Second day crossing The Nullarbor - Madura to Norseman  Cloudy and showers 24/25C Perfect for travelling across the Nullarbor which can be 40C

 

Only 582km to go to Norseman. Next stop for fuel was Cocklebiddy.  Once again this consisted only of a roadhouse, motel units and a few scrubby sites for caravans etc. BUT it did have a golf course  - see below....

 

Nullarbor Links - The World's Longest Golf Course

The Nullarbor Links concept is unique. The 18-hole par 72 golf course spans 1,365 kilometres with one hole in each participating town or roadhouse along the Eyre Highway, from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia. Each hole includes a green and tee and somewhat rugged outback-style natural terrain fairway. The course provides a quintessential Australian experience and a much-needed activity/attraction for travellers along the renowned desolate highway.

 

Cocklebiddy

 

 

The Cocklebiddy section of the Nullarbor Links

 

Cocklebiddy

 

Royal Flying Doctor Servicec Emergency Airstrip

At various points on the road there are markings like large zebra crossings across the road which indicate where the road is used as an emergency landing strip for The Flying Doctor. Vehicles stop traffic at each end to allow the plane to land.  As I mentioned before, The Flying Doctor is the only doctor between Ceduna & Norseman (1194km).

 

At Cocklebiddy I talked to the girl (25ish) serving there - she said she loved living there and never wanted to live anywhere else.  Out the back in a shed I could see an ambulance and she told me that her partner drove the ambulance.  I guess you have to be multi-skilled in these remote areas.

 

The emergency airstrip

 

There is no mechanical service between Ceduna & Norseman. In Ceduna we met an elderly couple towing a caravan who had broken down at Cocklebiddy. The RACWA had towed them to the border and then the South Australian service, RAA took over and towed them to Ceduna - a distance of 764km! They were lucky that they broke down near a roadhouse or they would have big problems because for most of the journey there is no mobile phone service.

 

Caiguna Time Zone Change

 

Well we have had several time zones on our trip........  We left Queensland on Qld time and this changed at the border to NSW time as they had daylight-saving so were 1hr ahead of Qld. We then moved into VIC but they are the same as NSW so no problem. We then crossed to South Australia which was 30mins behind NSW/VIC but NSW/VIC clocks went back at the beginning on March at the end of daylight saving so they were then the same time as Qld but different to SA.  As we crossed the border to Western Australia we had to turn back our clocks 45mins because they are behind SA, BUT they have 2 time zones, so we had to turn back our clocks another 45mins just after Caiguna (347km further on).  Got that?  Well, I was totally confused and really didn't know whether I had just had breakfast or lunch?

 

 

Kangaroos beside the road

 

 

Rest/Camp Area with an Old Swaggie beside the barbie
& a dunny in the background - What more could you want!

 The toilets out here are bush toilets ie a drop toilet - a hole in the ground.  

 

Camels, Emus & Roos Crossing this time

Caiguna

This next stretch, as the signs says, is Australia's longest straight road so Terry decided that as it was dead straight, I could drive that part as there were no bends!  Cheeky Bugger - I have driven for an hour or two on every journey to give him a break!





Change of Driver

90 mile Straigh Road

  

There were no lookouts today so we made good time with the wind behind us again and finally crossed The Nullarbor with no hiccups - Hurrah!  We arrived reasonably early at Norseman where we stayed for the night.