Kylea Harvey

Oct 13 min read

‘West to East Adventure 2024’ - Penong to Caiguna

Upon opening the curtains early yesterday morning (& when I say early - I mean before the sun was up early) I was stoked to see how sparkley the stars were & it’s just what I needed to instill a little excitement for my trip back across the Nullarbor. It’s never quite as fun on the drive home but the thought of clear skies & hopefully some warmer weather (I’ve only just been able to get the shorts out) felt GOOD!!!

I have to confess upon arriving in Penong I wondered where we’d walk as there were no obvious ‘pretty’ walking trails but it turns out an epic sunrise can make even a dusty shithole beautiful 🤩 And whilst it might be a bit premature (or extra late) the festive spirit is strong in Penong.

After an omelette of bright yellow yolk deliciousness from Em’s chooks eggs, it was a full day of work for me yesterday while Hazel napped & with the sun shining I was able to get 2 loads of washing done (& of course I came back to Beryl to discover a rogue sock lying on the floor that missed the load 🙄🤪). It felt like a simple pleasure to hang washing on a clothes line.

Today was a big day on the road. 766km… my biggest day by far this whole trip. I probably would’ve got my shit together a bit earlier if I’d known I was gonna hit the ‘just a little bit further’ mode this arvo.

It still started with our morning walk. A stark contrast to yesterdays sunrise - this morning was thick mist but beautiful in its own way.

Then it was pack up, a quick rug clean (I’ve discovered that whilst a vacuum Is handy, the rubber sole of your shoes is actually way more effective), oil & water check (both fine) & by then the sun was shining so my light flappy pants were finally dragged out of the wardrobe.

Off we drove, back across the Nullarbor Plain, scoring the last Maxibon at Nundroo Roadhouse, stopping for lunch along the Great Australian Bight (where we met another Coaster), a happy snap with the Vegemite wielding Kangaroo at Border Village & then made our decent into WA from Eucla.

I also noted how lucky I was to have been able to camp along Bunda Cliffs last year (an epic experience) because most of the sites are now closed.

A stop at Mundrabilla Roadhouse saw us take a wander to one of the Nullarbor Links greens (an 18 hole golf course spanning 1365km) where Hazel had a good back scratch before we made our way to the beer garden where I enjoyed an overpriced soda water from the comfort of a rocking chair while Hazel had a poo on actual grass. 5 minutes of simple pleasure for us both 😆

Pushing on towards Caiguna I realised my Kylea’s gone a bit country playlist was having a bit of an identity crisis - some Blues/Bluegrass thrown in the mix Identifying as Country - let’s call it ‘Transgenre’ 😆

The sun was coming in hard & Hazel took to sleeping upright to avoid it.

I was surprised at my lack of physical recoil after passing a snake slithering across the road (I’m getting much braver) however upon arriving at Caiguna Roadhouse where, after missing the turnoff to 2 free campsites, I’ve paid $30 for an unpowered patch of dirt because I’m too tired to keep driving, I was advised a brown snake had just been spotted in the toilet block. Needless to say I won’t be using the amenities 😬😳

Hazel & I went for a quick walk before the sun went down (complete with fly net), dinner & bed.