Crossing the Nullarbor
I can’t say that this was a highlight of the trip for me. I can say however that it was so much less painless than crossing the Stuart south to north of this massive country. The Nullarbor traditionally acted as connection link from the fertile east to the resource rich west. Finding itself right in the middle was absolutely nothing. The train line was all that existed for a LONG time due to nobody actually wanting to do the trip in the vehicles available at the time. Some questionably sane people traveled the some 2000 km on foot or by bike. Not only do I find this a strange thing to choose to do I also find this incredibly dangerous. There is no suitable drinking water and any rainwater that is around has been breeding bacteria for god knows how long due to the intense heat. Animals and plants have an extremely hard time surviving out here and if they do, you had better watch out because they will be hardy, lethal things! We had some great emu, dingo and wedge tailed eagle sightings mainly due to the abundance of kangaroo food from the side of the road.
Once again: the flies. If any animal could figure out how to effectively catch and find nutrient from flies they would have an extremely bountiful food source that was seemingly never ending. They breed over night (humidity and heat being at optimal conditions) and poof! There are ten thousand more available for the taking the next day.
This photo has a picture of nine flies that immediately swarmed what is visible of Dave’s body right after he smashed them all away. The only world I can use to describe to whole situation is maddening. You absolutely cannot get anything done and feel peaceful or hygienic about it.
Once the major push across the desert is over, the Eyre Highway kisses the first sightings of the Southern Ocean. What a glorious sight it was! Dramatic landscapes of cliffs falling into the turquoise water with dusty looking scrubs all around.
Once again: the flies. If any animal could figure out how to effectively catch and find nutrient from flies they would have an extremely bountiful food source that was seemingly never ending. They breed over night (humidity and heat being at optimal conditions) and poof! There are ten thousand more available for the taking the next day.
This photo has a picture of nine flies that immediately swarmed what is visible of Dave’s body right after he smashed them all away. The only world I can use to describe to whole situation is maddening. You absolutely cannot get anything done and feel peaceful or hygienic about it.
Once the major push across the desert is over, the Eyre Highway kisses the first sightings of the Southern Ocean. What a glorious sight it was! Dramatic landscapes of cliffs falling into the turquoise water with dusty looking scrubs all around.