The problem with road-side rest areas is that, well, they’re next to a road – and the Nullabor has a steady stream of road-trains 24hrs/day. So, even with earplugs, I didn’t sleep well and woke with the headache. A fistful of ibuprofen did the trick though.
Back in WA time (with no daylight saving) I exited the tent at tweetie-bird time and sunrise, only to find it was still 4:30 fricken AM! I was up, and the other grey nomads were making their noise too so there wasn’t any point trying to go back to sleep.
I didn’t rush though – not fond of the hoppy-roos at that time of the morning. At least it wasn’t and hadn’t rained here for a while. The dustbowl carpark was, er um, dusty, but not muddy. I eventually left at around 6:30 – still a bit too early for me. A calm rethink and recalculation suggested getting to Norseman on the fuel I had would “probably” be OK (there’s that word again). Even if Balladonia didn’t have any EFT, $4 could still buy me another 30-odd kms. On departure though, a retired couple I’d chatted to during the evening offered me some fuel from their generator. I thanked but declined them, instead suggesting that I’d lead them on the westerly trip (they were towing a kick-ass trailer and would be slower than me, even if I throttled off a little to save fuel) and if they happened to see me on the side of the road then I’d happily accept it.
No need though – EFT was restored at Balladonia when I arrived 115 km later. After refueling I reminded myself (again) of Ted Simon’s book Jupiter’s Travels (which I’ve barely got into cos I keep falling asleep)… don’t worry as it will likely sort itself out. That said, it pays to be nice to people at caravan parks and road-side stops, and wave at every car that passes by. 😉
Anyway, changing scenery, blah blah blah – I enjoyed it, but I won’t worry about piccies… they do kinda look the same as others.
I refueled at Norseman then headed south to Esperance and arrived just after midday: refueled, grabbed some lunch to be eaten on the esplanade, stocked up for food for the day, and then had a ride around the town. Most shops were closing – it appears they’re trading hours are still old-school.
I’m not in any real rush again tomorrow, so there’s be another look-see. Although – Esperance is more about the beaches and fishing which I won’t be doing.