Crossing The Nullarbor Everything You Need To Know
Published: July 2024
Updated: July 2024
In March 2024 I ticked another item off my bucket list - The Nullarbor Crossing. The Nullarbor Plain is a long stretch of flat, desert, and almost treeless road from Ceduna, South Australia to Norseman, Western Australia. The drive takes approximately 13 hours, and is around 1,200km (745 miles) long.
Before crossing the Nullarbor, I had heard a few daunting stories and felt nervous for the trip ahead. However, now that I have crossed the Nullarbor both ways, I can tell you that it is not scary at all, and is definitely a part of Australia you can’t miss out on!
Here is everything you need to know before you go, including preparation, food, fuel, driving, accommodation, and attractions to see along the way.
1. Preparation
Before crossing the 1,200km stretch of road, you will want to make sure your car is in good condition to avoid any break-downs and repair costs along the way - here are a few things you should check before you leave:
check all of your car fluids & engine oils
ensure your tyres have plenty of tread and are in good condition
make sure you have a spare tyre
fill up your fuel tank and any jerry cans
Before leaving Ceduna, I would also recommend doing the following:
stock up on food and snacks (not too many fruits & vegetables or honey, as these items cannot be taken across the WA border)
stock up on plenty of water
plan out your stops & approximate driving time per day
put together an epic playlist
download offline maps on Google Maps or Apple Maps (you won’t have service in a lot of parts of the Nullarbor, so offline maps is useful to check in and see where you are, and how far away the next fuel or food stop is).
2. Food
As mentioned above, make sure to stock up on plenty of water, food, and snacks before hitting the Nullarbor. Items such as fruit, vegetables, seeds and honey cannot be taken across the Western Australian border, so only take as much as you will eat before you arrive at the Border Village check point.
There are plenty of roadhouses and food stops where you can grab a quick bite to eat, including Penong, Nundroo, the famous Nullarbor Roadhouse, Border Village, Eucla Motel, Mundrabilla, Cocklebiddy and Balladonia. These roadhouses provide hot and cold foods, drinks, souvenirs and more, however keep in mind that many items in roadhouses are generally quite expensive.
3. Driving
Many people ask if you need a 4WD to cross the Nullarbor, the answer is no, it can easily be done in a 2WD. However, some of the roads off of the highway into off-grid campsites or attractions may require a 4WD.
Majority of the Nullarbor has a 110km per hour speed limit. Ensure you stick to this limit, and always give way to road trains and oversize trucks.
It may feel tempting to drive the Nullarbor at night to power through and make up some driving time overnight, however it is highly recommended you do not drive at night, as this is the most common time for wildlife to come out onto the roads, and hitting a large kangaroo or camel at those speeds could do some serious damage to your car, yourself and the animals.
When driving the Nullarbor, make sure you factor in rest breaks and plan your trip accordingly, as the road is flat and almost treeless, some people say their eyes start to play tricks on them after looking at the same long road for so many hours at once!
4. Fuel
The Nullarbor is a long 1,200 kilometres, so you will need to factor in a couple of fuel stops along the way. Fuel is a little more expensive along the Nullarbor due to the remote location, so I would recommend filling up with a full tank in Ceduna, and then you should hopefully only have to fill up one or two times across the Nullarbor (depending on how many km’s your fuel tank holds, and how much weight you are carrying, for example: when towing a caravan).
My biggest piece of advice for you, is to use the Fuel Map Australia app - this allows you to search for every fuel station on the road to find the cheapest fuel nearest to you. This will help you gauge how many times you need to stop to fill up for fuel.
Try to figure out how accurate your vehicle is on fuel before leaving, by doing a few longer trips - this will help you gauge how many kilometers your fuel tank holds, and how many times you will need to fill up along the Nullarbor.
If you are concerned that you may run out of fuel whilst crossing the Nullarbor, or want to save a little bit of money by having cheaper fuel with you already, then you can take a jerry can or two, and fill up when needed.
Fuel is available at regular intervals across the Nullarbor including Penong, Nundroo, Yalata, Nullarbor Roadhouse, Border Village Roadhouse, Eucla Motel, Madura, Cocklebiddy, Caiguna Roadhouse, and Balladonia.
5. Accommodation
There are a few different accommodation options to choose from when travelling the Nullarbor. Camping and Caravanning is most popular along the Nullarbor, and majority of campers choose to stay at the following locations:
Nullarbor Roadhouse
Eucla Caravan Park
Clifftop Camping (Head of the Bight)
Acclaim Gateway Tourist Park (Norseman)
If you are looking to stay in a cabin, there are cabins and/or motel rooms offered at the following locations:
Nullarbor Roadhouse
Eucla Caravan Park
Border Village Roadhouse
Fraser Range Station
Acclaim Gateway Tourist Park (Norseman)
If you are looking to stay off-grid or save some money on accommodation, you can download the WikiCamps app, which will show you where there are free campsites, with reviews and ratings of each camping area.
6. Attractions
There are plenty of famous attractions to see whilst travelling the Nullarbor, make sure to check out the following:
Penong Windmills, Penong
Sand Dundes & Historic Stone Houses, Fowlers Bay
The famous Nullarbor Road House
Bunda Cliffs & Whale Watching, Head of the Bight
Blow Holes & Caves, Cocklebiddy, Caiguna & Murrawijinie Caves
Old Telegraph Station, Eucla
Iconic Road Signs, jump out and get a photo in front of the Nullarbor Plain sign, 90 Mile Straight sign, wildlife signs, and more.
