The Eyre Highway, which skirts the Great Australian Bight, is the main artery of this section. It runs 1,620 km from Port Augusta to Norseman along the edges of the Nullarbor Plain, the wilderness which received its smart Latin-based name, meaning ‘no trees’, from the first Victorian classics scholars who arrived here. Nowadays, the Nullarbor Plain does in fact have a few trees, though only alongside the road.

First main stop after Kalgoorlie-Boulder is another old gold-mining town, Norseman. Here you can take a detour south to Esperance on the coast. This has some great nearby scenery and beaches, as well as the Recherche Archipelago.

Crossing the Nullarbor Plain you run by the coast after Eucla. Here you can see the spectacular Cliffs of Nullabor, which stretch for hundreds of kilometres along this remote coastline.

Before you reach Port Augusta you come to the Eyre Peninsula, whose small resorts and fine coastal scenery are well worth a detour.

There’s no getting away from the fact that this one is a long haul (although that’s probably the reason why you chose it in the first place). It can be done in three days, but if you want to explore the best places to visit, allow at least a week.

TRANSPORT

The famous Indian Pacific (www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/trains/the_indian_pacific/) train from Perth to Adelaide crosses this region and goes once a week. Probably the most stopover-worthy way to see the area is with the Nullarbor traveller company on a 9-day all-inclusive tour (www.thetraveller.net.au) but it will set you back around AUD$1500. We’re more for DIY travelling so if you want to explore, you’ll need a car.