DAY 98 – Penong - Kimba

Good Morning Penong!
 
Low 11°c (52°F) – High 21°c (70°F)
381km
 
I think it was a bit of a rough night for both of us last night, and having taken the last of the antibiotic pills this morning, I had everything crossed that 5 day’s worth had done the job.  We were up early and after tackling the park showers and surviving the constantly changing hot and cold water we headed out the gates just after 8.00am but still the 3^rd last to leave.
 
It was a grey day with the light so dull that it was hardly worth taking photos at all, but take photos we did.  Just outside the park there is the Penong Windmill Museum with dozens of windmills of all shapes and sizes including “Bruce” – the biggest windmill in Australia.
 
Just before Ceduna is the quarantine station where we were stopped and had a lovely quarantine lady come through to check for fruit and vegetables.  There is lots of signage from almost 300km west of here advising where the station is located despite not being on the actual South Australian border, no doubt due to the fact that the border is 477km west of here with very few opportunities to purchase fresh supplies in between.  But there are no excuses for not being prepared and we had certainly used, frozen or discarded anything that may result in a fine.  Today we also finally finished the Nullarbor with the last section not like the rest of it as we are back to crops again with Canola fields blooming vividly even in the dull light. 
 
At one time we were following a caravan that was continually crossing the white lines and then moving across to the left when cars or trucks were coming the other way.  We were a little grateful when they turned off to head down around the coast towards Streaky Bay.  I wasn’t keen to try to pass them as the driver appeared quite unstable.
 
The great lunch hunt was probably today’s feature.  There are lots of little towns along the way, all with silos, unused railway tracks and there was evidently a sale on sandstone township signs as they almost all have the same sign bar the actual name of the town.  We stopped in at Wirrulla – nothing – next towns were Yantanabie and Cungena but it was obvious there was nothing there either.  On to Poochera which we drove through where nothing was open except a door at the pub - we didn’t venture in there either.   Finally the township of Minnipa provided a General Store which sold mostly fried food but also some pies and sausage rolls that looked and tasted good.
 
In our hunt for the elusive lunch we did get to see some of these little towns and noticed more and more of the traditional South Australian sandstone homes with their patterned window that are really prominent around the eastern side of SA.  Thankfully also the price of fuel is going down the further east we travel.
 
It was just after 3.00pm when we arrived in Kimba, refueled and checked into the caravan park.  The road might be good but the service stations all along the Eyre Highway, particularly the Nullarbor, really need a few big trucks of gravel to fill in the massive craters in their driveways and even right up at the fuel pumps.  Kimba was up with the worst we’ve had to drive through.  There were only 2 other vans in their caravan park when we arrived and one more pulled in just on dusk.  Thankfully the condition of the park surface was a vast improvement on the service station.  Another circular designed park set amongst gum trees, and although it is situated right beside the highway thankfully the noise of the traffic wasn’t so bad as to disturb us.

DAY 97 – Nullarbor Roadhouse - Penong

Good Morning Nullarbor Roadhouse!
 
Low 7°c (45°F) – High 20°c (68°F)
207km
 
A very cold morning greeted us this morning, and so I turned the heater on for about an hour before getting out of bed.  Moments like these you wish the van had an air conditioner with a remote control!
 
Slow pack up this morning as I wasn’t feeling well at all.  With no hoses to retrieve and pack, Shane helped with the inside and we headed out the gate around 8.15 after taking a final few photos around the roadhouse.  It was a great spot to stay and under different circumstances we might have extended, but we need to keep moving and get to civilization – just in case.
 
Our first stop was just 16km down the road – The Head of The Bight Whale Watching.  I knew it was there but didn’t know much more than that about it.  The last whale watching tour I took was on a boat when I was 19 years old doing a 3 week bus trip around New Zealand.  That time (and every other time I’ve been on a boat) I got seasick.  Unsure of what the arrangements were, we parked the car & van, transferred Kitty into the van knowing she would likely take her seat on the couch and sleep, and headed to the entry area. 
 
A young lady behind the counter asked if we wanted two tickets.  Now given I get seasick at the best of times, factor in that these antibiotic pills have made me feel quite nauseas, if there was a boat involved - I was out.  So I asked what the arrangement was – she looked at me with one of those WTF looks and said “Its $33.00 for the two of you, you get to see the cliffs and its whale season”.  No explanation at all to what happens, no indication that there were in fact whales out there, and just a look of “god I’m sick of dealing with old people” on her face.  I paid and we walked through the doors commenting quietly to one another that they better be F@$%ing good cliffs for $33.  As we walked down the very long path to the observation decks, I commented to a lady coming back up something along the lines of “Don’t tell us – there’s no whales?” to which she responded that there were actually several down there and they were close to the shore. 
 
In fact there were at least a dozen while we were there spread across the bay, mostly mothers with calves.  They were mesmerizing to watch and they do come in quite close to the shore so the viewing points were excellent, but with so many to watch in such a large area you could guarantee while you were watching one, another one across the other side of the observation point was doing something you were hoping to catch on camera.  At times it was like watching a tennis match!  We both started to get too cold and realized we had been standing there watching them for almost an hour before we headed back to the van.  Surprise Surprise!  Kitty was still asleep on her couch.
 
The road continues to be as good as it has been along the Nullarbor which is a credit to both the road builders and those maintaining it given the amount of traffic it gets on a daily basis including a massive number of trucks and road trains.  This particular leg though looked more like a patchwork quilt with all the colours of bitumen that have been used to patch and widen the road.
 
Poor Shane has been struggling with my camera which has been getting even more difficult to focus over the past few weeks.  We’re booking it in for a service when we get home as it is really objecting to taking photos where there is a lot of light.  Very frustrating when you are trying to document your memories with photos along the way.  Shane has done an amazing job snapping photos out the windows while I continue to motor along down the highway.
 
In the past 5 weeks I’ve either had issues with my ankle which still likes to remind me that it’s not yet quite healed, and now 4 days of a tooth abscess, facial swelling and nausea.  I’ve had to drive on days when I just didn’t feel well and particularly these past few days when we’ve had to put in big miles (1500km towing a van) to get across the Nullarbor to make sure if the tooth did flare up again I would at least have access to medical services.  Add that to a few issues we’ve had with the van and it has been taxing.  Today unfortunately took its toll and despite planning to get to Ceduna, we had to stop at Penong 73km short because I just couldn’t focus on driving and the nausea was getting worse.
 
We pulled in to the Penong Caravan Park, a privately owned tidy little park with power and water, around 3.00pm and unfortunately I hit a wall both physically and mentally and just needed a bit of time to rest.  The park filled up fairly quickly throughout the rest of the evening.  Early to bed for me tonight, and hoping for a decent rest to face the day tomorrow.