THE SLOW DRIVE

September 2010
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Off We Go Again (Day 8)

We packed up and headed of from Streaky Bay and stopped off in Ceduna for some much needed supplies. We stopped for a dinner camp on the old gravel highway which runs parallel to the new sealed road. It’s hard to imagine that this once was the only way Western Australians could get to any other capital cities (the rest of the crew travelled down this very road in the 70s). The track is rough and full of pot holes. I imagine that the going would have once been slow and rough; this was confirmed by the other fellas.

About an hour down the track we came across a sign that stated that we were on the Nullabor Plain. The country here is flat and the vegetation scarcely grows above two feet off the ground. Mainly old man salt bush here. Seeing this country reinforces the fact that we are in remote country. With the NEXT G country wireless coverage our trip is made a lot safer since we have means of contact to the outside world. We can see for kilometres: the only thing blocking our view is the horizon due to the flatness of the Nullabor. It’s an awesome sight.

We stopped off to have a look at the head of the Bight; apparently the 30-meter cliffs stretch for at least 200km. I’d hate to fall in as there would be no way up the steep cliff faces. The caretaker of the tourist facility informed us of an old station homestead nearby that would make a perfect camp location.

We set up for camp right next door to an old wrought iron homestead with nearby sheep yards and an old well and stone tank. It’s easy to imagine this place bustling with activity; we estimated that station may have been active at the turn of the century and may have been abandoned in the late 40s. We assume this because of the state of the sheep yards and the homestead. It’s also easy to imagine life out on this country - it would have been filled with trials and tribulations . For example, fresh water may have been a scarce and valuable commodity, and the sheer remoteness would have been hard to overcome. Maybe that’s why the station was abandoned. It’s also easy to imagine the beauty of living somewhere like this, life would have been simple with no hustle and bustle and the words “peak hour” traffic non-existent. It makes one wonder why we humans surround ourselves with concrete. Sure, modern day society has benefits such as extending the length of our lives and creating more comforts, but are we truly living? Our crew really enjoy the outback and really appreciate its silence and beauty. During the middle of night we can hear foxes calling to each other and later on a pack of dingoes begin to howl. We put in a set of rabbit snares in hope that a rabbit stew would provide tomorrow night’s nourishment. Two of the snares had been bitten through - even the rabbits are tough out here. But unfortunately none of our snares managed to hold any of the tasty little critters.