A leisurely stroll along the tracks of Nuytsland Nature Reserve this morning before breakfast and on to the road to Cocklebiddy a short distance down the road. Quite a few caves but all fenced off in this are
a. The reserve is named after Dutch explorer Peter Nuyts who sailed this coast in 1627. More than two centuries later, explorer Edward John Eyre traversed the area by horseback and foot during his arduous journey from Adelaide to Albany in 1841. A little easier travelling the area today.
Cocklebiddy lies on the southern edge of Western Australia's vast sheep grazing belt. Within the area are several large scale sheep grazing operations, some larger than a number of European countries. With limited rainfall sparse stocking rates of about 8 to 10 sheep per square kilometre are the norm. During its pioneering years Cocklebiddy was the site of an aboriginal mission. Today, however, all that remains of the mission are its stone foundations.
In recent years Cocklebiddy has gained an international reputation as a site for one of the world's largest cave systems. Ten kilometres to the north west of Cocklebiddy Roadhouse lies Cocklebiddy Cave. In 1983 a French caving expedition created history by exploring the cave to an unprecedented distance of 6.4 kilometres.
We were here for Nullabor Links hole number 10 - Eagles Nest (They even had a wedge-tailed eagle in a cage (which we felt rather sorry for).
Next Stop was the Caiguna Roadhouse and Hole number 11- 90 mile Straight. The section of highway between Caiguna and Ballidonia includes what is regarded as the longest straight stretch of road in Australia and one of the longest in the world. The road stretches for 146.6 kilometres (91.1 miles) without turning, and is signposted and commonly known as the "90 Mile Straight".
Just out of Caiguna we stopped at Caiguna Blowhole. To quote the sign "The blowholes on the Nullabor have been formed by weathering through underground cavities. All the caves breathe to some extent. Nullabor caves breathe more vigorously then caves in other areas of Australia. Air movement at one cave entrance on the Nullabor has been measured to be about 72km/hr." While we didn't experience that we did experience the cool air coming from the blowhole.
On to Balladonia Motel at the other end of the 90 mile straight and hole number 12 - Skylab. Balladonia has quite a connection to Skylab, the
space research laboratory constructed by the United States National Aerospace Agency (NASA). In July 1979 when it eventually succumbed to the Earth's gravitational pull and re-entered the atmosphere it landed in fiery chunks around Balladonia.
Over the period before its final descent, the world had become fascinated over where the doomed station would land. The US President (Jimmy Carter) personally rang Balladonia Hotel Motel to apologise for Skylab falling on them.
For only the second time in its history, the National Geographic Magazine stopped its presses to include the story. The local shire ranger (Mr David Somerville) was photographed giving the director of NASA a littering ticket, which received huge international coverage (the council later waved the fine).
Camp tonight is at Newman Rock, 50 km east of Balladonia and what a pretty spot just off the highway. A huge rock outcrop with a natural water reservoir on top looking out over the countryside with a salt lake in the distance.
