17/11/12 - 18/11/12

Well the next two days involved me being quite ill with some sort of weird fever as well as a whole lotta driving as I tackled the Nullabor on my way to South Australia.
I was feeling quite ill the night before I left but thought if I'm sick and taking it easy I may as well be sitting in my car getting closer to my destination (that's how I justified it in my fevered mind anyway).
So I left Esperance and headed south and 4 hours later made it to Norseman.

Norseman

The plan was to meet Laura and John at Balledonia and if they got there first they were to leave a note to let me know where they're gonna camp for the night.
After having some lunch in Norseman I stopped to get fuel and check the tyres.
I obviously wasn't thinking straight when I thought "Oh! If i'm checking the tyres I may as well check the radiator fluid too".
So, with the engine off but quite warm after the morning's drive, I stupidly opened the radiator cap and had hot fluid blast all over me and the engine, including the leisure battery. To top things off, I also dropped the cap in the engine as I reeled back, which took me a good 20 minutes to find and retrieve.
So after feeling a little edgy about tackling one of the most remote roads in the country with a reliable Freda I was now less than confident given this self-inflicted hiccup.
But with my fever getting worse due to the hot weather and hot radiator fluid I got in the car and drove.
I made it to Balledonia and got a message from Laura and John saying they were camping the night at a spot 250kms away! Fark!
The way I was feeling, I was hoping they had only gone another 50kms or so down the road, so I just figured I'll keep driving and if I make it to them by nightfall well and good but if not then I'll just camp where I can.
So feeling quite ill I hit the road and was firstly confronted by the longest (and most boring) straight stretch of road..not cool when your attention is wavering anyway...and then on dusk an abundance of wildlife...

I'm looking a little buff and tanned here...maybe those daily yoga  lessons are paying off?

But as you're reading this, you'll know that I obviously made it in one piece.
Laura checked my temperature when I revealed I felt quite ill and sure enough it was quite high so she gave me some panadol and told me to go straight to bed - what a champion! I knew it would be handy travelling with a nurse! haha
Anyway, the panadol had an immediate effect and I had a very restful sleep and was feeling 1000% better the next day.
I met Laura at Eucla where I got some fuel and then continued the drive.

Eucla sign (sorry I don't have my caption mojo today)

Laura then left notes at some place starting with "N" (sorry I can't be bothered looking it up) and a place starting with "P" saying she was camping at Cactus Beach.
I decided not to tackle the 20km dirt road to get there and instead camped a few kms out of Ceduna.
It was only at night that I realised I had driven from Esperance across the Nullabor Plain to Ceduna in under two days and I had successfully negotiated the Nullabor.
In hindsight I need not have worried too much. The fuel stops are regular, the road is excellent and the weather was warm but not excessively so.
Many thanks to Freda for getting me across safe and sound - you da best.

Hello again SA