Spending a night on the Nullarbor-- Bunda Cliffs?
Submitted: Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 07:57
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Member - Allan L2
We are heading west in a week or so for a caravan holiday visiting
Perth & following the Coast line down to
Esperance. One of our planned overnight stops on the Nullarbor was to be in
Eucla however it has been suggested to me that we should consider spending an evening viewing the
Bunda Cliffs &
free camping there for the night. We are relatively new to caravanning and have not free camped before. We are considering a location approximately 109Km west of Nullarbor, listed as No 606 in Camps Australia Wide No 8. We are keen for advice from others who have spent time camping or viewing the cliffs in this region regarding which locations are better for viewing , camping or any known security issues.
Cheers,
Reply By: Member - Bigred13 - Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 08:54
Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 08:54
Hi Alan, yes can recomend a stop at the
Bunda cliffs ,we stayed there on the way over and on the way back ,some of the
parking areas are on a slight rise near the cliffs ,but after looking we went a bit further and had one dead flat and plenty of room,soon filled up though . May be a bit cool this time of the year , another spot we stayed at was next to an old repeater tower ,about a kilometre off the main road on the north side,it was listed on the camps 5 book we had ,you go through a
gate ,gravel road and away from the highway noise .
Regards
John
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Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 18:51
Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 18:51
Hi Allan
When ever we head over that way, there are some great
places where you can
free camp. One spot that we have used for a number of years is not that far west, but in fact near the
Nullarbor Roadhouse.
From the Roadhouse, head west for around 5 kilometres, and there will be a good dirt road on your left. Travel down this road for around 5 kilometre sand you will come to some tall trees on your left. There is always good flat camping in this area, but far enough from the coast as not to get blasted off the planet.
From here it is only a short drive to the coast where you will have the area to yourselves. If you do not mind driving on bush tracks, you can then follow the coast track for around 30 kilometres with many great
views to be seen along the way, before making your way back to the Eyre Highway and around 40 kilometres west of
Nullarbor Roadhouse.
The only thing that you need to be careful of is not to leave anything out at night, as there are usually a few dingos around.
It is always great dive and you will get to see some great coastal scenery.
Cheers
Stephen
Bunda Cliffs
Bunda Cliffs
Bunda Cliffs
Good track along the Bunda Cliffs
Bunda Cliffs
Old Trig Point the the Bunda Cliffs
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Follow Up By: Michael H9 - Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 19:24
Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 19:24
A great dive indeed Stephen.... :-)
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Follow Up By: Member - Allan L2 - Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 11:45
Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 11:45
Hi Stephen. Thanks, our van is not an outback style so not too sure on some of those tracks but will
check them out. Thanks for the photos. Also, have planned to stay overnight at
Clare in the van park on our return trip.
Cheers.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: jamesw - Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 17:01
Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 17:01
Stephen, we stayed at the same spot on our way west in April. It rained overnight and we decided to head back to the roadhouse for a hot breakfast. Were so sheltered we did not realise how much weather had come in from the coast and the track back to the highway was completely underwater, as was the roadhouse
parking area. We did the drive out to the cliffs from the
campsite the previous afternoon and the waves were coming half way up the cliffs. So spectacular.
James
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Follow Up By: jamesw - Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 17:03
Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 17:03
Alan, we stayed at the showground in Auburn. Top spot to stay and not far from the Rising Sun pub with great meals.
James
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 21:38
Monday, Aug 10, 2015 at 21:38
Hi James
Those trees are a real god send and cut out all that wind for sure. And the best part of all, the trees can not be seen from the road and it is a very private little spot to
camp.
And as you know, the road in is great, with that heavy
limestone base and even with lots of rain, is usually a very solid surface to drive on.
One of the times we were camped there, we met a guy in a small caravan that wanted to
camp right on the cliffs. Next morning when we went to the cliffs for a look, he said that it felt like his caravan was going to be blown off his car and over the
cliff, it was that windy.
Ken and Paula put on very good meals for sure at the Rising Sun and is always a great place for a meal. If in
Clare itself, either the Middle Pub or the
Sevenhill Hotel always have great meals.
Cheers
Stephen
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Follow Up By: Member - Allan L2 - Wednesday, Aug 12, 2015 at 11:24
Wednesday, Aug 12, 2015 at 11:24
Thanks for the heads up on pub meals. We enjoy the occasional pub meal especially in older pubs & country towns.
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Reply By: Motherhen - Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 23:48
Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 23:48
The first time we went on a sort of track towards the
cliff edge (that particular track since blocked off) and stopped half way between highway and cliffs. It was very windy, but a lovely place to watch a stormy night sky over the ocean.
By the fire rings and sorbent garden at the
cliff edge of this track, others had camped there.
Do not walk too near the edge; the coastline is crumbling. This is the only safety issue.
We now go the other side of the highway to avoid the wind, and it sounds like Stephen may have described our secret spot. If it is, there is plenty of room for others there.
It is a wide open plain - plenty of
places to get off the highway for the night.
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 23:50
Sunday, Aug 09, 2015 at 23:50
On re-reading, Stephen's spot is on the sea side of the highway so very different to ours.
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Follow Up By: Australian Landscape Jewellery - Tuesday, Aug 11, 2015 at 20:40
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2015 at 20:40
Just seconding Mother hen's warning. Those cliffs are very dangerous and there is no fencing.
If you can get a view of a bit of land sticking out, look closely at just how much the cliffs are undercut. There is often nothing underneath you some way before you get to the crumbling edge.
Mike
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Aug 11, 2015 at 22:00
Tuesday, Aug 11, 2015 at 22:00
I took a photo of where people had been walking, and took the same area five years later - a big gap :O.
There used to be eight viewing areas, but gradually these have been closed. Only about three remained last time.
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Reply By: osters - Thursday, Aug 13, 2015 at 20:41
Thursday, Aug 13, 2015 at 20:41
Can be very windy on
cliff. You need to get in early if you want a spot, not many
places to
camp. If it is cold and windy i would recommend the 81km peg. It is81 km east of Border . You will see the pegs every km along the highway. It is a good track in and has lots of camping spots and lots of
shelter well off highway. It is not far from cliffs. Further down the track there is a special place called
Newman rocks. It is 50km west of Balladonia on your right. Just drive in to top sites and then walk to
waterhole. We went past 3 days ago and I noticed someone had removed signpost. Drive slowly and you will see road going in at top of
hill.
AnswerID:
589201