After the highly rewarding detour to Cape Le Grand National Park, we returned to Esperance on Saturday morning. It was just in time for us to join many other customers in the hustle and bustle of the supermarket and get hold of supplies for the next 14 days.

By now we have mastered bulk shopping and because we always eat the same things, it didn’t take long to choose the right food. It was more difficult to stow all the goods from the full shopping cart in our luggage. Deflating and crushing the chip packets, filling crackers… everything found a place. When we finally added a few liters of water for the first overnight stay, the bags were full to the bursting point.

Along with unpleasant grain trucks as the harvest was just beginning, we pedaled through small hamlets with huge granaries towards the mining village of Norseman. Here we treated ourselves to a very long lunch break with all kinds of fresh food from the village store, a (cold) free shower in the public toilet facilities and, of course, a coffee at the petrol station. The village didn’t offer much, but at least it was more than anything we were expecting in the coming weeks. To the east, 1200km of bushland lie between Norseman and the next village, Ceduna. Although there is an actual treeless plain only in the middle, the whole stretch is known as the Nullarbor. For many Australians, crossing the Nullarbor is an iconic road trip that “must” be done once in a lifetime. The route leads through inhospitable landscapes, endless expanses and great distances, promising something between excitement, adventure, boredom and monotony.

Since we decided in Katherine to take the route via Western Australia, people kept giving us tips about the wind on the Nullarbor and warning us about all sorts of things. Some predicted headwinds, others tailwinds. It was clear to us that we wanted to tackle the route before the summer (starting in December) to avoid the worst of the heat. Now we were on the road in the targeted period at the beginning of November and were confident that we would also be able to master this section. At any rate, there was a roadhouse at a maximum distance of 200 km where we could fill up on water and buy something refreshing. To save money and because we didn’t fancy a two-week diet of hamburgers and chips, we ate what we had brought with us and cooked our own meals.

We listened to the last warnings from an elderly gentleman that there were camels, kangaroos, emus and snakes out there, that we had to watch out for the trucks and that it was going to be over 40°C on Friday with an unconcerned smile. Okay, we’ll see… we felt well prepared and were ready to set off at last.

Right at the start, the roadhouses were so far apart that we had to fill up with 12 liters of water each. The bikes were correspondingly heavy, but rolled quite well once they got going. Apart from the rough road surface, constant headwinds and the very annoying marchflies that ruined our siestas, the ride was pleasant for the first few days and we made good progress. Shortly after the Balladonia Roadhouse, we turned onto the “90 Miles Straight”, a 145km long straight that took a day and a half to complete. After the very first bend, we were amused by the curiosity of Central West Australian Standard Time. There are 67 people living in the world’s smallest time zone and it was already 45 minutes later for them. The time change had no effect on our routine. From sunrise to sunset, we covered around 120km and were usually in the saddle for more than seven hours. Although some roadhouses were not particularly pleasant and had very few, very expensive drinks to choose from, they defined our breaks and were the only places to fill up with water… Only when we left our overnight camp on the morning of the predicted hot day with a strong, warm crosswind we asked campers at the nearby rest area if they could fill up our bottles. In response, we were not only given water, but were also invited for coffee in the wind-protected caravan. We had a wonderful chat while the wind shifted outside and blew out of our backs after the snack break. It blew hot air from inland and with it the heat wave swept over us. At 10:00 in the morning, it was already 38°C and we looked forward to the midday heat with concern. By 12:00 noon, the fun was already over and the temperature was only 24°C. Crazy!

At Border Village, we left the state of Western Australia after almost four months and crossing into South Australia actually felt like crossing a border. Because Western Australia strictly controls the import of fruit, vegetables, honey and seeds, the oncoming vehicles were inspected at the quarantine station. On the South Australian side, the quarantine station was only in Ceduna, 480 km away. This arrangement was very advantageous for us, as we could ask campers in good conscience over the next few days whether they were carrying too much fruit or vegetables that they could give us. Our strategy was surprisingly unsuccessful. Taking food from other people’s fridges seems to be very unusual. One lady told us that she had used everything up, but then remembered a few surplus apples. When she came out of the caravan, she was holding a huge bag of apples, mandarins, lemons, peppers and tomatoes. That covered our fresh food needs for a few days😊.

In South Australia, the road became narrower but had a smoother surface. Thanks to relatively little traffic, we were still able to take turns riding in the slipstream. This proved necessary on the section up to the Nullarbor Roadhouse, as the wind was once again blowing hard from the front. In addition, the treeless plain offered no protection whatsoever, which was quite impressive! What a wonderful surprise and welcome distraction when suddenly the best roadhouse opened exclusively for us and served a warm coffee! It was Kate and Graham, our hosts from Cape Le Grand National Park. They had passed us in their caravan and stopped in the next parking lot for us.

We were delighted when the Nullarbor Roadhouse finally appeared on the horizon after another strenuous hour on the bike. We had long been looking forward to refreshing drinks and shade from the wind! However, before we could hit the fridge, we had to wait a little longer. Another cyclist we had met a few weeks earlier was sitting in front of the building. He was an older gentleman traveling alone, with tanned leather skin and an overgrown cycling jersey in faded colors. However, his need for company and conversation was enormous. Not because of him, but because the roadhouse was very pleasant and offered the only shelter from the wind for miles around, we decided to finish early, have an official campsite and a warm shower.

We had to prove ourselves at the end of the long stretch to Ceduna with another hot day (great tailwind!) and a few hills. To our surprise, we didn’t find a solitary roadhouse in Penong, but a small, well-kept village with a general store, hotel and Australia’s largest collection of windmills. Although it had only been two days since our last hot shower, we took the opportunity of a free shower at the petrol station. And because we had now almost made it through the Nullarbor, we thought a toast from the hotel bar was appropriate. The waiter seemed to share this opinion and gave us the two cans of (ginger) beer as a gift😊.

The last few kilometers to Ceduna the following morning were easy and enjoyable. The relief and gratitude that we were able to complete the route accident-free was huge. Over the past 12 days, we had been working overtime and hadn’t even considered the route beyond Ceduna. By chance, we ended up in the helpful tourist information office and spent half a day studying attractive brochures of the Eyre Peninsula. We located on our map where the amazing photos were from. Our plan was made: not to miss the Eyre Peninsula and ride along the coast to Port Lincoln.

After paying a visit to the supermarket and the laundry, we made our way south at a leisurely pace. The first unexpected highlight was the General Store in the oyster village of Smoky Bay. We like these original stores with their diverse selection of products and charming staff. The fact that we were able to spend the night south of Streaky Bay all alone by white sand dunes was another great thing. The next day, we watched the sea lions at Point Labatt and once again marveled at the wild coastline. The village of Venus Bay and the walk to the cape were definitely worth a detour. Further south, between Elliston and Coffin Bay, we battled with a frustrating headwind that swept across the dry, empty pastures. However, our troubles were soon forgotten when we tasted a few oysters in Coffin Bay.

Now we can really relax and work off the overtime in pretty Port Lincoln, where we were able to settle into the cozy caravan of our wonderful Warmshower hosts Karen & Graham.