The Road is Long… Without Any Winding Turns
We like to talk about the most interesting stuff in the business, so it might surprise you that we’re bringing up something famous for being the most boring piece of road in Australia. The longest straight stretch of road in the country is between Perth and Ceduna: the Eyre Highway. It’s 146.6km long. That’s wheely, wheely long!
It crosses a stunningly bleak stretch called the Nullarbor. Which means “no trees” in Latin. Which seems like a sick joke, even though it’s bang-on accurate. We love a good challenge. And at first, driving in a straight line for x long kilometers sounds like a pretty easy challenge.
But it isn’t, as some weathered Road Train drivers might tell you. With 146.6km of straight road laying in front of you, the beast is boredom, and the boredom can either drive you to sleep, or to reckless speeding. But it’s such an isolated stretch of road that the idea of running out of fuel, or –God forbid– having an accident is the stuff of horror movies.
Yep, it’s pretty bleak out there. But it’s not all bad. The Nullarbor is pretty much an Aussie wilderness, with a big bit of bitumen shoved straight through it. If you were a passenger and not a driver, you’d likely spot a bunch of brave creatures weathering the heat and drought.
Camels, Wombats, Roos… You might not see a roo racing alongside you, but you’ll for sure spot another piece of quintessential Australian spirit: the Royal Australian Flying Doctor Service occasionally use the highway as a landing strip. Speaks volumes about how isolated this place is…
But isn’t that the appeal? Going somewhere you’ve never been before? Trying something different? Giving it your all? Bloody oath it is. At Yugo, we want to go where you you go! Anyone ever tried to champion the Nullarbor? We’d love to hear about it: send us an email and you might just make our next newsletter!