Eyre Highway
Photo: Yewenyi at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Eyre Highway is the main road that connects South Australia with the south of Western Australia. It runs for 1668 km. from Port Augusta in the east to Norseman in the west.
Going east - at Port Augusta it splits into the Princes Highway taking you to Adelaide and the East Coast cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and the Stuart Highway going all the way to Alice Springs and Darwin.
Going west - at Norseman you have the choice of taking the direct route to Perth via the Coolgardie - Esperance Highway and the Great Eastern Highway, or you can visit Esperance and the scenic Southwest region by following the South Coast Highway.
UnderstandThe main thing to understand, it is only part of the whole journey between Adelaide and Perth. The starting points - Port Augusta and Norseman are already some distances from their respective capital cities.
PrepareThe trip can be done in a conventional vehicle, and services are spaced such that you should not need to carry extra fuel.
Get inYou could conceivably fly to Port Augusta, and out of Norseman, but for most attempting this drive they are starting from either New South Wales, Victoria or Adelaide, and are heading for Perth (or vice-versa).
Methods other than drivingBicyclists, runners, and walkers have been seen on the Highway over the years.
Weather and water (lots of it)In some seasons, unusual rain patterns have rendered the Goldfields-Nullabor region with heavy floods. There are a number of issues for the traveller when in flooding or flooded areas.
DriveThe highway skirts the southern end of the famous Nullarbor Plain, roughly between the Nullarbor Roadhouse in the east and Balladonia Roadhouse in the west.
Do
Stay safeThe mentioned seaside cliffs are dangerous: do not venture too close either on foot or by vehicle, and do not ignore warning signs.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Eyre Highway" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Yewenyi at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons