Nullarbor Plains

About 5 hours east of Norseman is the Eyre Bird Observatory. Heading towards the observatory is a 2WD accessible gravel road; however, the final 10 km is down a steep soft sandy escarpment and 4WD is required. You must leave all 2WD vehicles, caravans, and trailers at the top.

Before carrying on – use a UHF to radio the observatory and make sure the track is clear from an oncoming car. Also, lower your tyre pressures to about 20 psi. The observatory volunteers can offer a shuttle service for those staying in their accommodation for more than one night if required and previously arranged.

There is accommodation and dinner available with the caretakers, as well as many bird-watching opportunities and remote beaches to explore. There is no camping allowed in this area however – so keep that in mind if exploring the area and planning to stay.

Accessible from the Nullabor Roadhouse (also an iconic place to snap a picture while filling up on fuel), the Murrawijinie Caves can be found 10 km north of here, and is a perfect place to explore some amazing caves which are home to many birds like hawks and swallows. Caves 2 and 3 are the best ones – but be weary of snakes!

The Bunda Cliffs are a stunning place to really be reminded of just how massive this country is. The cliffs are up to 120 meters tall with a sheer drop-off to the relentless Southern Ocean. Unfortunately, due to the degrading coastline and unstable cliff edges, the Bunda Cliff free campsites that have been used for many years by travellers have now been officially closed as of August 2024.

Despite this, you can still get a great view and experience camping in the area at the Head of Bight Visitor/ whale watching centre. There are also many roadside stops close to the cliffs which can be found using apps like WikiCamps.

Another incredible 4WD detour off the Nullarbor is to Fowlers Bay. The small town doesn’t have much on offer other than a small caravan park and a general store. But the town itself is towered by a large sand dune system – and if you’re looking for adventure, that’s where it starts.

You can spend a few days in this area, and there are some very specific things to this beach and coastline to be aware of. Firstly – thick seaweed builds up along the water’s edge during some parts of the year. However, not all of it washes away and sand will pile up on top creating the illusion of hard-packed sand to drive on. Only once you break that thin crust, your car can immediately be swallowed by a deep bed of dry seaweed…

There is a recovery tractor that lives in town for the worst-case scenario; however, the best practice on this beach is to drive above the high tide mark and up closer to the dunes if ever you are driving along the beach towards one of the camping areas.

Now with that out of the way – let the tyres down to 15 psi and head into the sand dune system. Immediately feeling like you’re in the middle of a desert – this is an amazing spot for photos, and if you would like to camp out here (remember to pay for your permit online) – continue towards Scotts Beach and heed the prior warning when driving along it. Although if you are just looking for a magic place to camp on the headland overlooking the stunning coastline and don’t want to 4WD, all the camp spots are accessible by gravel road too (but where’s the fun in that).

As you reach the end of the most remote sections of the Nullarbor nearing the town of Ceduna, you can take a worthy detour from the town on Penong and make the trip out towards Cactus Beach.

On the way you can visit the well-photographed Lake Macdonnell – where a pink lake and blue lake are separated only by a single dirt road. This road is corrugated and bumpy so watch out for potholes.

Once you’ve taken some pictures there (a drone is required for the best angle), continue out towards Point Sinclair and Cactus Beach. There is a camping area here nice and close to the beach (no 4WD required) and three great surf breaks!