Day 8 – Of Timezones, Blowholes, and Bird Attacks
The morning in Madura was beautiful. Sunny, blue skies, and just begging us to get back on the road.
Here’s something I learned today: Western Australia has its own quirky timezone rules. Not only are we 45 minutes off from Perth time here (who even invents 15-minute offsets?!), but my brain now has to do timezone gymnastics every time I look at my watch. South Australia’s 30-minute trick was annoying enough, but this feels like a practical joke.
First order of business — check the bike. After yesterday’s gravel and sand adventures, I wanted to make sure no screws were loose and the tyres were fine. All perfect. As always: I take care of her, and she takes care of me.
Breakfast brought us new friends — a lovely Swiss couple touring Australia. A long chat, some tips for their next leg (we’d just come from where they were headed), and we were on our way.
Stop 1: Cocklebiddy. Quick coffee, leg stretch, nothing to write home about.
Stop 2: Caiguna. This one was going to be busy:
- Lunch (surprisingly decent).
- The last stop with premium petrol before Norseman (meaning time to dust off my spreadsheet of highly-scientific octane-booster calculations).
- A short detour to the Caiguna Blowhole, one of several in the area. These natural vents breathe air in and out as the underground limestone caves shift pressure — the local Aboriginal people call it the earth breathing. Standing there, you can literally feel gusts of air coming from the ground. Pretty cool, unless you start wondering whether the planet is sighing at humanity.
But the main act: leaving Caiguna means entering the 90 Mile Straight. Australia’s longest dead-straight road. It’s either iconic or mind-numbingly boring, depending on whether you’re the one riding it.
And as if the road wanted to spice things up, I got dive-bombed. A decent-sized bird — maybe a young wedge-tailed eagle, maybe a magpie with an attitude problem — came straight for my helmet. It would have smacked my visor if I hadn’t jerked my head just in time. Instead, it brushed off the helmet and disappeared. Australia’s wildlife: always looking for new ways to kill you.
About half an hour from Balladonia, we stopped for a quick bathroom break and stumbled on something unexpected — a quirky little gnome memorial by the roadside. Yep, tiny garden gnomes lined up as if they’d escaped from Bunnings and staged a rebellion in the desert. Naturally, a photo was mandatory.
Finally, Balladonia. My big fuel stress vanished instantly: despite BP’s own website claiming they only stock 91, this place actually had RON 98! All that planning, all those calculations, and the octane booster — unnecessary. But hey, better safe than sorry. My bike deserves the good stuff.
The day ended with dinner, a bit of reading, and the satisfaction of knowing we’re just a couple of hours from finishing this first Nullarbor leg. Perth is getting closer!
