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"The journey of making dreams of traveling Australia a reality"
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRAD PICKFORD AND LOUISE PACOR
Page 2 of 2
From Israelite Bay we headed north along the old telegraph track towards Point Culver where we planned to camp for the night. The track started out fine, that was until I hit a stump, ripping off one of our back mud-flaps which in the process left the back plastic bumper half hanging off. After some quick repairs with some trusty cable ties we where off again. The track led us over some hills and onto a salt lake section, traversing through some heavily overgrown Mallee scrub. The track became so overgrown and rough that the track ceased to exist and we had to turn around, yet again! It also managed to tear off our ariel, rip our brand new shovel off (which we did not realise to the next day when we became bogged again!) and in the process destroying one of the clasps holding it on. We were battered but not beaten.
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It was overcast and getting late. The tide was just about to approach it's lowest point of the day so we decided to push on along the beach towards Point Culver. The tide may have been at it's lowest point, but the amount of seaweed on the beach was incredible. It made the going dangerous and extremely slow. With the sun almost set and knowing that we had somewhere in the vicinity of 50km to 80km left to go we started to feel a little anxious. Finally the weed started to thin out and we could travel at around 80km/h. In the far off distance, just like a miraculous apparition some huge, almost angelic sand dunes came into view through our sea mist encrusted windscreen. A little weight was lifted from our shoulders, we should be nearing the end. As we drew closer to these monstrous dunes, which just happen to be the largest in Australia, I found it very hard to keep my eyes on the track ahead, not a great thing to do when you are driving on an isolated beach at 80km/h with the sun almost gone and the water menacingly lapping at your wheels. Close to the end we came across two fisherman who informed us we were only 15km from the end, a huge relief.
The formation of the western cliffs of the Australian Bight came into vision, and once again it was like something out of a dream. These cliffs are massive and grand in their appearance. To make things a little more reassuring we run into 4 guys on quad bikes camping within the cliffs. Their camping setup had to be one of the best in the country, what a view looking out with unimpeded views to the ocean below. The next day I tried my hand at Salmon fishing, and despite my best efforts I not only ended up losing my only lure but all my bait as well. All this effort to catch an undersized sand crab! We continued onto Toolina Cove through some very overgrown and rocky terrain. The going was slow, traveling at less than 10km/h in most places, but when we reached the perpendicular cliffs of Toolina Cove a unanimous nod of heads confirmed that the effort and trials to get here were well worth it.
The weather was quite overcast adding to the isolated and inhospitable fate these huge cliffs face everyday as they are pounded relentlessly with the best the southern oceans can hurl at them. Leaving Toolina Cove north towards the Eyre Highway we encountered much of the same overgrown and rocky terrain as before. About halfway out, roughly 30km, the effects of the Nullarbor Plain became evident, with the trees thinning and landscape flattening out. As we drove along the longest straight stretch of road in Australia we took time to reflect on what an awesome and unforgettable experience we had just enjoyed. Oh well, enough daydreaming, we had a night to recover in Caiguna before hitting the dust and relentless heat of the Australian Outback.
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