We are now back in Western Australia and thankfully it has been a trouble free trip. We have done 14,500 km and both the Navara and caravan have been great, even on the very poor quality NSW roads. We were surprised to find the network of roads to be so much worse than what we are used to in WA. Even the regional highways have more bumps and potholes than you would imagine.
On the Nullarbor the straight roads, the treeless plains and the gum tree and salt bush that line most of the journey make for an interesting contrast.
Our first camp was at the 157 km Peg Rest Area which is still in South Australia.
This is the first time we have travelled it in the rain and that has it’s good and bad points. The temperature has been very mild, which is a good thing out here, but the driving a little more challenging.
We stopped for a short while at Bunda Cliffs Lookouts 1 & 2 as the rain was approaching.
Crossing back into Western Australia at the Quarantine Check Point, where we had to deposit our remaining fresh fruit, vegetables and honey means that we were without fresh supplies for the next few days. First shop is at Norseman, some 710 km away.
At the Madura Pass Lookout the rain had set in making visibility very poor. The view from here on a clear days is spectacular.
We didn’t see any camels or wombats, but plenty of kangaroos around.
Our second night was spent at Baxters Rest Area and finally it stopped raining. The camp grounds were quite muddy with plenty of pools of water around. The sunset made it all worth while.
Newman Rock is a great vantage point to see Harms Lake. There was plenty of water still on the rock and the water in the lake was glistening in the sunshine.
As the weather improved so did the the daytime skies.
Our next stopover was at Fraser Range Sheep Station on the western end of the Nullarbor Plain. The station is 160 km long and 25 km wide and they have moved from Merino sheep to Damara’s which are lean meat sheep and do not require shearing as they naturally shed their wool.
We did the walk up to the summit lookout to get a birds eye view of the area. I’m not built to go uphill! but it was worth the effort.
Our final night before Perth we spent at Karalee Rock. Another interesting stopover as it was once a water collection point for the steam trains that operated between Perth and Kalgoorlie. The rockwalls that direct water into the channel and then to the dam are still in good condition.
Our final dinner and sunset during which we spent the evening reminiscing about the trip.
From here we are on to Perth to visit family and friends before going down to Margaret River to settle back into normality for a while.
It was been a great trip and we are already planning our next caravan adventure to Queensland.
