Yes its long. Yes it contains the longest straight section of road in the country (maybe the world). But the drive across the Nullarbor (meaning no trees) is anything but boring.
This time (which was not our first) we tackled it quickly because of the time constraints of our long service leave contingent but if one is to truly take in the stark beauty of this place, then simply skimming across it is not the answer.
Several years ago we treated our daughter to a dash across and back. We had seen inter alia (sorry “among other things” in latin – sometimes the accountant in me forces its way out) a Getaway episode where Dermot Brereton had attacked the Nullabor Golf Course. 18 holes of “golf” stretching the entire length of the Nullarbor from Ceduna in the east to Kalgoorlie in the west. Holes all named and sign posted. Some within the confines of actual golf courses, others just single holes by the roadside.
Holes from the Graham Marsh designed holes one and two at Kalgoorlie Golf Club where the fairways would be more than sufficiently coutured to be greens on many courses, through the wide open spaces and oiled sand greens of Ceduna Golf Club to, particularly the SkyLab hole at Balladonia, where the only thing to aim at is a big red dot in the distance, offers an interlude on the almost 1,400 kilometre length of the course. Many of the greens are artificial turf allowing for a modicum of maintenance, although the curator who we met while playing, says the flags require replacing often as souvenir hunters tend to purloin them as mementos of the experience.
The biggest thing from that conversation with the curator was that since the opening of the course, there had been an almost total reduction in road deaths. Now with a reason to have a break every 200 kilometres or so, far less fatigue related incidents were occurring. The truckies have the UHF radio to talk amongst themselves now the general public have the golf course.
But there is much more than that.. Far more in fact. The entire Nullarbor is a limestone plate, complete with caves and all the things a Jenolan or Wombeyan in New South Wales might have to offer. That’s inland, on the coast there are rugged and spectacular coastlines to see, and plenty of viewing points to see them.
The Head of the Bight, if only to take a break, should be on everyone’s “to do” list. From here you can marvel at the southern ocean, knowing that if you were to dive in and swim south, the only thing between you and the next land (which just happens to be Antartcia), is ocean. Of course there are a lot of perils between here and there. The great Southern Ocean is notorious for its weather. On many a day you can see from the viewing platforms great white sharks circling the waters far below your feet or whales frollicking, but the nothingness of the horizon is a misnomer to what is around you. All you need to do is look.
Perhaps its the Indigenous side of me but I feel an affinity with the land. Being able to see eagles soar overhead as we drove down the escarpment into Madura. Majestic birds, at peace with the air currents, similarly with the great white sharks, while they are not hunting and attacking, their grace is unmatched.
Put them in a place where lunch on the menu and that majesty turns to clinical fury.. We have seen eagles take kangaroos by swooping over and ahead of the vehicle without warning, and everyone who swims in the ocean has in the back of their mind the omnipresent fear of a Jaws attack.
The circle of life goes on.
We get lost so much in the destination we fail to enjoy the journey. The Nullarbor is not a perfectly flat expanse of land. There are undulations and over each can be a new view if we open our mind to the endless possibilities.
On that first trip across the flat plain, Kirsten, our daughter, who was learning the saxophone at the time, wanted to play “in the middle of nowhere”. It had to be a “perfect” setting. No trees, just blank horizon.
We never found the perfect spot but settled for a place where she could stretch her legs, play the haunting melody and with some creative staging make it look like she was playing in come desolate environ far from anywhere. In fact she was standing under a huge sign post and we had to watch out for the traffic movements, not to mention the howling gale at the time, to get the best pictures and sound.
Yes driving around Australia is a huge undertaking. But like the adage goes, each long journey starts with a single step. If we continue to be destination oriented rather than focussing on the journey, then we will misinterpret the vista right in front of our noses.
