Crossing the Nullabor (Esperance to Balledonia to Eucla to Ceduna)

The reason you do not let the
three year old take the photo...

We had a few more days in Esperance and - sorry to sound repetitive - it had fantastic beaches with blisteringly white sands. It is quite extraordinary that so many fantastic beaches would be in one state. If any of the these beaches were on the east coast you would have more tourists on them than flys (about which more is said - see below) but out here they are often deserted.

The flys were REALLY bad.

The flys.  They were the one great drawback.  Again, after a bit of rain and the sun comes out and then so do the flys.  In enormous numbers. We had no problems sitting on the beach in our cosies wearing out fly nets on out heads.  Honestly, its not a great look but its the only way to avoid going insane.  The only thing that keeps them away is the wind.  But sometimes its really windy and they still hang around.  They are bad days.


The great beaches are to the east - at Cape Le Grand National Park - and to the west. There is a well known beach at Cape Le Grand called Lucky Bay.  It is said to have the whitest sand of any beach in Australia and kangaroos come down and sit on the beach.  Well, that would be fine it it was not for all the seaweed.  We did not think it was the best beach at Cape Le Grand (Hellfire was our pick) let alone Australia.

I am thinking that it probably will not
make it into any Tourism Australia
advertisements.  I was not even brave
enough to take a photo of the ablutions
block,

Two good things about the
Nullabor.  Nice cliffs, cute kids.
That's it.

We then packed up and headed off for the 1400 kms trip across the Nullabor.  Its called the Nullabor because is null and a bore (and, yes, latin buffs because there is a short section with no trees).  And there is a very limited choice of caravan parks.  None have water to your vans and their ablution blocks (as we know call them) vary between disgusting and really disgusting.  If the water actually works in the toilets (which it did not at one of them) then the toilets will block up (which it did at both).  Some of them are never cleaned and there is not a blade of grass on any of them.  Add to that the fact that a major storm followed us across the Nullabor and it was not the high point of the trip.  But it was never going to be.  Unless you are Isaac in which case the chance to spend three solid days watching the "Dora the Explorer - Big Sister" DVD is his idea of heaven.

Apparently, the idea of not spitting at all
is not one that would appeal to good
burghers of Ceduna...

We are now in Ceduna which the more honest travel books describe as a "blow through" town.  Its on the north west edge of the Eyre Peninsula.  There is not much to keep you here other than the need to recover from the past few days.  Oh, and the fact that the Geoff Betts Menswear store is for sale.  Dad has aways had a thing for the smell of those shops of old men's clothes.  So we may come and live here.