Thread: Driving from Perth to Sydney via Albany\Adelaide/Mildura - Tips?

Someone will correct me if things have changed, but the water used at the two motels we stayed in was hard! Not hard as in hard as nails .. just hard, as bore or tank water is known to be.
I haven't been across since about '97 tho.
Showering was like using glue all over yourself. Soap is useless.
Memory is stretching going back that far, but I think we stayed at Nullabor, Madura and Caiguna, but can't remember exactly. It was 48C plus all the way across.
On the way back(our trip was Melb-Perth-Melb) someone recommended for us to get a bar of coconut soap. Can't really remember if it helped or not.

Cocklebiddy cave! awesome. Hard climb down I remember using a chain ladder. Well it was hard with a broken knee. Well worth the detour. Take powerful lights too.
And The Blowhole, a fantastic hole in the ground ... when it's 50 C outside and the car's aircon couldn't cope

Old Telegraph Station is a great sight too.

Near the border(I think at the border village) off the highway is an easy gravel road to the Bight. A great view from about 30-ish meters above the water .. stretches out for miles either side.

No gravel road now. Gate and pay to view

Originally Posted by Tombie

No gravel road now. Gate and pay to view

That's only for the aboriginal owned "whale watching" station near Nullarbor Roadhouse.

You would only want to go there during the whale watching season in any case - other than the whales, it's a pretty un-spectacular spot in comparison with the many other places where you can drive up onto the top of the cliffs and view the ocean (all on gravel tracks and at no cost). There's plenty of these just east of the border and Eucla. The highway travels virtually right along the top of the cliffs for some distance, and you can drive up to the edge in many locations. A few "viewing points" are signposted - many more are not. There is also a road down onto the beach and the old Eucla telegraph station that you can take - turnoff is just at the bottom of Eucla Pass.

Water quality for showering etc is not really a problem these days - we have stayed / showered etc at a few of the available options. Best is probably Eucla (unless you are planning to stay in a tent - you need a jackhammer to drive the pegs into the ground, and you'll be lucky to get them out again). Pub / motel / restaurant there is great - always a good feed. Roadhouse at the border is a rip-off though. I'd avoid that one. We have stayed at Mundrabilla a couple of times - it's a reasonable days drive from Kalgoorlie. Very basic, but good food and motel rooms are OK if you can't be bothered putting up a tent.

I think you're being a bit optimistic with your travel times. 9 hours Esperance to Eucla, and 9 hours Eucla to Pt Augusta is possible - but only if you're driving virtually non-stop and at a good rate of knots all the time, with no stopping off to look at the scenery. We usually do Kalgoorlie to Mundrabilla / Eucla in around 12 hours, and then do not make Pt Augusta the next day, but aim for either Wudinna (Gawler Ranges Motel & Caravan Park is a great place to stop and you can get a good feed and a beer there) or Kimba (halfway between Perth & Sydney - a couple of decent places to stop over for the night). You have to remember that you are travelling against daylight - the days are shorter when travelling West to East, and longer the other way (we do Adelaide to Kalgoorlie in two days on the way home - but they are long days with virtually no stopping).

If you have the time, detour south from Ceduna. Stay a night or two at Coffin Bay (not far out of Port Lincoln and a great place for camping / fishing) and definitely have a look around Lincoln (in many ways, a lot like Esperance).

Photo below was taken from one of the many spots where you can drive right to the edge of the bight just east of the border, when we were on our way back from the annual Land Rover gathering at Melrose a couple of years ago.

Good advice from BMKal but be aware of camping on the cliffs where those wonderful views are. Cook and I stopped in just such a spot a couple of years back in the early afternoon. Wonderful to just sit at the side of the van and look at the view.
Then the wind started picking up around 1600hrs, so it round to the awning side to get away from it. Then it was time to peg the awning down (awning was on the inland side), then it was lower the awning as the wind increased, then it was put the awning away as the wind became a constant strong wind and then later it was down with the pop top as it reached probably gale force.
Very sleepless night as the van rocked and rolled.....
We realised in the morning when leaving why other campers were camped about a 100 metres back from the cliff top. :-))
Great trip though.
Enjoy.
AlanH.

You might enjoy the motor museum at Hahndorf. Also, you could divert up into the Flinders Ranges and then across.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

You might enjoy the motor museum at Hahndorf. Also, you could divert up into the Flinders Ranges and then across.

Didn't know that there was a motor museum at Hahndorf. Will have to check that out next time we're across there. I assume the one in Birdwood is still open - been a few years since I saw that one too.

We have been losing our motor museums over this way. One in Albany is now closed I believe, as is the one that was in Fremantle in one of the sheds on the wharf. I think the one in York is still open - but the last couple of times I have driven through there, it looked like it was closed up.

If you have never been to Esperance,allow another nite or 2 if you can fit it in,its a really nice part of WA many don't see due to its isolation.
Love Albany,its my holiday spot just down the road.Well 250ks down the road.Im in Williams.
Andrew

Originally Posted by BMKal

Didn't know that there was a motor museum at Hahndorf. Will have to check that out next time we're across there. I assume the one in Birdwood is still open - been a few years since I saw that one too.

We have been losing our motor museums over this way. One in Albany is now closed I believe, as is the one that was in Fremantle in one of the sheds on the wharf. I think the one in York is still open - but the last couple of times I have driven through there, it looked like it was closed up.

The motor museum in Albany was demolished years ago along with The Esplanade Hotel,was in the same location.
Andrew