490 km east of Eucla. This spot marks the end of the long eastward haul across the edge of the arbor Plain. Astonishingly, there’s been a settlement in this region since as early as the 1850s, when a whaling station was set up on St Peter Island at the end of Denial Bay. Nowadays, it’s a pleasant, sleepy little seaside town with a population of almost 3,500. Nearby there are several swimming coves worth sampling along Murat Bay.

Incidentally, 90 km west of here, down on the coast from Penong, is one of the best-kept secrets in the land: Cactus Beach. Those hardened surf-heads who know such things reckon it has some of the finest wave-riding in Australia.