Eyre Highway
Sourced from Wikivoyage. Text is available under the CC-by-SA 3.0 license.
Going east - at Port Augusta it splits into the Princes Highway taking you to Adelaide and the East Coast cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and the Stuart Highway going all the way to Alice Springs and Darwin.
Going west - at Norseman you have the choice of taking the direct route to Perth via the Coolgardie - Esperance Highway and the Great Eastern Highway, or you can visit Esperance and the scenic Southwest region by following the South Coast Highway.
Understand
The main thing to understand, it is only part of the whole journey between Adelaide and Perth. The starting points - Port Augusta and Norseman are already some distances from their respective capital cities. Vast desert spaces are not the norm for the whole journey.
For much of its length, the Eyre Highway can be described as a long and lonely road. While in the East in South Australia you still find some small towns like Kimba, Wudinna and Ceduna with some fencing suggesting farmland the Western Australian side of the trip has little or no visible agriculture adjacent to the highway. What you will find are roadhouses, sometimes a mixture of a hotel, a caravan park and garage. Border Village, right at the border between South and Western Australia, and Eucla seem different but most of the stopping places are just plain dusty, with little to offer and of low interest.
The mean distance between them is about 100 km., with the longest stretch being 190 km. (between Balladonia Roadhouse and Norseman). The stretch of road between Caiguna Roadhouse and Balladonia Roadhouse is known as the 90-mile straight. It's the longest stretch of straight road in Australia, 146.6 km. of asphalt without a single curve! Towns east of Caiguna do not follow official Western Australian time. Instead, they use what is unofficially known as Central Western Standard Time, which is halfway between Western and Central timeUTC+8:45.
For much of its length, the Eyre Highway can be described as a long and lonely road. While in the East in South Australia you still find some small towns like Kimba, Wudinna and Ceduna with some fencing suggesting farmland the Western Australian side of the trip has little or no visible agriculture adjacent to the highway. What you will find are roadhouses, sometimes a mixture of a hotel, a caravan park and garage. Border Village, right at the border between South and Western Australia, and Eucla seem different but most of the stopping places are just plain dusty, with little to offer and of low interest.
The mean distance between them is about 100 km., with the longest stretch being 190 km. (between Balladonia Roadhouse and Norseman). The stretch of road between Caiguna Roadhouse and Balladonia Roadhouse is known as the 90-mile straight. It's the longest stretch of straight road in Australia, 146.6 km. of asphalt without a single curve! Towns east of Caiguna do not follow official Western Australian time. Instead, they use what is unofficially known as Central Western Standard Time, which is halfway between Western and Central timeUTC+8:45.
Prepare
The trip can be done in a conventional vehicle, and services are spaced such that you should not need to carry extra fuel. Not all service stations are open 24-hours, so if you are not travelling in daylight hours then you will need to plan accordingly. Some of the side trips require a four-wheel drive, and you should let someone reliable know when you depart from the main road. Telstra has their NextG mobile coverage for significant parts of the highway. Optus offers service only within the major towns like Ceduna. Service on other carriers effectively does not exist. To get the best service, you will need an 850MHz capable phone and Telstra SIM. If you plan to venture off the main road at any point, even Telstra's Next G service may not cover you, and your only option might be to get an expensive satellite phone.
Get in
You could conceivably fly to Port Augusta, and out of Norseman, but for most attempting this drive they are starting from either New South Wales, Victoria or Adelaide, and are heading for Perth (or vice-versa).
Methods other than driving
Bicyclists, runners, and walkers have been seen on the Highway over the years. It is not a good idea unless you are travelling with either a support crew or have clear plans for where to camp out between the service stations.
If you choose to go these ways, keep well away from the road when large trucks pass by; especially when the highway goes close to the Great Australian Bight, the fog when it rolls in has proved fatal in the past for the unwary.
Walking, running or cycling the route is best in the cooler months. Eucla weather radar and records are available at the Bureau of Meteorology weather site, but note that the weather in the Eucla can be quite different from that of Perth or Adelaide.
If you choose to go these ways, keep well away from the road when large trucks pass by; especially when the highway goes close to the Great Australian Bight, the fog when it rolls in has proved fatal in the past for the unwary.
Walking, running or cycling the route is best in the cooler months. Eucla weather radar and records are available at the Bureau of Meteorology weather site, but note that the weather in the Eucla can be quite different from that of Perth or Adelaide.
Drive
The highway skirts the southern end of the famous Nullarbor Plain, roughly between the Nullarbor Roadhouse in the east and Balladonia Roadhouse in the west.
Between those two roadhouses you can make a number of side trips, penetrating north and into the Nullarbor itself. Just south of the highway, between Nullarbor Roadhouse and Border Village are a number of lookouts. Here you can see how the flat Nullarbor Plain abruptly ends and the waters of the Great Australian Bight begin. The 70m high cliffs, beaten by wind and water, are quite an impressive sight.
Between those two roadhouses you can make a number of side trips, penetrating north and into the Nullarbor itself. Just south of the highway, between Nullarbor Roadhouse and Border Village are a number of lookouts. Here you can see how the flat Nullarbor Plain abruptly ends and the waters of the Great Australian Bight begin. The 70m high cliffs, beaten by wind and water, are quite an impressive sight.
Eyre Highway distance table |
East to West | Place | West to East Cumulative distance (km) Point-to-point distance (km) Point-to-point distance (km) Cumulative distance (km) 0 - |
Port Augusta 26 1668 26 26 |
Lincoln Highway turnoff 42 1642 68 42 |
Iron Knob 87 1600 155 87 |
Kimba 88 1513 243 88 |
Kyancutta 49 1425 292 49 |
Minnipa 33 1376 325 33 |
Poochera 48 1343 373 48 |
Wirrulla 89 1295 462 89 |
Flinders Highway turnoff 3 1206 465 3 |
Ceduna 73 1203 538 73 |
Penong 35 1130 573 35 |
Bookabie 44 1095 617 44 |
Nundroo (roadhouse) 50 1051 667 50 |
Yalata (roadhouse) 94 1001 761 94 |
Nullarbor (roadhouse) 186 907 947 186 |
Border Village (roadhouse) 13 721 960 13 |
Eucla (roadhouse) 64 708 1024 64 |
Mundrabilla (roadhouse) 116 644 1140 116 |
Madura (roadhouse) 91 528 1231 91 |
Cocklebiddy(roadhouse) 66 437 1297 66 |
Caiguna (roadhouse) 181 371 1478 181 |
Balladonia (roadhouse) 190 190 1668 190 |
Norseman - 0 Side tripsNullarbor Roadhouse to CookYou can make a short but interesting side trip by taking the track from Nullarbor Roadhouse to Cook, a settlement on the Trans Australian Railway. The track starts just behind the roadhouse airstrip and runs in a north-northwesterly direction. You don't need a 4x4 because the track surface is quite solid and there are no obstacles to negotiate. On the other hand, you do need a reliable topographic map and a compass since there are almost no reference points along the way. A good way to get a feel of the Nullarbor is to stop about halfway between the roadhouse and Cook, climb on top of your vehicle and look around. The surrounding landscape is as flat as a pancake and seems to consist of only two dimensions.Cook's sole reason of existence is to serve the Trans Australian Railway line - most of its inhabitants work for the railway operators. Apart from the railway station, this bland little settlement boasts a shop and even a hospital. Judging by the signs at the station, living on the Nullarbor must be quite healthy. One gives you the advice: "If you're crook, come to Cook." A second one is more blunt: "Our hospital needs your help. Get sick!" You'll also learn that you're actually looking at the longest stretch of straight railway in the world. Due to the incredible flatness and the extent of the plain this piece of track has no curves for 479 km! A gravel road brings you back to the Eyre Highway, to a point about 42km west of Nullarbor Roadhouse. The total distance of this side trip is somewhat over 200km. Eyre Bird ObservatorySouth of Cocklebiddy is the Eyre Bird Observatory, located in a restored telegraph station. Many caves are also located in this area and are popular among cave divers and fossil hunters.
Nullarbor Caves'Various caves along the highwayOld Road RouteThe current route goes close to the Great Australian Bight. A section of the earlier route is accessible to the north, preferably by 4x4. Western Australians travelling before the new route was constructed often would refer to the old water tanks adjacent to the old track: 'Ivy Tanks' was a marker of the journey. Also numerous 'cattle grids' occurred along the older sections of highway.Do
Stay safe
The mentioned seaside cliffs are dangerous: do not venture too close either on foot or by vehicle, and do not ignore warning signs.
Do not travel off the main highway any distance unless you have expert knowledge in offroading this route. Go next
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