Esperance to Streaky Bay

Esperance to Kalgoorlie – Monday 24 October 2011

We threw the itinerary out the window today and from here on as we decided to head to Kalgoorlie for a couple of days, weather is fairly ordinary, cool wet and windy, thankfully we had a tail wind most of the way.  Arrived Norseman about 200kn north of Esperance for lunch and fuel, very old gold mining town with little going for it today.  They have a great life size sculpture of camels in the main street.

Camels Sculpture - Norseman

Arrived Kalgoorlie mid-afternoon, went into town to look around and get some much needed groceries.  The Discovery Boulder Caravan Park is very ordinary for a 4 star, but I think most of the parks are similar here.

Kalgoorlie - Tuesday 25 October 2011

Met up with Derrick and Leanne and visited the WA Mining Museum and the Mining Hall of Fame, both very interesting places. Visited the city lookout and then out to the big KCGM Super Pit, wow what a pit, it measures 3.7km long, 1.55km wide and 460m deep.  They currently excavate 800,000 ounces of gold a year, and with an end of life timeframe of 2021 they estimate 720 tonne of gold excavated. A Big Boys toys extravaganza.

The Old Bank at the Museum

Our new home - welcome, just a fraction bigger than the van

Kalgoorlie

It should be able to tow the van -
 but not as good as the Falcon

Thankfully I don't have to buy these tyres

The KCGM Super Pit

It is massive

Kalgoorlie to Fraser Range Station – Wednesday 26 October 2011

Back on the road for the start of the 3 day trip across the Nullarbor, left Kalgoorlie about 10 am after a visit to The Super Pit Shop, once on the road the rain started and it poured for the next 2 hours to Norseman.  We stopped at the roadhouse for lunch and fuel then started the 1200km trip east and home. 

its a long way to anywhere

First nights stop was Fraser Range Station about 100km along the road, just as we arrived a massive storm hit and it rained nearly all night.  This is a working station and is a popular first night camp when crossing the Nullarbor, it is also one of the holes for the longest golf course in the world The Nullarbor Golf Links, an 18 hole course from Kalgoorlie to Ceduna, we played only the one hole.

One of the Nullarbor 18 Golf Holes

Easy Par?? - you'll never know

Happy Hour Fraser Station

Fraser Range Station to Eucla – Thursday 27 October 2011

On the road again, the weather had improved and we had a tail wind for most of the 600+km drive to Eucla.  First stop Balladonia for fuel, then onto The 90 Mile Straight, Australia’s longest straight road for 146.6km.  We arrived at our second fuel stop for the day at Cocklebiddy, all fuelled up and after lunch we headed for Eucla arriving at about 5pm and of course fuelled up again.  The Eucla caravan park was a fairly flash park for the middle of the Nullarbor.  Early night, just as a massive storm came in from the sea and it hit hard, luckily it was all fine by the next  



Emergency Airstrip

Ready for take-off -
the Falcon was flying with a tail wind

Damn Straight

This guy and his mate gave a scary second or two
as the walked across the road

Eucla to Ceduna – Friday 28 October 2011

A difficult start to the day as we lose 2.5 hours at the border 12km down the road, so it was 9am SA time, (6:30am WA time) when we left.  Stopped at the WA/SA border then onto a number of roadside stops to look out over the Great Australian Bight, very impressive, just something you have to stop for.  Arrived Nullarbor Roadhouse for lunch and fuel about 1pm, and were lucky enough to pay $2.05 per litre for fuel.  Finally the last 300km drive to the fruit quarantine stop and Ceduna arriving about 5;30pm.  Off to the Ceduna Hotel for dinner with Derrick and Leanne.

The distances are getting lower

Great Australian Bight

This is it

Here we are at the Bight

Just sensational

I see NO Ships

Planking at the Bight

The dearest on the trip & second dearest in Australia
- Kings Canyon wins the prize

Got to watch out for everything

Things you see on the road

Celebration Drinks - Derrick, Ken, Marlene & Leanne

We had made the Nullarbor Crossing, it is a long trip but very interesting, Marlene and I have now crossed it 3 times and enjoyed every trip.

Ceduna to Streaky Bay - Saturday 29 October 2011

Late start 10am and only 100km to Streaky Bay, a great little village down the Eyre Peninsula, we planned to stay here for a couple of days to catch up on all the domestics and rest.  The Streaky Bay Foreshore Caravan Park is right on the bay and just great as the weather was sunny but still windy, a nice change from the wet weather of the past few days.  Caught up on all the chores, washing, grocery shopping, and resting.

Streaky Bay – Sunday 20 October 2011

Easy day, up late, went for a drive out along the bay to the blowholes and whistling rocks, a spectacular piece of coastline and the ocean was beautiful.  Back to town for a coffee and an afternoon of admin and blogging. 

Streaky Bay coastline

Streaky Bay

We are off to Port Lincoln tomorrow for a couple of days then Adelaide by the weekend, only two weeks of our adventure left.