Day 11: Fri 29 Mar 24 (Good Friday) - Madura Pass to Norseman

Fri 29 Mar 24 (Good Friday) Madura Pass to Norseman (530km)

It was 14 Deg with a very slight SE breeze and a light dew, reaching 32, clear and sunny with no wind at Norseman. It was a lovely morning, and a nice change waking to early daylight, so we took the opportunity to get on the road earlier than usual. Today was a long haul, 530km along very good road, but with not a lot to see. We were amazed at how green the countryside was, and particularly so around Madura. This is clearly a reflection of all the recent heavy rain had in the region. One other observation from our trek across the Nullarbor, is despite the various Camel, Kangaroo, Wombat, Cattle and Emu warning signs, we did not see any roadkill. Disappointingly, Noeleene went another day without spotting a camel (dead or alive). The traffic today was well spread out, and the majority was Heavy Transport Trucks and caravans - all well behaved, and surprisingly a lot of three-wheeled motorbikes.  We also spotted a couple more cyclists heading in opposite directions, and about six vintage hot rods towing very compact retro campers and one very retro looking caravan. Lucky the Eyre Highway is in such good condition.  We had several short stops along the way, our longest being at the Baxter Heavy Vehicle Rest Area for our morning brew, then Noeleene took a turn driving again for about an hour after leaving Baxter. We arrived at our destination at the Norseman RV Free Camp at about 2:00pm, snagging one of the few remaining sites available (first in best dressed). As we expected on Good Friday, the park filled quickly. Unfortunately, there is only one store (IGA) in Norseman, and being Good Friday it was closed today so we couldn't replenish any fresh fruit or vegetables that we left behind on the other side of the border. By the time we set up, topped up the water tanks (transferred from the extra water I carried in a water bladder), did a few other chores and chatted to the neighbours, the sun had set on another day. I was keen to go for a walk around town, unfortunately, time got away from me, so no photos of Norseman today.

We are booked into a caravan park in Esperance on Monday for 4 nights, and tonight considering our options for the next two nights over the Easter weekend (either stay in Norseman or move to another free camp or country Caravan Park closer to Esperance. Understandably, Esperance and the surrounding area is booked out for the Easter weekend.

Watch this space.

Our wonderful morning view at Madura Pass.

Fields of various shades of green along the way.

Leg stretch at Caiguna

Another mandatory photo

Five km west of Caiguna is the The Caiguna Blowhole, about 20m from he highway.

The blowholes on the Nullarbor have been formed by weathering through to underground cavities. The cave below here has clearance heights of about 0.5-1.5 metres, and is located about 72km inland from the coast.

About 20 of the caves on the Nullarbor are so large, that in some cases, they contain large lakes and extensive underwater passages.

Caiguna Blowhole

Typical scenery today - very green

More typical scenery today


...and more

New growth following fires.


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