1960's Big Lap - The Nullarbor

Feb 22, 2018

1 min read

16,618 miles in an unbreakable 1962 EK Holden towing a 15' Van. A very hot night was followed by an even hotter day in which we drove 48 miles to Penong before a temperature of 130 ° beat both the car and us at 11 a.m. We stopped beneath a gum tree for the rest of the day and cooled off under a shower offered to us all by the local Law. A forecast cool change came up late in the afternoon and the temperature tumbled about 60 ° to a very cold 70 ° So we continued across the Nullarbor ( which I was disappointed to realise was not Aboriginal but merely Latin for 'no trees'). There was more traffic, and the road was better than expected; petrol was available at rather inflated prices, and good rainwater shed-tanks appeared at intervals to replace those shot up by vandals and hooligans in the past. At Nullarbor homestead we left the highway to see the spectacular cliffs near the head of the Great Australian Bight. At Eucla we collected some ants, known as the 'smelly Campanotus', for a research project at Sydney University. These had to be kept alive in our refrigerator until we could air-freight them to Sydney.

1967-01-07 Typical highway scene on the transcontinental highway
1967-01-05 Fair warning at Ceduna SA before crossing the Nullabor The temperature rose to 130 deg F in the shade and stopped us.
1967-01-07 The Biduna Blowhole, Nullabor Plain SA. Jimmy Justine & Sally , Hal and a Hitchhiker
1968-01-06 Hal Jimmy Justine and Sally looking down Biduna Blowhole
1967-01-07 The old telegraph station Eucla W.A The drifting sand forced the closure of the building .
1967-01-07 The drifting sands at Eucla WA They drifted over the telegraph station
1967-01-06 The Nullabor Cliffs near the Head of thGreat Australian Bight
1967-01-07 One of the Shed Tanks between Eucla and Madurra WA If there has been any rain you're lucky
1967-01-06 The Nullabor near the head of the Great Australian Bight SA
1967-01-5 Sunset with a very welcom cool change on teh Nullabor Temperature dropped 60 deg from 130 F to 70 F