To understand the rich history of the Nullarbor, you first need to understand how it earned its name.
Back in 1866, surveyor E. Alfred Delisser was working on the Nullarbor Plain and took note of the significant lack of trees existing in the area. He is credited with creating the name Nullarbor, which is Latin for “no trees”. Do not let this name deceive you though; barring a few baron areas, there are many different species of trees and other local fauna spread across the Plain.
Prior to 1956, the site was home to Nullarbor Station and covered 1.25 million acres (that’s x2.7 larger then Singapore!). There were paddocks of sheep, horses and cattle, along with some wild wombats and dingos. In 1956, then station manager Elwyn, or “Scobe”, as he was affectionately known, decided to sell petroleum to generate additional revenue. The petrol would be hand pumped out of the drums into gallon tanks and sold to locals and visitors passing through.
A small shop was also established in an old stone building. Its products were more traditional than what you’re likely to see in stores these days – tea, canned food, biscuits, lollies and cordial drinks made up day to day sales. Elwyn’s wife Coral would also occasionally cook up homemade scones, cakes and, occasionally, any rabbits they might have caught. Coral would later go on to write about her family life at the Nullarbor station in great detail in her book, ‘Our Life at Nullarbor’.
The roadhouse has become a popular stopover for most travellers in part due to its isolation. It is approximately 300km west of Ceduna, and 200km east of the South Australian / West Australian border. As you could imagine, due to its location, the sun is always smiling over the Nullarbor. During the summer, temperatures consistently rest in the 30’s, however the “Nullarbor Doctor” arrives nightly in the form of a cool southerly breeze, ensuring you rest easily throughout the evening.
Michael
– Nullarbor Roadhouse General Manager
Link to the above is [ here ]
Filling up at Nullarbor
The motel, petrol, and resturant
