Crossing the Nullarbor
By “Awake!” correspondent in Australia
ON September 29, 1976, the cutting of a ribbon marked the ‘tying of the knot’ that joined the two halves of the driest and one of the most sparsely populated continents in the world—Australia. In a land that is 43 percent desert and 20 percent semidesert, the completion of the Eyre Highway—the only direct link between the eastern and western states of this vast continent—was welcomed by tourist and resident alike.
The completing of a road may not seem very exciting, but to those who have traveled on it before it was finished, the highway’s completion is the end of a nightmare. Fifteen years ago, for example, over 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) of it was dirt road. That distance is farther than from Paris to Berlin or from New York to Detroit!
This unsealed section (not coated with tar) crossed the unique Nullarbor, the largest bedrock limestone plain in the world. The name comes from the Latin Nullus arbor, meaning “No tree,” and well describes the mile upon mile of generally level, treeless and waterless landscape. Patches of salt bush are dotted across vast stretches in an area that averages only eight inches (20 centimeters) of rain a year. And people are as scarce as trees, with only about one person to every 43 square miles (111 square kilometers)!
Imagine traveling these hundreds of miles on a surface that could turn into a quagmire of mud with a heavy rainfall. Cars could be sent sliding from one side of the road to the other, forcing them to travel at a snail’s pace. On the other hand, in summer the searing heat of well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) would be almost suffocating, particularly with the car’s windows shut to exclude the fine Nullarbor dust.
That dust was a problem in another way, too. It would fill up the many potholes and make the road appear deceptively smooth. Striking those holes often resulted in lost wheels, broken springs or axles and damaged or destroyed caravans (trailers). If something like that happened hundreds of miles from a town, it might be many hours before another driver came by to provide assistance or take a message. Even then, days might pass before the needed materials or services arrived—a costly business, both in time and money. If you left your car for any length of time, you could find it stripped when you returned.
The fine dust could affect visibility, too, and lives were lost due to collisions occurring in the dust clouds churned up by vehicles. So the prospect of crossing the Nullarbor filled even the experienced traveler with apprehension. Why, as late as 1974, there still were about 250 miles (400 kilometers) of road just like that! And that was the only way anyone could get from eastern to western Australia by car!
The Rugged Past
The earliest recorded east-west crossing of the Nullarbor was accomplished by explorer John Eyre in 1841. In 1877 a telegraph circuit was established to span the continent. During the ensuing decades, men rode horses, camels and even a bicycle across the Nullarbor, following the telegraph line in pursuit of the gold that had been discovered in western Australia.
Then in 1912 a railway line was started across the vast plain, north of the present highway. Three thousand five hundred men worked five years to lay 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of track. Many died and others went mad due to the savage desert conditions. The terrain there is well illustrated by the fact that a 300-mile (480-kilometer) stretch of that railway runs without a curve and nearly without a rise or a fall.
For decades the road across the continent was little more than a stock route. During the war year 1941 the Eyre Highway came under the threat of invasion, but much of it remained unsealed. In that same year, a group of 54 Jehovah’s Witnesses struggled across it, all the way from Perth to Sydney to attend a Christian convention, traveling about 2,780 miles (4,480 kilometers) each way! Due to the wartime lack of petrol (gasoline), those Witnesses lumbered along with heavy, smoking charcoal gas producers attached to their cars and trucks to provide needed fuel. Certainly, anyone with tremendous determination could cross the Nullarbor. But doing so was no picnic!
Men, women and children were part of that convention-bound Witness convoy crossing Australia in 1941. Concerning their arduous journey, the 1943 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses states:
“For one solid week, the travelers were required to endure the hardships of the Nullarbor desert. Hair and clothes became clogged with dirt, and washing in the limited supply of water only sufficed to turn the dirt into mud. Cars were required to stop and refuel every fifty miles [80 kilometers]. Some of the slower-moving vehicles drove 24 hours a day, the drivers taking duty in shifts, eating and sleeping as the convoy moved forward.
“At the start of the desert-crossing, and in the dead of night, military, police and Fuel Board officials swooped down on the encamped convoy, removing every drop of emergency petrol. The pettiness and crass stupidity of this action is apparent when it is realized that these officials must have wasted 50 gallons [190 liters] of petrol traveling out from Perth. They confiscated a meager 6 gallons [22 liters]! Undaunted, the little band of publishers shouldered the task imposed, pushing the first car two or three miles [3 to 5 kilometers] each morning until it was started on charcoal gas, and returning to assist this car in towing the others up to the start. . . .
“Jehovah’s watch-care and protection were manifest in a shower of rain which for several days preceded the travelers across the desert, and in unseasonable crosswinds, without which passengers and vehicles would have been smothered in dust. Much to the amazement of ‘the world’, the ‘West Aussies’ were on time for the opening session of the Assembly!”
Crossing the Nullarbor Today
On the beautiful, wide, sealed highway of today, the 1,039 miles (1,672 kilometers) across the Nullarbor is far easier to cover. But it still is a long, tiring and lonesome trip, and for 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) of that distance, there are only a few roadside places to stop for supplies, as well as some water tanks (that can run dry in the summer). There is not a single town. Occasionally, there is a turnoff to one of the enormous sheep stations (ranches) along the way. One of these covers 800,000 acres (324,000 hectares) and is encircled by 300 miles (483 kilometers) of dingo (Australian wild dog) fences, although it supported only about 3,000 sheep in 1976. The usual stocking rate for land there is about one sheep for every 34 acres (14 hectares). On the other hand, the rabbits and flies seem innumerable!
Because of the large uninhabited expanses, travelers are always advised to carry extra fuel, spare water and tinned (canned) food. Besides having their cars in excellent condition for the journey, drivers should have basic spare parts and needed tools for any likely roadside repairs.
What if help is needed along the way? Well, there are emergency telephones every few miles. These are linked to tall microwave towers and are powered by electricity produced by small windmills—an ideal pollution-free innovation requiring a minimum of attention. Urgent medical aid can be provided by the “Flying Doctor” service that uses small planes that can land on the highway.
Early during the journey across the Nullarbor, we pass through the Yalata Aboriginal Reserve, where it is not unusual to see a group of the typical dark-skinned inhabitants. A few hours later, the road reaches and then follows the coastline. What an awe-inspiring scene we then see! The deep blue of the Great Australian Bight (bay) seems to rush head on into rugged cliffs that rise dramatically to a height of 300 feet (91 meters). We are viewing the longest line of sea cliffs in the world!
Along the way, signs warn us of dangers. There are occasional wild camels, descendants of those brought here during the nineteenth century to assist in exploration and transportation. But they may not always be dangerous. Sometimes they simply are curious. If you stop to have something to eat, one may poke his drooling head through your window and invite himself to dinner!
Then there are the kangaroos. They can shoot out suddenly from the bushy areas near the highway, causing serious collisions. On the other hand, they may hop along the road with the car, or just sit there at night in the middle of the road, seemingly mesmerized by the auto’s lights. So we must be careful!
Yet, the biggest danger—that old, rough, dusty road—is gone. Although accidents can occur through speed or carelessness, the wide, well-surfaced Eyre Highway now makes the crossing of the Nullarbor a safe and pleasant journey.
[Map/Picture on page 9]
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Perth
Coolgardie
Norseman
NULLARBOR PLAIN
Adelaide
Brisbane
Sydney
Melbourne