Crossing a Continent

We ended our time in Western Australia preparing for our ambitious trek across the Nullarbor Plain. While staying with our final host in WA, we were lucky enough to spend some time making preserves from the excess produce that the farm generated, namely tomatoes and chili peppers. Our first go at preserving was at making and jarring some tomato soup, then some tomato chutney, then salsa, and lastly some seriously hot hot sauce! We were able to take some of our preserves with us on our adventure, which meant we didn't have to spend as much on groceries as initially anticipated. We made sure we had some canned staples such as baked beans and vegetable soup, and stocked up on quick noodles like rice vermicelli, hokkien, udon and soba. We had tortilla chips and rice crackers, dried fruits and nuts for snacks, and plenty of muesli and soy tetra packs for brekkie. We also made sure we got a slow leak in our car tire fixed before we left, which only set us back about thirty bucks, but upon researching where to get our oil changed, we were unpleasantly surprised to discover that it would cost around $150! Back in Canada, we were used to our Quik-Lube and Jiffy Lube, where an oil change is performed while you wait, and only costs about thirty dollars or so. Luckily, there lived a former mechanic at the farm we were then staying at, and he was happy to show Jason how to perform his own oil change in the garage, which cost us the price of the oil and filter only. So feeling much more prepared and happier in the wallet, we were ready to set out across our 3000+km journey!

While discussing our plans with eachother and with some of our hosts and fellow WWOOFers, we decided to take our time crossing the Nullarbor Plain, giving ourselves just over a week to drive from Denmark in south Swestern Australia, to Adelaide in South Australia. Apparently this was still pretty ambitious, but Jason and I had a relaxed attitude about it, knowing we could stop at any time to camp or rest or sight-see. We had a number of free campsites in mind that we wanted to stay overnight at, but nothing was set in stone. This turned out to be a good thing, as some of our plans were foiled in the first couple of days due to shite weather. And, as we later discovered, Australia's highways have an abundance of rest stops; some of which are simply a lane next to the main highway to literally just pull over and nap, and some are almost like campsites, with a series of places to park, shaded by trees and scrubs, and occasionally have firepits (although we were in the season of total fire ban). Along our journey we topped up our tank at just about every opportunity we had, because you never knew how far the next fuel station would be! They were extremely sparse in the middle of the desert, a couple hundred kms between each at least.

So we'd had some less than desirable weather the week before our journey, mostly overcast and lightly raining daily, which prevented us from hitting the beach too much... But the day we were scheduled to depart was calling for some pretty heavy winds and thunderstorms. This would also be the first night we had ever camped in the car, and we were headed for a campsite quite near the ocean, so we were a bit concerned that we might need to alter our plan already. At the least, our first campsite at Waychinicup National Park wasn't very far away, so there would have been time to assess if need be, but turns out we were in a bit of a bay and sheltered from the windiest weather. We were definitely glad to be sleeping in the car though and not our tent, as the rain hit pretty hard that night, and the sound would have been deafening. Sadly because of the weather we didn't get to explore much of Waychinicup, but it treated us well and the ranger never came by to collect the camping fees, so we were able to camp for free that night.

The next day we were going to be heading for Esperance, one of Australia's (and the world's) best beach destinations. We were also going to be camping at Cape Le Grand National Park, right on the ocean, but this time we were going to have to forfeit our plan. We headed into the town of Esperence, but seeing that there was nothing but pouring rain and heavy cloud-filled skies, the beaches were a no-go. The campsite we planned would also have been almost two hours off our main route, and to head there for the night would've been redundant seeing as we couldn't enjoy any of the sights. So instead of making the probably dirt-road journey to Cape Le Grand, we stuck to the highway and soon found a caravan park where we could crash. Now, caravan parks are a huge thing in Australia. I guess we Canadians would know them better as trailer parks, but they aren't quite the same thing, and we certainly haven't run into any Ricky's, Julian's or Bubbles's. Caravan Parks, or Holiday Parks or Tourist Parks, as they are called all of these, are geared more toward the traveling folk with campervans, trailers, motorhomes, RVs, or people like us who are traveling the country and sleeping in a car or van. They often have both powered and unpowered 'sites', the powered usually costing a bit more money, and so the unpowered sites would suit a situation like ours where we don't have anything to plug in except a kettle, or backpackers with a tent or swag. We've now seen all manner of caravan parks, from the pretty basic, with just a toilet block, usually including showers and possibly a laundry, to ones that look like a village: thoughtfully laid out sites and cabins to rent, huge amenity blocks, fully-equipped camp kitchens, common lounge room with flat screen tv and DVD collection, a swimming pool and outdoor barbecue area. While caravan parks are not free to camp in, they have certainly been welcome to us every few days while road-tripping, as we can at least get in a shower and possibly wash some clothes, and it's nice to have access to a real kitchen once and again. We have also met some really great people at these places, some fellow travellers, and also some people who live in caravan parks full-time (more on those later).

The night spent in Esperance was our last "planned" stop along the journey, til we got to Adelaide. We spent a total of 7 days journeying from Denmark, averaging around 500-700kms of driving per day. The speed limits on Aussie highways are 110km/hour, so it was easy enough to travel this distance in 5-6 hours. We were armed with snacks, some good tunes on our iPhones (which we updated before our departure, thankfully), and we generally alternated the driver once per day. The next four nights we spent at rest stops, generally ones that had a decent amount of space and were a fair ways back from the road. We always stopped before sundown, and still do as a rule. It is extremely dangerous driving in Australia at night, largely due to the wildlife, particualrly 'roos. Sadly the most wildlife you will see crossing the desert will be the roadkill, and the occasional wedge-tail eagle scavenging from them. We had an unfortunate experience once before, driving to Wedge Island with the beekeeper's daughter, when we had to be on the road after dark. We were in her troupie, a very large vehicle and fairly new to her, when along one of the dirt roads we saw a big male roo near the edge of the road. He was facing away from the road, but as we approached he lazily turned around and bounded directly into the side of the truck. Head-first, he would've been knocked out instantly, but unfortunately this is exactly what happens hundreds of times every night just after dusk. We wanted to avoid any more unfortunate incidences with wildlife, so we made it a rule to stop driving before dusk. We still saw 'roos at dusk, but luckily they were in the plains, bounding together in small groups away from the roads. We were also fortunate enough to spot some emus along our route, though not for long as they are quite shy. We also saw road crossing signs for camels, echidnas and wombats, but spotted no such critters on that trip.

Car camping would take some getting used-to, but by now we certainly have it down! Our lunches largely consisted of items that needed no cooking, or canned foods we could heat up on our engine block. A typical lunch would be Baked Beans and Toast, or homemade salsa and tortillla chips. We also had a variety of snack foods, including plenty of apples and oranges until we got to the South Australia border, at which there is a quarantine check for fruit flies. Therefore, you cannot bring any fresh food across the Nullarbor, so we had to be sure to eat it all before we got there. For dinner, we would often cook a meal over Jason's homemade camp stove, which he crafted from recycled tin cans. We made a number of yummy meals, such as Cinnamon-Apple Bulghur, Peanut Noodle Stir Fry, Pasta with Tomato Chutney, and of course more Baked Beans and Toast! Going into fall, it started to get darker earlier anmd earlier, so filling our evenings with things to keep us occupied was going to be a bit of a challenge, but we did pick up a ukelele in Albany just before the big drive. We began learning some tunes that we could play and sing together, some of our favourite Bob Marley tunes, some Bedouin Soundclash and whatever else we knew. This has since proved to be a great way to pass the time, and is especially nice around a fire :) We also were able to occasionally use our laptop to watch some tv series and movies, provided we were able to charge it.

The driving wasn't difficult, as the roads were more or less stick-straight, and there was only one paved road for over 2000kms. The only way you can really get turned around across the Nullarbor is if you pull off for fuel and get back on the highway heading in the wrong direction! The scenery changed slowly but surely, from forests and coastline in Denmark, then the trees thin out to scrubby bush and the occasional gum, then to complete flat plain just before crossing the South Australia border. The Great Australian Bight was breathtaking, sheer cliffs straight down into the turquoise ocean, extending as far as you can see on either side. The scrubs start to return, and slowly the shade trees also reappear, and the land begins to undulate once again. It is really pretty amazing watching all the different ecosystems come and go as you drive by, and the birds and animals change with the surroundings.

The next time we saw a shower was at a caravan park in Port Pirie, just north of Adelaide, South Australia. There we met a couple of other travelers, working their way across Autralia and living out of a van which they'd decked out pretty nicely. It was complete with solar panels on the roof, powering the fridge and power outlets inside, pretty nice! We got to talking and share a beer with the couple, swapping stories and travel tips, til it got too cold and rainy to stay outside and chat. The next day we headed into Adelaide itself, which we originally had thought we might stay in for a couple weeks - but seeing as our timing for the WWOOF hosts we were interested in didn't work out, and the wet weather had followed us across the desert, we decided not to linger and camp in the rain. Instead we would continue all the way to Melbourne, another two days of driving south from Adelaide, and maybe see some more of South Australia on our way back up in a couple months through the Red Centre to head north to Darwin. So we continued our camping for a few more nights, until we arrived in Melbourne on Day 10! There we are. Ten days to cross the desert from Denmark to Melbourne, where we finally have a bed to sleep in again, indoors, with a real kitchen and hot showers too. The cousins have been awesome, welcoming the Canadian strangers with open arms, and it's really nice to feel like we have some family here on the opposite side of the globe :)

Up next, we travel to Tasmania for more WWOOFing, car camping, and the search for some of the rarest wildlife in the world! Check out our current videos here, and all our photos are on Flickr. Til next time!