|
The Nullarbor Plain is the vast area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country immediately north of the Great Australian Bight. The word Nullarbor is derived from the Latin for "no trees".
It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about 200,000 sq km (77,200 sq miles). At its widest point, it stretches about 1200 km from east to west between South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA).
Contrary to popular belief, the driest spot in Australia is actually found in this region and not to the north, in the area of the Northern Territory (NT) known as the Centre. The SA settlement of Farina has average annual precipitation of 142 mm (5.6 inches); by contrast, Alice Springs, NT, receives an average of 281 mm (11.1 inches) of rain per year.
Vegetation in the area is primarily small scrub. A large part of the Nullarbor Plain is now a National Park.
The southern ocean, in areas, blows through many subterranean caves resulting in blow holes up to several hundred metres from the coast. One such area open for public inspection are the Murrawijinie Caves, in South Australia. Most other caves can only be visited and viewed with conservation department approval.
The two ways of crossing the Nullarbor plain by land are via the Indian Pacific railway line, which crosses the entire continent from Perth to Sydney via Adelaide, and the Eyre Highway, which goes from Norseman, WA to Port Augusta, SA. The flatness of the terrain is such that the railway line holds the record for the longest straight section of railway in the world (478 km), while the road contains the longest straight piece of tarred road surface in Australia (146.6 km). The railway cuts straight across the Nullarbor, but the Eyre Highway cuts along the edge of the its southernmost area. Only a small portion of it is actually in the Nullarbor.
Most of the inhabited areas of the Nullarbor Plain can be found in a series of small settlements located along the railway line, and in a small hotel complex called the Nullarbor on the Eyre Highway. The town of Cook, in South Australia, was formerly a moderately thriving settlement of about 40 people, with a school and even a golf course. However, the scaling back of railway operations at the town resulted in its virtual desertion, and it now has a permanent population of just two.
One uninhabited area noted for a water supply is Ooldea, located along the railway.
External links
| 
