On first inspection the morning appeared to be quite foggy; once outside Chris declared it to be misty, nuisance rain. It was enough to warrant a jacket at times and meant we had to pack up a wet Tvan – not really an issue, but our preference is always to pack up dry.
We were back on the road by 7:30am, driving in what had by now become quite persistent rain. One positive was that the rain might wash away some of the red dust that had come along for the ride since crossing the Gibson Desert. We stopped in Ravensthorpe, a small country town on the road east to Esperance, to refuel. Interestingly, the service station was managed by a Sikh family who included a ‘curry of the day’ alongside pies, sausage rolls and chips as a take-away food option.
Highway 1 turns in a south-easterly direction for those heading to Esperance on Western Australia’s south coast – our journey would take us along that route to Dalyup, then north to Norseman before joining the Eyre Highway for the drive across the Nullabor Plain. The weather was gradually clearing and the temperature rising as we drove north – the green broadacre wheat fields weren’t quite so green, and large dry salt lakes appeared at regular intervals. It appeared intensive cropping had taken its toll on the land.
Norseman is at the western end of the Eyre Highway and is the last opportunity to buy reasonably-priced fuel and supplies before crossing the Nullabor (there are only roadhouses selling fuel, substandard takeaway food and 1 star accommodation, all at exhorbitant prices, about every 200 kilometres for the next 1,100 kilometres). It’s amazing what you can charge when there’s no competition.
We have now turned off the Eyre Highway and driven into an area known as Newman Rock. It’s far enough off the highway to avoid the noise of passing road trains in the night. The rock is interesting, as it is one of a few semi-permanent water sources in the area – when rain falls it is captured in depressions in the monolith rock, with one pool near our campsite about 20 x 10 metres. Apparently such water holes are popular with the local wildlife. Emus, kangaroos, camels and scrub cattle are frequent visitors.
We may rise early and pay the water hole a visit at first light tomorrow.