When I reflect on all the amazing spots I’ve visited in Australia, there is one location that stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of wow factor. The Nullarbor Plain is an arid terrain stretching between Norseman in Western Australia and Ceduna in South Australia.
I visited the Nullarbor Plain back in 2021 when me and a few friends decided to roadtrip from Melbourne to the Great Australian Bight! This iconic stretch of treeless terrain certainly had us questioning our plan and I still often think about this unique and barren landscape.
Here are 10 crazy facts about the Nullarbor Plain in Australia
1. It’s name means “no trees”
Australian surveyor, Edmund A. Delisser, first named the Nullarbor Plain in 1866 when travelling between Fowler’s Bay and Eucla in South Australia. The name Nullarbor comes from the Latin word “nullus” meaning “nothing” and the word “arbor” meaning “tree”. During our experience driving across the Nullarbor we didn’t spot any trees but we did see a few shrubs and tough plants that are resistant to drought!
2. Over 100,000 Wild Camels Roam The Plain
Although animals like the kangaroo and koala are synonymous to Australia, you might be shocked to learn that Australia has the largest herd of camels in the world! It is believed that there are roughly 750,000 wild camels wondering the outback of Australia and 100,000 of these call the Nullarbor home. These camels were imported from British, India and Afghanistan during the 19th century by railroad workers. It was thought they would eventually die off, but they have flourished in our deserts.
3. Home To The Longest Straight Road On The Planet
Can you imagine driving for 146.6km in a completely straight line, without a single bend or turn in the road? Well, that’s exactly what me and my friends did back in 2021 when we drove between Caiguna and Balladonia in Western Australia. This stretch of road is known as the 90 Mile Straight and connects the southern part of Australia to its western end.
4. Play On The World’s Longest Golf Course
When you’re driving across this intimidating patch of desert, playing a round of golf might be the last thing on your mind. Well, did you know that the Nullarbor Plain is home to the world’s longest golf course? The Nullarbor links spans a whopping 1,365 km from Kalgoorlie to Ceduna and each hole is in a different town or roadhouse along the epic Eyre Highway. Keep in mind that a round of golf usually takes 5 days to complete!
5. Highway named after John Eyre
The Nullarbor Plain sits within a region of South Australia named the Eyre Peninsula. The peninsula was named after explorer Edward John Eyre in 1839 who explored the region from 1838-1841. Eyre is remembered as the first man to cross Australia from Sydney in New South Wales to the Swan River in Western Australia. This arduous trip took 4.5 months and he managed to travel from Adelaide to Albany across the Nullarbor Plain.
6. Earth’s largest piece of limestone
Covering 200,000 square kilometres and stretching out over 1200km from East to West, The Nullarbor is officially the earth’s largest piece of limestone. Despite it’s arid and bare appearance, the Nullarbor Plain as once a shallow sea, where a reef similar to the Great Barrier Reef may once have thrived. In fact, an ancient coral structure found by scientists in 2022 proves the Nullarbor Plain was underwater 14 million years ago!
7. One of the deepest underwater cave systems in the world
The desolate expanse of limestone of the Nullarbor Plain seems to stretch forever but beneath the surface lies a plethora of ancient sinkholes! The most popular of the hundreds of caves can be found at Cokklebiddy Cave which was formed when the earth collapsed into a sinkhole revealing a massive labrynth of underground caverns. Here you will find one of the deepest underwater cave systems in the world and it is said that there’s over 6km of underwater passages ready to be explored!
8. Whale Spotting
During South Australia’s whale watching season from June to October, you can spot a unique whale nursery at a spot called the Head of Bight Whale Watching Centre. You can make the short walk from the visitor centre to the cliff tops along a zigzagging wooden boardwalk where you can look out for southern right whales giving birth, mating and socialising.
9. Most epic cliffs in the world
The Head of Bight forms part of the longest stretch of cliffs in the world called the Bunda Cliffs! Stretching 820km and towering up to 120 metres high, the Bunda Cliffs are a dramatic series of spectacular sea cliffs that separate the Nullarbor Plain and the Great Australian Bight. Located approximately 13 hours West from Adelaide, these remote and jawdropping cliffs are among the most spectacular in the world.
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