Nullarbor

The Eyre Highway between Norseman and Adelaide across the Nullarbor is along desert drive. Part of the road the Ninety Mile Straight is the longest straight road in the world. The name Nullarbor is a mock Latin word. Null equals no or nothing. Arbor means tree. Thus it is the plain with no trees, and you will certainly observe the truth inherent in the name. The plain is the world’s largest slab of limestone. It was formed originally as a submarine plateau, which then became elevated by the forces of nature. It is riddled with caves, many linked with the sea, even a hundred kilometres inland.

To cross the Nullarbor by car, remote driving rules apply. From Adelaide take the Highway 1 to Port Nullarbor and Ceduna. Penong is the best place to stop for fuel and refreshments. Heading West, Ceduna is the last sizeable town until Norseman . After passing Fowlers Bay the road runs through Yalata Aboriginal land and then enters the Nullabor National Park. Maralinga is on the northern edge of the Nullabor and where the British conducted plutonium tests in the early 1960's and only recently been decontaminated. The popular train journey across the Nullarbor is on the Indian Pacific.

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