Down Under Adventure: The Nullabor Plain

On Saturday Jan 22nd, we embarked on the longest driving part of our journey...The Nullabor Plain. As we drove from Sydney to South Australia, we met many Australians who shared various thoughts on our journey across the Nullabor. Some folks thought that we were absolutely crazy to drive across the Nullabor Plain, others thought it was a fantastic idea to drive the treeless landscape of Western Australia that most Aussies had never travelled.

We had planned to spend three days driving the 2,132 km (1,324 miles) distance from Wudinna, South Australia to Perth, Western Australia. But...we soon discovered that the Britz (and us) were capable of pushing the limits so we drove the plain in two days.

We loved the journey. Yes, it was very flat, straight, dry, and HOT! But we had the opportunity to see the Great Australian Bight and drive right to the southwestern edge of the continent and view the Bunda Cliffs! We drove the longest straight road in Australia (90 miles without a single turn or bend). And of course we passed heaps of 'road trains'. The Australian 'road trains' are the longest trucks in the world. They have 3 or more trailers and are 53 meters long (174 feet) hauling 115 metric tons (253,531 pounds). They moved fast and really rocked the Britz in their path.

We didn't see any wild kangaroos, camels, or wombats. Which really was good in the end because we didn't want to have any unfortunate accidents with our Britz van. We stopped (after 8 plus driving hours each day) at the Madura Pass for night one and then in Merredin for night two. We met a lovely Dutch couple that were traveling around the world over the course of the year. Not a bad way to spend a year. Of course we asked what they did for work. She said she was unemployed and the other didn't really answer...interesting.

Enjoy the photos!