Firstly Happy New Year.

In 2015 I’m going to be Travelling Australia Mick’s Way: just being me, trying not to be boring, staying present and having lots of fun.

In this blog I have travelled from Albany across the Nullarbor to Adelaide

Kms travelled on this leg:  2851    Kms travelled in total to date:  16248

It was time to leave Albany, reluctantly a) because I really liked Albany and b) because it was raining and the rocket doesn’t really like the rain that much.

 It rained a lot on this part of the journey!

I  followed the Fitzgerald Coast and passed through Hopetoun, Bremer Bay, some other places ending in UP I can’t pronounce let alone spell.  There wasn’t much sightseeing due to the weather, speed was reduced but still it was really quite nice.  Esperence is a great little town with incredible beaches, not that I really got to see them much through the pouring rain!  I stayed the night at a great backpackers right smack bang on the beach, but due to the inclement weather I didn’t hang around too long  and headed off to Norseman where the weather started to break.

 Norseman is an old mining town, everyone was really friendly and excited to see the rocket driving down the main street, usually they just see the odd camel and camel drivr.

I was excited about getting onto the Eyre Highway which takes you across the Nullarbor, I had been so looking forward to this part of the trip since the beginning.

Caiguna was my first stop.  The rain had stopped and it was still very overcast.  Camping was a little challenging after all the rain.

Luckily I had my trusty Speedos with me to make it to the tent!

Everything looked fresh and alive after all the rain, the colours seemed to be enhanced by the rain, again amazing sunsets, it had been a great day.

 Sunset on the Nullarbor

 I learnt a little bit of history along the way

Just out of Caiguna is Australia’s longest stretch of straight road.  The Rocket loved this.

 Lucky there was lots of signs so I knew where I was going

You pass all sorts of things out on the Nullarbor.  There were lots of camels, goats, dingoes and wild dogs. I picked up a couple of souvenirs……some may call it space junk!

Someone forgot to tell this guy the Redex Bash had finished.

And really if you are going to get one flat tyre on the trip it may as well be on the Nullarbor……………..

 I made it to the boarder, they thanked me for calling, I was now in South Australia.

From Boardertown you get really really close to the coast for a couple of 100 kms.  You are basically driving along the cliff face, it is absolutely stunning.

There is nothing much else out here until you reach the Nullarbor Roadhouse about 186kms from the boarder.  I arrived here just as the sun was setting.  All the staff at the roadhouse, all the truck drivers, travelers and punters were standing in the middle of the highway (there wasn’t any traffic) watching the sun set.

For somewhere that had so little……no power- just generators,  tank water, dust, heat and incredible isolation, the place seemed to have so much to offer.  Everyone appreciated what was around them.  I really liked it here and stayed for a couple of nights.

Luckily for me and the rocket, the temperature didn’t get much over 15 degrees, it was sunny but cool.

There are lots of little roads along the way that you can peel off and get close to the edge of the Great Australian Bite.

 Looking back along the coast

I was amazed at how calm the water was in the Bite.  Evidently there is a shelf and the water is quite shallow.  I spent half a day at one of the lookouts wandering around, I was the only person there.

After a couple of great nights at the Nullarbor Roadhouse I drove to Ceduna, had a quick look around, visited my sisters bay Laura Bay, continued on the New Flinders Highway and with a little diversion, ended up at Streaky Bay.

I took a shortcut into town

Not may streakers, lots of sharks, a big fishing industry, sheep and cattle grazing right next to the ocean and no shortage of grain, a really pretty place.

Streaky Bay Pier at sunset

 I found a great camping spot right next to the water.

Streaky Bay is famous for its friendly people, great pubs, its abalone and its sharks.  It holds the record for the biggest shark ever caught in Australia.

 He is still lurking at the Shell service station roadhouse just out of town – He was one big unit and looked like he could do with a trip to the dentist…….

Now that’s a mouthful!

Down at the pier I watched a shark boat come in and unload its catch of school sharks – about a semi trailer load heading to the markets in Adelaide.

Port Lincoln was my next stop.  It started to rain again so I opted for a night at one of the pubs.  I stopped in at all the other bays – Tumble Bay, Port Gibson, Lucky Bay, Wyalla and Port Augusta – all shipping and mining port towns with lots of trucks moving wheat.  I slipped into Port Pirrie and set up base for the night.  From Port Pirrie it was a short drive to Wallaroo.

Sunset at the Wallaroo Pier

A few ships still come into the pier at Walloroo to collect the wheat.   Wallaroo is a really pretty little town, lots of silos, great buildings, great marina, great weather, great beaches and Pier One do the best fish and pineapple fritters  I’ve had on this trip.

This place was so good I stayed for a week.

After more than enough pineapple fritters I traveled down the York Peninsula through endless fields of wheat.  I now know where the great Aussie weetbix hails from, stopped in Port Vincent for a night and continued on to Adelaide.

I was a bit overwhelmed with all the signs and traffic lights driving into Adelaide, I hadn’t seen many on the Nullarbor.  I caught up with some friends in Adelaide, Fordo who is a Qantas pilot flew in when he heard I was in town and we spent a great afternoon at the markets, the museum and around the shops.

 The Coopers Brewery Tour was all booked out despite all the conditions of entry……struth lucky I don’t drink!

Back to Sydney for some medicals and a Warragamba Dam slammer at the Mona Brewery.

Next post: more of Adelaide, the Barossa and Kangaroo Island.

“To stay present in everyday life, it helps to be deeply rooted within yourself; otherwise, the mind, which has incredible momentum, will drag you along like a wild river.”” Eckhart Tolle

Laugh, love, learn, eat well, stay present and have fun in 2015.

Cheers

Mick