The drive across the Nullarbor is one of Australia's classic drives. Most people drive it as quickly as they can. Not us, especially with one particular driver at the wheel!
After restocking in Ceduna, our first night was at Cactus Beach. Apparently it's a surfing mecca when the white pointers aren't biting, but there is little attraction for non surfers. Fowlers Bay (our second night) has far more to offer, with better camping and scenery, plus lots of walks and drives nearby. After that, the distances between points of interest increases dramatically.
At Fowlers Bay, we discovered the word "flencing". To our immense disappointment, it was not in our Macquarie dictionary. It is also not in the online Websters dictionary. Even Google only lists 15 pages on the net that contain the word.
Waves from the southern ocean carve the world's largest limestone kast into some spectacular coastal scenery. Ancient erosion has created extensive cave systems, and there are plenty of examples of failed attempts to exploit the terrain. The cave rims were particularly good bird spotting locations, with plenty of raptor nests and owl roosts.
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We camped several places along the way. One highly recommendable stopover point is the Eyre Bird Observatory. It is an abandoned telegraph station, reclaimed as a twitcher hangout. A bit expensive, but very good value.
On the far side of the bight are a number of national parks that offer mountains to climb and picture perfect beaches. There are also abundant brackish and salt water kayaking opportunities.
The drive south from Balladonia to Cape Arid NP was a mixture of bull dust, rocks, corrugations, and sand. It challenges the driver's patience more than the cars capabilities. ( The banksias were dense on the sand with many overhanging the track, and their pods hammered our mirrors. The bikes ended up filthy. ) Cape Le Grande National Park and Franklin River National Park were easy drives, and correspondingly more crowded.
The weather was particularly co-operative on the way across. During two weeks in the tent and breaking camp every day, we only had a few slight drops of rain. Between a few hot days, we got the cooler weather we were seeking.
With the silly season crowds rapidly approaching, it's time to go to ground...