Where the Outback Meets the Ocean

Crossing the Nullarbor Plain is one of Australia’s great road-trip experiences. Stretching between Ceduna in South Australia and Norseman in Western Australia, this immense limestone landscape is far more varied than its famously treeless name suggests. Along the Eyre Highway, dramatic sea cliffs meet the Southern Ocean, southern right whales gather beneath coastal lookouts, limestone caves open beneath the plain, and historic ruins tell stories of life in one of Australia’s most isolated regions. If you are planning a Nullarbor road trip, these are five attractions you should not miss.

1. Head of Bight Whale Watching Centre

For many travellers, the Head of Bight is the highlight of the entire Nullarbor journey. A network of accessible  boardwalks leads to viewing platforms above the Great Australian Bight. From here, visitors can gaze across the turquoise water, sweeping beaches and towering Bunda Cliffs. The real stars arrive during the annual southern right whale migration. Whales use the sheltered waters below the cliffs as a breeding and nursery area, frequently appearing with their calves.

Best time to visit: Whale-watching season generally runs from May to October, with sightings most dependable between June and September.

Why it deserves a stop: This is one of Australia’s finest land-based whale-watching locations. You do not need a boat trip to enjoy an extraordinary view of these enormous marine mammals.

Allow: Around 60–90 minutes, or longer during peak whale season.

The visitor centre is independently managed and opening conditions may change, so check the official Head of Bight website before travelling.

Traveller’s tip: Bring binoculars, a warm jacket and a camera with a zoom lens. Conditions on the exposed coast can be cool and windy even when the inland plain feels warm.

2. The Bunda Cliffs Camping

The Bunda Cliffs form the spectacular southern edge of the Nullarbor Plain. Their pale limestone faces rise sharply above the restless Southern Ocean, producing one of the most memorable landscapes on the Eyre Highway. Three designated clifftop lookouts provide safer places to appreciate the coastline. From the viewing areas, the cliffs appear to continue towards the horizon in both directions, emphasising the immense scale of the Great Australian Bight. Sunrise, late afternoon and days with changing clouds can be particularly rewarding for photographers.

Why it deserves a stop: Few places capture the raw scale and isolation of the Nullarbor as powerfully as the Bunda Cliffs.

Allow: Around 20–40 minutes at each lookout.

Only use designated viewing areas and remain well back from cliff edges. The coastline is undercut in places and subject to collapse. Camping is prohibited within the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area, including around the Bunda Cliffs. Current access and safety information is available from National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia.

Traveller’s tip: Never walk towards an unfenced cliff edge for a photograph. The official lookouts offer impressive views without taking unnecessary risks.

3. Murrawijinie Caves

The Nullarbor is one of the world’s great limestone landscapes, and much of its geological drama lies underground. Murrawijinie Caves offer adventurous travellers an opportunity to see another side of the plain. Located north of the Eyre Highway near Nullarbor Roadhouse, the three dolines or cave openings are reached via an unsealed track. Their weathered limestone walls, shadowy entrances and immense silence create an atmosphere completely different from the open country above. The caves also hold significant cultural value. Visitors should treat the area with care, avoid touching or disturbing cultural material, and leave everything exactly as they find it.

Why it deserves a stop: Murrawijinie reveals the hidden underground character of a landscape that can initially appear completely flat.

Allow: Approximately two hours, including the drive from the highway.

Access conditions can vary. A reliable vehicle, suitable footwear, water and a torch are essential. Never enter deep or confined cave passages without appropriate experience and equipment. Check local conditions at Nullarbor Roadhouse before setting out. Murrawijinie is identified by South Australia’s parks authority as the public cave-viewing location within the Nullarbor parks.

Traveller’s tip: Download maps before leaving the highway. Mobile reception is unreliable, and the access track can be rough following poor weather.

4. The Old Eucla Telegraph Station

Partially buried beneath shifting white sand dunes, the Old Eucla Telegraph Station is one of the most atmospheric historic sites on the Nullarbor. Eucla became an important communications point after the overland telegraph line connected Western Australia with the rest of the country in the nineteenth century. Changing conditions and encroaching sand eventually led to the abandonment of the original settlement. Today, visitors can walk among the roofless stone walls of the old station while dunes spill through windows and doorways. The ruins make a haunting photography subject and offer a vivid reminder of how difficult life once was in this remote environment. A longer walk continues towards the coast and the remains of the old jetty, although visitors should be prepared for sand, heat and exposed conditions.

Why it deserves a stop: It combines Nullarbor history, coastal scenery and one of the most unusual abandoned buildings in Australia.

Allow: One to two hours, depending on whether you continue towards the beach.

Traveller’s tip: Visit in the cooler morning or late afternoon, carry water and wear closed shoes. Walking through soft sand is more tiring than the distance suggests.

5. Nullarbor Links Golf

The Nullarbor Links turns an already legendary road trip into a very unusual round of golf. Promoted as the world’s longest golf course, this 18-hole, par-72 course extends for approximately 1,365 kilometres between Ceduna and Kalgoorlie. Its holes are distributed among towns and roadhouses along the route, with rugged natural fairways and synthetic greens adding a distinctly outback character. You do not need to be an experienced golfer to enjoy the novelty. Playing a few holes breaks up the long drive, while completing the entire course creates a memorable challenge and a ready-made tour of Nullarbor communities.

Why it deserves a stop: There is nothing quite like teeing off beside an outback roadhouse, driving several hundred kilometres and continuing the same round in another time zone.

Allow: A few minutes for an individual hole or several days for the entire course.

Scorecards, maps and current playing information are available through the official Nullarbor Links website.

Traveller’s tip: Use older clubs on the natural fairways—the limestone, stones and red dirt can be hard on equipment.

6. Skylab Nasa Debris

Balladonia at the Western end of the 90-mile straight is an unlikely place to see a museum including several large pieces of the SkyLab space station which re-entered earth’s atmosphere over the Nullarbor in 1979. The roadhouse is much like many others on the Nullarbor Plain, with food, fuel pumps, toilet facilities and a bar. But the surprise comes when you go inside and see the museum complete with space debris.

Planning Your Nullarbor Adventure

The Nullarbor rewards travellers who slow down. Although the highway can be crossed quickly, allowing at least three or four days gives you time to visit lookouts, explore historic sites and avoid driving when tired. Before leaving Ceduna or Norseman:

• Check your vehicle, tyres and spare tyre.
• Carry more drinking water than you expect to need.
• Download offline maps and entertainment.
• Check fuel availability and roadhouse opening hours.
• Tell someone your planned route and arrival time.
• Avoid driving around dawn, dusk or at night, when animals are most active.
• Remember that quarantine restrictions apply when crossing state borders.
• Do not rely on continuous mobile reception.
• Stay on marked roads and respect closures, private property and culturally sensitive sites.

Conditions, entry fees and opening hours can change. Check official park, visitor-centre and roadhouse information shortly before departure.

An Australian Journey Like No Other

The Nullarbor is not simply a long stretch of road between South Australia and Western Australia. It is a landscape of immense cliffs, hidden caves, migrating whales, cultural significance and remarkable human stories. Watch a southern right whale from the Head of Bight, stand before the vast Bunda Cliffs, explore the entrances of Murrawijinie Caves, wander through Eucla’s sand-covered ruins and play a hole on the world’s longest golf course. Together, these experiences transform the Nullarbor crossing from a drive into an adventure. The distances may be enormous, but that is part of the appeal. Out here, the sky feels wider, the horizon seems endless and every stop becomes part of the story.