Day 2 Mystery Box Rally - Getting There - Norseman to Eucla 15 October 2018

Sunshine, light scudding clouds and a light breeze greeted us in Norseman this morning after an atrocious night’s sleep for both Ali and Pete thanks to Ali’s cold (for her) and her snoring (for Pete). Despite the nightly travails they were on the road by 9am heading east towards the WA/SA border.

First stop Balladonia for a coffee and stretch of the legs. One of Henry’s predecessors, a Model A Ford, was in the car park. Pete's dad once had a Model A, blue and black rather than green and black. That would be a slow trip across the Nullarbor!

Leaving Balladonia Henry developed a serious pull to the left. Not politically, he has always been quite the socialist, but physically. Yesterday he had the same problem - and a thirst for power steering fluid - that Pete had put down to the strong crosswind. This morning he was straight as a die but out of Balladonia Pete had to struggle to keep him on the road. We pulled over and gave the steering wheel a couple of lock to lock turns and it was fixed. Now that is puzzling. What on earth could cause an intermittent steering pull to the left? Stopping to take a photo at the “longest straight stretch of road in Australia” sign Henry was at it again. Another stop, another full lock and he was OK. So, new starting procedure is to swing it through a couple of lock to lock turns then try and find the problem when they get home. Pete has the power steering box out three times already, and it just still isn’t fixed.

Fuel and sandwiches at the half way point, Caiguna, then straight back on the road. They lose 45 minutes today and don’t want to be driving across the vast plains at sunset - there is a never ending stream of kangaroos out there just waiting to jump in front of a car judging by the road kill numbers on the side of the road.

Dropping down the Madura Pass is a very special moment. Having driven for hours on a flat plain with dwindling vegetation you are suddenly plunged down a steep ravine and you realise you have been on a vast plateau. The road skirts the cliff face for a couple of hundred kilometres, finally climbing back up at Eucla. East of here the cliff face becomes the Great Australia Bight, an amazing geological feature at the base of Australia.

In the interest of sanity (both Pete’s and Ali’s) they have booked two motel rooms tonight separated by about 100 metres. If Pete doesn’t sleep tonight it is not Ali’s fault!