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After another big day on the road, travelling approximately 540kms between Penong and Port Augusta, effectively crossing the top of the Eyre Peninsular in one day we parked Florence for the night and headed to the Standpipe for a fancy meal of Indian. The Standpipe Inn established in 1883 is home to accommodation, conference, and dining facilities, including an Indian Restaurant. According to the website, “When it first opened, the Standpipe premises had a billiard room, skittles, stockyards, bullock cueing pens and horses for hire and it became a popular meeting place, though the decline of the teamsters [or Afghan cameleers] saw the closing of the hotel licence in 1901.” Thanks to a beautiful restoration the Standpipe Inn has reverted back to the watering hole it once was and Shovel and I were extremely happy to receive a magnificent feed of Indian after officially completing the Nullarbor, west to east in three days. We were so happy with the meal we left a review on Tripadvisor: Curry with History Set in a wonderfully preserved hotel-cum-private residence-cum-nursing home, the building dating from 1883 is well worth a look on its own. Go for the architecture, but definitely stay for the curry. The service is flawless and the meals incredibly delicious. The atmosphere in the restaurant is welcoming, professional, yet relaxed, and would be highly recommended for any occasion. Thanks for a lovely meal. Keep up the great work.  Port Augusta pronounced Port-A-Gutta, or so were told by a fellow traveller at the Broken Hill Outback Resort is a junction for road and rail, connecting Adelaide to the north and provides travellers with respite between Sydney and Perth. We made sure to stock up at Woolies, unsure what to expect at our next and final destination, Roxy Downs.
Today on our dash across the Nullarbor we ventured 600kms spending the night in Penong, the town of windmills. We had a meal at the local pub that was surprisingly busy, before hitting the hay back in Florence. During the journey we crossed back over the border into South Australia loosing 2.5 hours as the clock moved forward and witnessed a spectacular display of emus crossing the road, becoming fascinated by the car, before heading off into the scrub. Felt truly blessed and grateful to be on the road with Shovel seeing the wildlife and natural beauty of this mesmerising road trip.
"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing." Camille Pissarro  Shout out to the shirtless, leathery grey nomad who offered to take our photo at the famous Nullarbor Plain sign! #legend
 A call from the recruitment company, Hays with a job offer for Shovel at the Olympic Dam Mine in South Australia had us back on the road heading east. This time our Nullarbor journey would be much quicker. The first day saw us travel approximately 730kms pulling into the Madura Pass Oasis at sunset. With Florence only rated for 80kph it made for a long day, one that would need to be repeated a further two days if were going to make it to Roxby Downs in time for Shovel’s start date.
 Some reviews I’ve seen online recommend not to stay at the Madura Pass Oasis Roadhouse, however we have actually loved the experience of staying here on both occasions. The feeling of complete remoteness, coupled with the thrill of the Nullarbor; there’s a simplicity and a rustic no frills charm that oozes from the dated décor and shabby demountable amenities. Our dinner of classic roast meat and three veg truly added to the ‘middle of nowhere’ ‘no bullshit’ vibe. A group of workers from a nearby sheep station, nearby I mean hundreds of kilometres away, visited the pub for dinner and a few drinks, they’d spent the day building fences in the scorching heat, yet filled the pub with a frivolity and appreciation for simplicity only outback farming people can possess. Despite travelling a long distance, the Nullarbor has an endearing power to make you stop, appreciate the simply things and smell the roses…
The longest straight road in Australia was beckoning today on our epic 530 kilometre roadtrip adventure to the end of the Nullarbor and the Eyre Highway. The Eyre Highway is 1,664 kilometres long, bookended by Port Augusta in South Australia at one end and Norseman in Western Australia at the other. We were dreading the longest straight section, but to be honest it didn't actually feel long or straight as it's peppered by many risers with changing terrain. The museum at the Balladonia Roadhouse was interesting, as we learnt about Skylab, an American Space Station launched unmanned into space in 1973 with a mission to prove if humans could live and work in space and expand knowledge of solar astronomy. Until 1974 various crews of three men stayed between 28-84 days living and working at the Space Station. Then in 1977 after only four years orbiting earth, Skylab was decommissioned and the Space Station's systems were shutdown. Skylab became a rogue spacecraft floating through space. It was undetermined where or how Skylab would come to land. That is until 12th July 1979 when Skylab re-entered the atmosphere, spraying fiery metal fragments upon the earth. Pieces landed at Balladonia station and as far south as Esperance. Balladonia and Esperance became instance international news headlines and the owners of Balladonia station even received a telephone call from the then American President, Jimmy Carter, who rang to apologise for the inconvenience, offering to pay for any damage to their property.
  "The mountain of things we throw away are much greater than the things we use." John Steinbeck  Gold was originally discovered in 1894 by Laurie Sinclair and the deposit was named after his horse, Hardy Norseman. The subsequent township fluctuated in population until 1935 when Western Mining invested heavily in the town's development. The Norseman Gold Mine, owned by Western Mining until 2002 when it was sold to Croesus Mining, which consists of the Central Mine closest to town and the Harlequin Mine, was sold to Central Norseman Gold/Tulla Group for $60 million in 2007 after being in administration for eleven months. In 2014 the Central Mine was placed into a state of Care and Maintenance. The Central Mine, which is currently for sale is now a waste land of discarded mining equipment and the town remains dominated by a massive tailings slump. It's a bit strange driving past the disused mine as you make your way to the town's lookout, with information boards erected in 2001 promoting the economic viability of the town and its prosperous future. After the closure of the Central Mine and the death of a miner at the Harlequin mine in 2014, many of the residents abandoned the town leaving a current population of only about 500 residents. We also ventured to nearby Lake Cowan, an extensive salt-pan that was impressive to see, before having a dinner of red emperor at the local Norseman pub.
We crossed into Western Australia today, presenting for a Quarantine Inspection before venturing onto our next Roadhouse destination, Madura Pass Oasis. The trip of 378 kilometres had has drive along side the Bight admiring from various angles the Bunda Cliffs and stopping regularly to take photos at the designated lookouts. Once in Western Australia the treeless Nullarbor Plain gave way to the Hampton Tablelands and Roe Plains. By night after a posh dinner at the Roadhouse of Roast Beef and Sparkling Water served in wine glasses on a linen tablecloth we ventured on foot to the top of the hill to watch the sunset together over the plains. It was a really special experience.
 After two weeks in Ceduna we were excited to hit the 'frog and toad' again and head west along the Nullarbor. During our 300 kilometre journey we passed through the wheat fields of Penong, the native indigenous lands of Yalata and into the abyss of the flattest and most treeless land in Australia. The extreme flat of the Nullarbor Plain is created by a limestone shelf that stretches along the coast of the Great Australian Bight for about 1,000 kilometres. The absence of trees or structures gives the ominous impression the sky is falling in, as there is no sense of perspective. But what an incredible experience to feel first hand and a definite must for any traveller. After we jumped in front of signs, marvelled at the landscape and unhitched Florence at the Nullarbor Roadhouse Caravan Park, we took a drive to the Head of Bight, then returned for an impressive feed of Snapper, served at a restaurant with its only source of water from a bore, desalinated onsite, and watched the sun go down over the vastness that is the Nullarbor Plain.
The head of the Great Australian Bight is most well known as a popular vantage point for whale watching, however even sans whales the indigenous run Head of Bight facility is one to put on the list. Walking out of the visitor centre in the direction of the ocean my mouth literally dropped as the expanse of turquoise blue penetrated my eyes. The view is in a word STUNNING and the beauty difficult to capture in photographs. The Bunda Cliffs that begin at the Head of Bight and extend the length of the Nullarbor Plain are made up of three distinct types of limestone. The first layer at the base is called Wilson Bluff Limestone, formed by the skeletons of decomposed marine organisms when the oceans were much higher than they are today. The second layer in the middle is called Nullarbor Limestone and began forming from sedimentation about 25 million years ago. The third and final layer on the top is called Bridgewater Formation and is windblown calcareous sand formed between 1.6 million years and 100,000 years ago. Nature is amazing and incredibly awe inspiring.
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