Where is the Nullarbor Plain?

12-14 Day Trip

Approx 4,000kms

From Perth: Cross the wheatbelts towards Hyden and Wave Rock, or cruise along the south-west coast through Margaret River and Albany. It’s a long way to Adelaide, so plan your trip carefully and if you’re on a tight schedule, you might need to leave out a few stops on the way.

From Adelaide: Drive, drive, drive about 700kms to Ceduna, the unofficial start (or end depending where you begin your roadtrip!) of the great Nullarbor crossing.

Wave Rock (Hyden):

After driving your campervan through hours of Australia’s infamously huge Southern Wheat Belt, you’ll arrive at the small town of Hyden. There’s not a lot going on in this rural WA town, except for the massive wave-shaped rock just on the outskirts of town. It’s definitely worth the stop, just for the token photo if anything. Not a bad place to stay for the night, with the local pub serving up cheap, country-style meals.

Esperance:

Even though it’s a bit of a detour, Esperance is a MUST-SEE destination. The town itself is full of character, while the beaches are ranked alongside some of the greatest in the world. It’s remote, and yes there is the occassional shark, but the turqoise waters and fresh, white sands are too good to stay away from. There’s great waves, and National Parks abound on either side – often with kangaroos playing in the sand. If you’ve come out this way, you would be stupid not to park your campervan here for a day or 3.

Sadly, as is the case in much of rural Australia, Norseman is a dying town. Empty old pubs and relics from the goldrush era are pretty much all that remain in this old country town. There is fuel and a small supermarket though – and it’ll be the last supermarket you see for 1,200kms…

90-Mile Straight & Cocklebiddy:

You’re officially on The Nullarbor now. 90-Mile Straight is pretty much that – a straight road for around 126kms that will get your eyes playing tricks on you. Roadkill abounds and you’re now in camel country – so watch out! Cocklebiddy is basically a roadhouse, where you can grab a cheap meal, fill up on petrol and camp out for the night (there’s showers and bathrooms for an overnight fee). Around this area there’s a few Caves you can explore, but watch out for snakes in the low-lying grasses. You’re a long way from help if **it hits the fan!

Eucla:

Nearing Eucla, you’ll notice the trees become very sparse. In fact once you cross the South Australian border in your campervan, you won’t see any trees. You’re in Nullarbor Reserve, where the horizon extends forever in every direction. Eucla is a roadhouse and camp site around 500m from the rugged, remote coast. It’s on a hill overlooking the bunda cliffs, making sunsets spectacular. It’s worth stopping here and cruising the road towards the coast to check out the remnants of the old Post Office as it slowly becomes devoured by the dunes. The beach itself is remarkable – not much surf, but you won’t see another sole on the sands for around 500kms in either direction…

The Bunda Cliffs:

As you get across the SA border, there’s numerous turn-offs to the infamous Bunda Cliffs. Some of them are well marked, but the one’s you’ll really wanna see are the unmarked turnoffs. You can pretty much park your campervan on the southern edge of the Australian continent and have lunch, drink beer or skip around in your undies while dosing up on cheap wine…

Fowlers Bay, Penong & Ceduna:

Welcome back to civilisation…sort of! Ceduna will be the first real town you’ve seen in a while. But before you get there, be sure to spend a day exploring Fowlers Bay and Cactus Beach (turnoff at Penong). Cactus Beach is iconic in Australian surf culture. It’s remote, sharky and eerily beautiful. I’ve been here twice, surfed my ass off both times and used up a whole 8GB SD card shooting the cliffs, the waves, the pink lakes and the endless sand dunes. It’s a very special place.

Port Lincoln & The Eyre Peninsula:

It’s a bit off the track if you’re headed for Adelaide to return your Rental Camper, but I promise you, this is almost the best part of the trip. The landscape changes a little, there’s lizards sunning themselves on the road and beautiful beaches all along the West Coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It’s a beautiful part of Australia. Port Lincoln, at the very bottom tip of the Peninsula has a population of around 15,000 with a couple of pubs to relax and enjoy. But what you’ll really wanna do is do a shark cage dive or a swim with the sea lions. I couldn’t afford the shark dive (around $400!), so i chose to swim with the Sea Lions instead – and it was a fantastic experience wading in the waters off the coast of Port Lincoln.

The lonely highway between Adelaide and Perth is close to 3,000kms long and littered with experiences. From incredible Bunda Cliffs and whales prancing in the Southern Ocean, to surfing the isolated beaches around Penong and The Eyre Peninsula.