullarbor.
From rain comes rainbows. As we approached Hay, the rain started to stop. The sky started to clear up and a double rainbow appeared before the setting sun. I took these photos with the car windows down while it was still sprinkling, resulting in the camera and myself getting wet. Highly not recommended.
We reached Hay, NSW which is 294 kms from Mildura, VIC in the early evening and booked into the Nicholas Royal Motel online. It’s on the main street and a really nice an comfortable place. It was a little more expensive than our usual but goes to show just how much a difference you get in quality of the rooms from the slight increase in price. The room came with free WiFi and breakfast. We bought takeaway from Wok in Hay and a bottle of wine from the bottle-o for dinner and enjoyed it in the room as we relaxed.
Richland Sauvignon Blanc 2014.
Pad Thai and Fried Chicken from Wok In Thai Takeaway, Hay, NSW.
Breakfast at Nicholas Royal Motel, Hay, NSW.
Nicholas Royal Motel, Hay, NSW.
Blossoming tree, Hay, NSW.
Wok In Hay Aussie & Thai Take Away, Hay, NSW.
We left Hay on Thursday morning and continued driving towards Sydney. It was still overcast with occasional showers. We reached Gundagai which is 349 kms from Hay, and stopped to refuel. As we left the roadhouse, my partner received a phone call from his mum and he pulled over the side of the road to talk. Right next to us, I noticed a beautiful galloping/excited horse in the paddock. It looked so lively and was one of the most beautiful/stunning horses I had seen. I got out the camera and got out of the car and walked up to it, patted it and took some photos. I returned to the car and got some slices of bread and returned to give to it. I probably shouldn’t have done this. It’s such a beautiful/stunning/healthy/lively horse. It reminded me of the Norseman horse. It was so beautiful and such a lovely experience.
Brown Horse, Gundagai. NSW.
Brown Horse, Gundagai. NSW.
After the phone call and horse experience, we got back on the Hume Hwy and continued driving to Sydney. Not far now. Another rainbow presented a display.
It was getting dark and late, and we were getting tired so we decided to turn off into Goulburn to stay the night. Goulbourn is a regional city with a population of 24,895 people (2014)[ref]Reference: Wikipedia.[/ref]. It is 181 kms from Gundagai and 196 kms from Sydney. It’s a vibrant city with some beautiful old architecture. We decided to get t/a and relax in the motel room so we found KFC and booked/checked into at the Astor Hotel.
KFC, Goulburn, NSW.
The Astor Hotel, Goulburn, NSW.
We left The Astor Hotel early on Friday morning and headed for Sydney.
We arrived back in Sydney just after noon safe and sound. We make a visit to our local, the Golden Barley Hotel for a few drinks to celebrate and unwind. It’s been a while, and its great to be back to see the friendly staff again. That’s it folks, our road trip from Perth to Sydney. I hope you enjoyed it. Doing a road trip across Australia is not an easy task but well worth it and we loved it! It’s a great way to see the country and for us to spend time together. By having our car and dog with us, we had the freedom and mobility to do what we liked. If you have any questions about the trip, feel free to ask and leave a comment. Hopefully, I can help you. See you soon with more regular posts and recipes, I promise. As for now, all the best!
Cheers!
Notes:
- We drove safely and within limits, but doing this distance in this time is not recommended for various reasons. ↩
- All distances provided in this post are calculated using Google Maps. ↩
- I took over 1,000 photos on the road trip back which I’ve cut down to 79 photos for this post. Many good photos were omitted, and many good photo opportunities were not taken. C’est la vie. ↩
- It’s truly a great car folks. ↩
- The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia. It is located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. At its widest point, it stretches about 1,100 kms (684 miles) from east to west across the border between SA and WA. It has Australia’s longest straight road, 90 mile straight (146.6 kms). Reference: Wikipedia. ↩
- You need to love your car/vehicle and take good care of it on such long road trips. It’s an important component and it knows what’s going on. ↩
- Dance/electro music is excellent/perfect for long country/desert drives, especially at night to help keep you awake. Although, be warned, it can also easily become hypnotic and cryptic. It’s good to mix up your playlist a little. ↩
- In retrospect, an esky would have been good. It’s perfect to keep foods and drinks fresh for longer. ↩
- I recommend you visit Nullarbor Net for a detailed travel guide to driving across the Nullarbor. ↩
Great road trip, Padaek! Really enjoyed this posting.
That weeping gum tree with the huge gumnuts is Eucalyptus caesia. There is a variety of it called ‘Silver Princess’ which can be grown in gardens, but it’s really hard to grow in Sydney. It needs somewhere a lot drier and not so humid.
Loved all your photos and your captions, it sounds like you had an amazing time.
Jamie
Hi Jamie! Thank you for your comment and I’m glad you enjoyed the post. We had an amazing time and the trip made us realise just how incredibly wonderful Australia is. Thank you for the id on the gum tree. They’re a fascinating plant and do grow well in WA, along with other gums that I’ve not commonly seen in Sydney.
What an awesome road trip! Thanks for sharing all your adventure, advice and photos. I agree music is so important or road trips too.
Hi Emma! Thanks for your comment. It was an awesome road trip and we’re now planning the next one. We both love music and it’s amazing how good it sounds on road trips. Glad you like the post.
This is truly amazing and epic… What an awesome experience!! Proud of you Padaek.. Love you and your work!!
Thank you Nigel. We had such an awesome time. Looking forward to sharing another road trip real soon. ?