I wasn’t looking forward to the trek across the Nullabor even though plenty of people we had met assured us that there were many beautiful sights to see. The Nullabor gets its name from the Latin word “nullus” meaning “no” and “abor” meaning “tree”. There are few trees to see unless you can count low shrubs or the frequent rolling bush scrub that scream along with the dust storms. The Nullabor has the Great Australian Bight on one side and at times you will be able to take advantage of some amazing coast views, and on the other side is the Great Victoria Desert. Not much viewing here.
We estimated that it would probably take us 3-4 days of solid travelling, staying at free camps along the way. 
At morning tea we got out a tennis ball which helped us to stretch our arms and legs as we played catch. This also counted as Caleb’s Physical Education lesson for the day and focused on his coordination skills. Ray and Caleb found the grave of a beloved dog, complete with a weathered sign. We wondered at the events behind the grave and made up our own versions of what had happened to necessitate this lonely grave in the middle of nowhere. It was a very sad storytelling session.
It wasn’t long until we came to the longest straight stretch of road in Australia at 145.6km. It could be the longest in the world, it just hasn’t been confirmed. 
While we were travelling along it, a transit escort with lights flashing was coming the other way. We knew there was something really wide coming our way as the escort was driving in the middle of our lane, heading towards us. We had to pull completely of the road as the machinery took up both lanes. It was the biggest we’ve seen on the road so far. 
At afternoon tea, Ray and Caleb kept me entertained with a light saber duel as the locals at the Cockabiddy Roadhouse watched. I’m sure they’ve never seen anything like it before. 
While we were driving along, in the distance we could see a lone figure walking by the side of the road. As we got closer Ray noticed that it was Matt Napier who we had seen on the news in Kalgoorlie who was walking from Perth to Canberra to raise awareness and funds for Global Poverty. While he walked he was bouncing a footy and had already worn out one. He had odd shoes on and a strange concoction of cardboard shielding his lips from the glaring sun. When we saw him on TV we thought he was very brave, so to see him actually on the road was a thrill. Ray wanted to walk with him for a bit and Matt urged him to join him. So with thongs and singlet, Ray walked a kilometre with him to the next rest stop where Matt’s wife, Wendy was patiently waiting with their car and caravan. 
I jumped into the drivers seat and drove the furtherest that I have, pulling the caravan so far, a whole kilometre. I often offer to have a go to give Ray a break but he’s happy driving – or scared more likely, of me driving. This was my chance! Caleb and I waited in the rest stop with Wendy for them to come. We gave them $10 as that’s all we had in cash on us. They are doing an amazing thing, they will possibly be on the news as they get closer to major towns and have the sponsorship and endorsement of AFL clubs. (Port Adelaide being the most forthcoming so far!) Absolutely amazing people. 
At 6:20pm, local time, (we had to move our clocks forward 45mins) we pulled into our free camp. There were numerous others there but plenty of room. Caleb went for a scoot around on his bike and had a spill as he tried to perfect his skidding in the stones. There was crying like we haven’t heard in months and Dr Ray applied a bandage and plenty of sympathy. We took photos which Caleb wanted to be texted to his cousins for supplementary sympathy. Poor cookie! 
Believe it or not, we were exhausted from sitting in the car all day and fell asleep easily. Another big day of driving tomorrow. What a huge country Australia is!