Day 110: Frasers Range Station to Cocklebiddy Roadhouse

 It rained all night and the wind freshened in the morning. It looks like a wet and windy drive to Cocklebiddy.

There are a string of roadhouses along the Eyre Highway providing fuel food and accommodation, all of which vary greatly in price and quality.

Our first stop is at Balladonia Roadhouse, about 80 km East of Frasers Range. Here we top up our fuel tank knowing that diesel prices with steadily rise between here and Ceduna. Today's price at Balladonia was $2.98 / litre. 

Steady rain and gusty SE winds plague us through our drive and as the next roadhouse is around 180 km away, we forgo our morning coffee. Even though it was 11.45 am when we arrived at Caiguna Roadhouse, we drove in thinking we may get a coffee. It was a 4WD experience to get to the roadhouse through deep water filled pools and potholes and plenty of mud. We kept on going back to the highway.

We are always reminded how dry the Nullarbor Plain is, and water is only used sparingly. There is nowhere to fill caravan tanks along the road, and caravan parks do not provide water hook ups. They also generally charge you to have a shower.

Along our trip we drove the 90 mile straight (145 km), Australia's longest straight road which is between Caiguna and Balladonia, momentarily disappeared in the spray generated by road trains passing us from the opposite direction on the wet roads and battled the 20+ knot cross winds. Diesel consumption was a bit on the thirsty side today. We also crossed a time zone with our clocks advancing 45 mins.

Arriving at Cocklebiddy Roadhouse, there were plenty of puddles and potholes as we ventured in to fill up and secure a caravan site. The place was a bit understaffed so there was quite a wait and a fair bit of confusion before we eventually got a site. It is not a caravan park of great beauty, but it is a lot better than continuing on in the deteriorating driving conditions.


We were the first arrival, so got to pick the best site. Others began arriving and picked out the remaining high ground. Water shortages do not seem the immediate issue here.

The Roadhouse is old and needs work, which it appears to be underway. The roadhouse, along with the ones in Caiguna and Madura, was acquired by a new owner in 2025 and there are strong signs that renovations are under way. They are trading under the banner of Golden Outback, and hopefully will get the upgrades they badly need.

By 5 pm there were 5 vans in the park. A 6th arrived but obviously didn't like what options were left and departed.

Hopefully, in the morning the tide will have gone out, and we can continue on our journey to Border Village in more pleasant conditions.

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