In a few days
time I will start the longest drive of my life. I will leave Esperance, WA
and drive over 4,000km to Bundaberg, QLD. That’s the equivalent of driving from
London to Mumbai (but crossing one country instead of 12).
Australia doesn’t
look that big, does it? It’s a bit of a sneaky secret, but I’m telling you, Australia
is enormous. It is vast, and Australians, who are used to
these distances and consider them normal, have a totally different perception
of distance from visitors. Having lived remotely for the past few years, I have
learned not to underestimate Australian distances and also grown cautious of
the casual way in which Australians say somewhere is ‘just up the road’
meaning, in fact, it is hundreds of kilometres and several hours drive away.
The Nullarbor
The first section
of the trip is the not-so-welcoming Nullarbor. Driving across the Nullarbor is
viewed as a rite of passage among Australians. Conquering the 2,700km distance
along the south coast of Australia on the Nullarbor Plain (‘Nullarbor’ being Latin for ‘no trees’) is considered a great adventure. Incidentally,
do you realise the length of the Nullarbor is roughly the same as the distance
from Los Angeles to New York? Can you imagine driving across America and not seeing anything, not even one tree? Cripes.
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| Nullarbor warning sign, Australia |
If the name
didn’t give it away, the Nullarbor is an extremely hostile environment. I’m
told it is the challenge of being properly prepared and making it successfully across
that is exciting. I expect to feel small and vulnerable in a vast and bare
wilderness.
The distance is
as exciting as it is mind-blowing but I am dreading the amount of time spent in the car. I expect to be driving for between six to eight hours per
day, for seven days. Combine over 40 hours of driving time and my ability to
fall asleep anywhere, no matter how uncomfortable or unwise, and I’m not
expecting to look or feel pretty when I eventually arrive in Bundaberg!
...and beyond!
After the
Nullarbor I’m looking forward to seeing South Australia’s dramatic coastal
cliffs on the Great Australian Bight, some new (to me) Australian Big
Things, skirting the edge of the Flinders Ranges and the Blue Mountains and having
a look at Broken Hill and the northern New South Wales coastline. Hopefully I
can stay awake for those bits at least… Wish me luck!
What’s the
longest road trip you have ever completed? Do you have any tips?
Photo credit: Chris Fithall, Tony Bowden
