Your essential guide to visiting the Nullarbor

Your essential guide to visiting the Nullarbor

Stretch­ing across the Eyre and Far West of South Aus­tralia, the Nullar­bor offers a true wilder­ness expe­ri­ence. About 1000 km west of Ade­laide and 1500 km east of Perth, it’s the world’s largest lime­stone plain, cov­er­ing 270,000 square km. Just a 3‑hour dri­ve west of Ceduna, this vast area is near­ly the size of Vic­to­ria or twice the size of Kan­ga­roo Island, offer­ing a true wilder­ness experience. 

Before you go, we’ve spo­ken to the local rangers and com­piled their top tips to ensure you make the most of your vis­it (and stay safe). 

Why Vis­it the Nullarbor?

The Nullar­bor is the Tra­di­tion­al Lands of the Mirn­ing Abo­rig­i­nal Peo­ple who have deep cul­tur­al ties to the land.

Vis­i­tors to the Nullar­bor are cap­ti­vat­ed by its open spaces, peace, and qui­et. The lack of crowds allows for an escape where the big, wide-open skies offer spec­tac­u­lar stargaz­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties. The region boasts cliffs over 120 metres high along the Great Aus­tralian Bight, pro­vid­ing breath­tak­ing views and dra­mat­ic land­scapes. To the West, you’ll find pris­tine beach­es and impres­sive escarpments.

Adven­tur­ous explor­ers can dis­cov­er the Mur­raw­i­jin­nie Caves, which are open to the pub­lic, and the Nation­al Her­itage List­ed Koon­al­da Cave, known for its archae­o­log­i­cal sig­nif­i­cance. Wildlife enthu­si­asts will be thrilled by sight­ings of din­goes, wom­bats, whales, dol­phins, and even sharks in the sur­round­ing waters.

Pod of dolphins seen off one of the Bunda cliff lookouts, Nullarbor WPA
Pod of dol­phins seen off one of the Bun­da cliff look­outs, Nullar­bor WPA

Things to Do

  1. Be Pre­pared: When explor­ing the Nullar­bor, it’s impor­tant to let some­one know your plans, car­ry suf­fi­cient food and water, and ensure your vehi­cle is well-pre­pared for the journey.
  2. Vis­it Clifftop Look­outs: There are three des­ig­nat­ed clifftop look­outs offer­ing safe and spec­tac­u­lar views of the Bun­da Cliffs and the vast South­ern Ocean and Far West Coast Marine Park.
  3. Explore Mur­raw­i­jin­nie Caves: Open to the pub­lic, these caves of high cul­tur­al val­ue offer a fas­ci­nat­ing glimpse into the under­ground land­scapes of the Nullarbor.
  4. Whale Watch­ing: From May to Octo­ber, the Far West Coast Marine Park becomes a nurs­ery for migrat­ing South­ern Right Whales, pro­vid­ing a unique oppor­tu­ni­ty to view these majes­tic crea­tures up close 
  5. Koon­al­da Home­stead and Cave: Vis­it this his­toric home­stead and cave to learn about the region’s cul­tur­al and his­toric pas­toral significance.
  6. Best Time to Vis­it: Win­ter months (that’s now!) are ide­al for explor­ing the Nullar­bor, with cool­er tem­per­a­tures mak­ing the expe­ri­ence more comfortable.
Koonalda Homestead, Nullarbor WPA
Koon­al­da Home­stead, Nullar­bor WPA

Things to Consider

  1. Don’t dri­ve or camp along the Bun­da Cliffs: Only approach the clifftop via one of the three des­ig­nat­ed safe view­ing areas, as cliff col­laps­es are com­mon and unpre­dictable across the Bun­da Cliffs. The look­outs pro­vide some of the best view­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties look­ing either East or West along the cliffs.
  2. Stick to Tracks: Don’t dri­ve down a track unless there’s a sign direct­ing it’s safe to do so. Don’t cre­ate new tracks, while rugged, Nullar­bor is frag­ile and sus­cep­ti­ble to erosion.
  3. Fol­low Sig­nage: Adhere to all sig­nage to stay safe and informed.
  4. Avoid Risky Pho­tos: Don’t risk your life for that per­fect Insta­gram pho­to – grav­i­ty doesn’t take a day off.
  5. Camp­ing Options: Cur­rent­ly, bush camp­ing is only avail­able at Koon­al­da Home­stead with­in the Nullar­bor WPA, ensure you book online before you arrive.

Accom­mo­da­tion is avail­able at Nullar­bor & Bor­der Vil­lage Road­hous­es and road­side stops offer tem­po­rary overnight loca­tions along Eyre Highway.

Dingo Nullarbor Plain, Nullarbor WPA
Din­go Nullar­bor Plain, Nullar­bor WPA

Handy Tips

  1. Best Time for Whale View­ing: August is the prime time for whale watch­ing at the Head of the Bight.
  2. Phone Cov­er­age: Reli­able phone cov­er­age is lim­it­ed to areas near the Nullar­bor and Bor­der Vil­lage Roadhouses.
  3. Wildlife Sight­ings: Ear­ly morn­ing and ear­ly evening are the best times to spot wild animals
  4. Road Con­di­tions: 4WD roads can be rough, and if they are wet, it’s best to avoid them. High-clear­ance vehi­cles pro­vide added peace of mind.
Southern Right Whale, taken from Head of the Bight Whale viewing platform, Yalata Indigenous Protected Area
South­ern Right Whale, tak­en from Head of the Bight Whale view­ing plat­form, Yala­ta Indige­nous Pro­tect­ed Area

Explor­ing the Nullar­bor Wilder­ness Pro­tec­tion Area and the Far West Coast Marine Park is a jour­ney into one of Australia’s most remote and awe-inspir­ing regions. Enjoy the soli­tude and nat­ur­al beau­ty while respect­ing the land and its cul­tur­al heritage.

For more infor­ma­tion on plan­ning your trip, vis­it parks​.sa​.gov​.au.

Park of the Month 

Through­out August, we’re cel­e­brat­ing Parks of the Far West and have a range of resources and activ­i­ties for you to enjoy, find out more on the Park of the Month webpage. 

This con­tent was pro­duced in part­ner­ship with  Good Living