I left the BP garage in Norseman which seems to operate 3hrs ahead of the rest of the world and headed onto highway 1. The Nullarbor awaits, a desolate crossing of 1,200km / 800 miles to the next supermarket in Ceduna, and I hoped I was ready. My buggy was heavily loaded and now weighing 75kg / 150lbs with 42 liters of water and as much food as I can carry, which made the going slow. Despite the never ending undulations it felt good to be out there, a different feeling to before. No civilization, no phone or power line, no water pipeline, no fence. This is the outback for real now.
To prove it, horse flies appeared and seemed to enjoy biting me. I’ve come to realize that of flies, ants and biting things (Mosquitos, horse flies etc) I am always accompanied by 2 of the three! Luckily, as my resolve decline I reached Fraser Station in the dark at the end of a HARD second day. Fraser Station is a working sheep station which makes some money on the side from tourists. I got a rustic room and joined the workers and a couple of other tourists in the metal shed which was now the dining area for an excellent buffet dinner. Including ice cream and cake! Super place. To make it even better, at the end of the evening (8pm!) one of the girls brought in a newborn lamb which had been abandoned, and we watched it take its first steps. So cool! Rose the lamb! The next morning the farm dog became Rose’s best friend.
Beautiful Fraser Station
Rose and friend!
Two rainy days greeted me for the next 100km, until I dragged myself into the Balladonia roadhouse. And not a moment too soon, for the heavens opened 30 mins after I arrived. I must admit though that the coolness and the smell of fresh forest and eucalyptus was wonderfully refreshing, as was the proper shower and bed which felt wonderful. So did the gigantic burger served in the roadhouse bar – so big it was held together with an 8 inch steak knife!
Balladonia is an interesting place, especially as the Skylab space station landed near here in 1979. Remote, and worth stopping if you are here! 🙂
Run Across Australia 