Goolwa to Perth

Goolwa:  14 – 15 June

We spent a couple of days relaxing in Goolwa with Kerryn’s Dad, Frank. 

Kerryn,s Dad, Frank with Kerryn and Tim

Goolwa with Hindmarsh Island Bridge

Goolwa is located at the mouth of the Murray River and it was one of Australia’s major ports in the 19^th century.  Large volumes of wool and grains were shipped down the Murray River in barges towed by paddle steamers.  It was also the port from which a range of goods were distributed upstream and elsewhere into Australia’s interior.

We visited Kerryn’s cousin, Alwyn and his wife, Anne, and other friends, Ian and Evelyn:  dinner at the Goolwa Hotel was of high quality as usual and lunch at the Hotel Victor in Victor Harbor was up to its usual standard.  We also enjoyed a splendid seafood lunch at a new café in the port precinct at Goolwa – overlooking Lake Alexandrina.

We prepared our car and gear for our journey across the Nullarbor Plain.  In particular, we needed some minor repairs after all the water that was across the road between Strathalbyn and Goolwa.

Goolwa – Port Augusta:  16 June [408 km]

We finally had a sunny day as set off from Goolwa for Port Augusta.  Once you get beyond Adelaide, the highway is very flat and straight.  The paddocks were emerald green after the recent rain.  As we drove north, the foothills of the southern Flinders Ranges came into view. 

We arrived in Port Augusta in mid-afternoon and relaxed for the evening before we head off due WEST tomorrow!  Port Augusta is at the head of Spencer Gulf and is the gateway to the beautiful Flinders Ranges.







Port Augusta – Ceduna:  17 June [483 km]

We woke to a glorious morning;  once we had cleaned the ice off our car, we set off on the Eyre Highway.  We drove past Iron Knob – an iron ore mine that dates from the late 19th century and which was one of main reasons for steelworks being established at Whyalla.  Then it was long straight stretches of road past enormous wheat paddocks. 

At Kimba, we visited some sculptures of John Eyre and his aboriginal mate, Wylie – in recognition of their magnificent work in travelling across what is now known as the Nullarbor Plain nearly 200 years ago! 

 

We arrived in Ceduna in the early afternoon and checked out this pretty, seaside town.  At the end of a quite long jetty, we watched dolphins frolicking just off the end of the jetty.

 

Ceduna – Eucla:  18 June [523 km]

What a fabulous day we had.  We were on the road by 8.00 am and this gave us a great run for the 300 km to the Head of the Bight;  we travelled through more pastoral country until Penong, where the paddocks gave way to mulga scrub and then to lots of saltbushes on an absolutely flat plain.  We had reached the eastern edge of the Nullarbor Plain, where the road has lots of long straight stretches.

The fine and mild conditions were perfect for our time at the whale watching site at the Head of the Bight.  As we walked down to the boardwalk, we could see a number of Southern Right Whales lazing in the ocean.  Once on the boardwalk, we saw that there were two mothers with calves right below where we were standing.  What a magnificent sight. 

 

We saw upwards of 12 or more whales, some with calves, while we were at the Head of the Bight.  It was difficult to count them, as some kept disappearing under water.  We also marvelled at the grandeur of the Bunda Cliffs:  they were stunning and rugged as they disappeared to the west of us.

After that stop, we drove into three more lookouts and got different perspectives on the Bunda Cliffs:  these Cliffs stretch for hundreds of kilometres and tower out of the ocean.

 

The Nullarbor Plain is flat - very flat - and has various animal hazards along the way.  The sign says it all:

Then, it was on to Eucla – and we had crossed into Western Australia!

Coincidence:  After not seeing any ACT people since Hay, we found that the bloke in the room next to us at Eucla lives in Theodore and the couple in the room next to him live in Jerrabomberra!

Eucla – Norseman:  19 June [720 km]

Today started with us dropping off the escarpment, through Eucla Pass, onto the coastal plain. 

 

We saw a large number of wedge tail eagles feasting on carrion by the roadside:  what beautiful birds they are.  After some hours, we climbed out of the coastal plain at Madura.

 

As we left Caiguna [Question:  where is Caiguna?], we started on the 146 km straight – the longest piece of straight road in Australia.  After 90 minutes, there is a sign saying curve ahead! 

 
At last, we reached Norseman:  720 km in what will be our longest day of driving on our trip.  Whew!  We had crossed the Nullarbor:  Kerryn for the first time and Tim for the second.  We were tired but very satisfied and Chaunticleer – our Holden Cruze – had performed extremely smoothly throughout.  We walked around town to get some much needed exercise and then had dinner;  while we were eating, the rain came pouring down.

Norseman – Kalgoorlie:  20 June [188 km]

We woke to a bright and clear day.  This would be a relaxing day, with a short run to Kalgoorlie.  Traffic was light and we were in Kalgoorlie by morning tea.  We walked around the east end of Hannan Street looking at the fabulous facades of the Palace Hotel, the Australia Hotel and a number of other buildings dating from the glory days of Kalgoorlie.
Our main interest was to look at the super pit – actually the Finiston Open Pit.  The super pit is simply enormous:  the trucks and other equipment working in it look like little play vehicles. 

 

Around the super pit, there are equally enormous mullock heaps – like small mountains – reflecting the years of mining for gold in this area.  Then we relaxed for the rest of the day in preparation for a longish drive into Perth tomorrow.

Kalgoorlie – Perth:  21 June [616 km]

We woke to an unusual sight:  there was fog over Kalgoorlie, although visibility was reasonable.  We were on the road by 8.00 am, as we had a fairly long day to Perth.  We drove through fog for nearly 200 km, so we can only imagine how much area the fog actually covered.  Once it cleared, however, we were in a beautiful day:  sunny and cool – ideal for touring.  We started passing paddocks of wheat as we neared Southern Cross, so we were definitely past all the poor soil country that we’d entered way back at Penong in South Australia.

Our run into Perth continued smoothly, with the traffic building up as we neared the city.  We managed to navigate our way around the city to the north to get to Helen and Peter’s home in Duncraig by 4.00 pm.  All in all, we had had a good drive to Perth.

That evening, Helen and Peter took us to Hilary’s:  the place where all the cool people go to hang out!  As it was the depths of winter in Perth (actually the winter solstice), there weren’t quite as many people there as usual although the precinct was still buzzing quite well.  We then had a well-earned sleep after a long day.