Getting stuff done - Ceduna, SA

 Day 49

Today was all about getting things done in and around Ceduna - not particularly glamorous, but very necessary as we prepare for the Nullarbor. The list included fuel ($3.24 per litre), groceries, game changing fluffy slippers (a bargain at $10), a blood test, a beautician visit, and topping up our water tanks at the caravan park for $5.00. And of course, no visit to a South Australian seaside town would be complete without a visit to the jetty - they really are a defining feature along this coast.

At 7,000km, Izzy was also due for a tyre rotation. Stephen briefly contemplated doing it himself but quickly decided it would be a mammoth task, so we stopped in at Bridgestone Tyres. They couldn’t fit us in but recommended Ceduna New and Used Tyres instead. Bill, the owner - very much your archetypal bush mechanic - was able to accommodate us after his lunch break, for $80 cash. He and two of his workers had the job done in 45 minutes and were keenly interested in Stephen’s tapered centring nut, designed for Izzy. Huge shout‑out to Bill and his team – they did a great job.

We also paid a visit to the Information Centre, with the aim of gearing up for another small adventure within the adventure: the Nullarbor Links Golf Experience. This quirky 18‑hole, par‑72 course stretches across 1,365km, with one hole in each participating town along the Eyre Highway from Ceduna, SA to Kalgoorlie, WA. Designed to add some diversion to the vast distances of the Nullarbor, the brochure politely describes it as “somewhat rugged outback‑style terrain.”

Stephen will be playing (we hired a minimal set of clubs - lucky they had left‑handed ones), and I will be caddying, as golf is not one of my strengths. We’ll do a separate post on our golfing escapades, which I suspect will provide plenty of amusement. To kick things off, we played the first two holes in Ceduna.

We could have started our crossing today, but it was mid‑afternoon - and really, what was the rush? Instead, we bought half a dozen oysters and the ingredients for Bloody Marys and headed back to our lovely camp at Wittelbee Conservation Park. There we enjoyed some well‑earned R&R, a glorious sky, and yet another swim - me, not him.