Yalata 8 February 2007

Stopped at a series of spectacular lookouts that were right on the edge of the Great Australian Bight. They stretched as far as the eye could see and plunged straight into the sea right below you! The signs point out that many parts are dangerous as the cliffs are undercut on the edges. We saw a few examples from the distance that made us cautious near the edge! The cliff tops finish very sharply with the endless, flat plain and the contrasting colours of the different ages of limestone cut by the sea, made for a very enticing stop, so we did not miss any of the lookouts due to their spectacular nature. By lunch time we finally got to the Nullarbor Roadhouse in the middle of the Nullarbor (according to the map)! There was nothing else there other than the roadhouse, attached motel (well a building with a few outside doors) and the driest and dustiest caravan park we have ever seen. In four days we had done 1300km, which is about 900km more than we do normally!
Headed onto Yalata Roadhouse for diesel, only to find it was closed! Luckily we have enough to get us to the next roadhouse - JUST! The old caravan park next door was totally abandoned, so we camped there anyway and were joined by a Swiss couple. This Roadhouse is owned by the local Aboriginal community from the old Yalata Mission and because of neglect and the fact it is full of asbestos had to be shut down 12 months ago. Next door to it were a few buildings with a manned police station and residence. An interesting couple who live in one of the dwellings came over for a long chat. They came from NSW to manage the Aboriginal General Store at the outlying Community (they are leaving soon having completed 12 months). They described lots of interesting aspects about the culture, their hopes and despair for the future of just this one community. Many negative issues dominate the settlement despite the best intentions of those support workers out there. Alcohol still seems to be a huge issue, despite this being a dry community. Cultural differences just seem insurmountable!