29^th September: Eucla

Still in WA – just! We cross the border and go through quarantine tomorrow morning. I am sitting in the camp kitchen watching the shenganians in the park. A guy with a Jayco van and a Prado has been hanging around just waiting for something. The van was not unpacked at all and they went nowhere. Well, a flat top truck with a old Land Cruiser on it just arrived and the prado and van took off out to the truck. It looks as if the Prado is broken and has been replaced by the Land Cruiser and the Prado is on the flat top! We await developments.

There really isn't anything to say about the trip here. We just trundled down the road for over 300 kms and arrived in Eucla. A very long escarpment followed us from Matura where we went down it and drove along the plain beside it. Limestone, of course, as the whole of the surface of this country is. It is dry but it obviously supports some trees and shrubs with underground streams. The treeless Nullarbor is actually further north around the railway line.

Once here, we had a rest and then drove to the old Telegraph station which was established in 1877 . Having beeen abandoned for a long time now, the ever advancing sand dunes have taken it over. It is full of sand, crumbling and a shadow of its former self. I remember this as we had taken the children here. We walked to the beachg, some distance over sand dunes. The sea was flat as the wind was coming from the North, off the land. But it was clear, azure and torquoise in the shallows. I photographed the remnants of a wooden jetty that was covered with pied cormorants. I suppose that in its heyday this was how goods and materials were transported in. The Telegraph station is constructed out of square cut sandstone and that certainly wasn't local. All limestone here! Once, 100 people lived here but there is no evidence of that.

The caravan park is again behind the Service Station and there is also a motel here – a rather new one. These parks are cheap at $25 a night and the facilities at this one are good. ($1 for a shower – coin in a slot!) Not as cheap as camping out but the hot shower was lovely. There are 18 vans etc here so far tonight as it is a half way stop. I'd hate to be putting up a tent – driving pegs into limestone is not easy!! We are far enough away from the main road and the Service Station that we shouldn't hear the very large trucks all night as we did last night!

We lost ¾ hour today as we reached central WA time. But it hasn't helped. At 8 pm, I want to go to bed! We are becoming real grey nomads and going to bed early! Problem is that I wake up at 4 am then!! Nothing much to do at that time!