Australia
Nullarbor 1200: A tour in outback Oz
Postphoned again ! As they say; watch this space ...
First attempt - March 2006
I had planned to spend March 2006 on what promised to be a pleasant organised ride across the Nullarbor from Norseman, Western Australia to Ceduna on the coast of South Australia, but seems that not enough other folk thought that the 1200 km ride would be pleasant enough and the ride was re-scheduled to 2008
Second attempt - March 2008
Yet again seems that fewer than 50 folk thought that the 1200 km ride would be pleasant enough and yet again the ride has been re-scheduled
Third time lucky???
Who knows? Anyway, for those interested, this was the proposed itinerary ;
Day One - Arrive Norseman, Western Australia
This gold mining town is the place to make final preparations, and perhaps take advantage of the last swimming pool this side of the border or play some traditional two-up at the casino.
Day Two - 110km Norseman to Fraser Range
Ride the Eyre Highwa across rolling country before reaching the crest of remote Fraser Range. Spend the first night at a historic sheep station
Day Three - 182km Fraser Range to Balladonia
Ride out of the granite hills, through the world’s largest Eucalyptus hardwood forest, and down into Balladonia
Day Four - 124km Balladonia to Wild Camp (before Caiguna)
Today's substantial leg takes you along the longest stretch of straight sealed road in the world
Day Five - 124km Wild Camp Through Caiguna to Cocklebiddy
The immense surrounding flat was once an ancient sea floor, and is now dotted with sinkholes and caverns, such as the Caiguna Blowhole
Day Six - 192km Cocklebiddy to Madura
The region is a nature lover's paradise, with caves plus whale and bird watching located in the Nuytsland Nature Reserve
Day Seven - 117km Madura to Mundrabilla
Flanked by the Hampton Tablelands and the coastal plains, you're beyond half way and deep in the remote Australian outback
Day Eight - 166km Mundrabilla to Eucla
At the top of Eucla Pass watch out for Royal Flying Doctor Aircraft, as they may need to use the road as a landing strip!
Day Nine - Rest day
Eucla offers plenty of distractions, not least a great pub and restaurant, and even a golf course. It’s also your chance to take it easy, and perhaps catch up on some laundry. Eucla boasts a fascinating museum, with pieces of the Skylab satellite that crashed near here in 1979, and there’s the opportunity to ride down to Port Eucla, see the Old Telegraph Station and walk onto the beach.
Day Ten - 199km Eucla, through Border Village to coastal wild camp, Nullarbor
National Park
Cross the border into South Australia (time to put your watches 30 minutes forward ). Lookouts dotted along this stretch afford views of spectacular cliffs dropping straight into the Great Australian Bight
Day Eleven - 199km wild camp, Nullarbor National Park to Nullarbor
Ride beyond Bunda Cliffs, across what was once an ocean floor and is now the world’s largest flat slab of limestone, in places up to 300 metres thick.
Day Twelve - 194km Nullarbor to Yalata
Ride thru indigenous people's Yalata land, where dunes and cliffs meet at the spectacular Head of the Bight. Experience indigenous culture with a visit from a Yalata elder, who will share traditional stories, song and dance
Day Thirteen - 151km Yalata to Nundroo
Gradually the landscape changes and becomes more familiar, with agricultural farms replacing the wild, desert plains of the past two weeks
Day Fourteen - 179km Nundroo to Penong
Nearing completion of the Nullarbor 1200. Penong, the town of ‘100 windmills’, is home to magic surf breaks at nearby Cactus Beach
Day Fifteen - 173km Penong to Ceduna
Ceduna derives from an indigenous people's word meaning a place to sit down and rest. After 1200km and untold adventures, it is your time to sit down and rest on the shores of Murat Bay and congratulate yourself for being here
Day Sixteen - Ceduna and beyond
After a final breakfast feast we say farewell. You may travel with Bicycle SA back to Adelaide on specially chartered coaches, or catch a plane from Ceduna airport, or simply ride home via the magnificent Eyre Peninsula
