From Ceduna, the landscape looked fairly normal: we drove across miles of farmland which turned into scrub when we reached the Yalata Aboriginal Reserve.  The Yalata Reserve includes the Head of Bight, an area that is home to migrating Southern Right Whales from June to October.  They come to the area to give birth to their calves, and the population can reach well over 100 whales in September.  It was only early June, but already there were at least 14 whales in the area, two with new calves.  We stopped in at the Ranger Station, just 2km down the Head of Bight road, and paid for two permits.  The road is paved to a parking lot where there are bathroom facilities, and then a walkway leads to a viewing platform.  We rushed down, and to our delight, three whales were lolling just off from the cliffs.  To the west of us was a long line of cliffs; to the east was a dune system of sugar-white sands that looked like snow fields.  We watched the whales for several hours, and were treated to a display of breaching and tail slapping.  One whale leapt almost entirely out of the water, crashing back in with a mighty splash that was thunderous.  It was growing dark, the reserve was closing, and we reluctantly left the whales.

Down the road from the Head of Bight is Nullarbor, one of the road houses along the way.  There is a motel there, petrol station, small store, and caravan park.  We checked into a site.  We were truly out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around us.  Nullarbor means no trees (as you will recognize from those Latin classes so many years ago), and they are not kidding, because there really are no trees.  It is flat and featureless and amazing.\