Crossing Nullabor Plain

Not 100% sure on this but generally travelling west you'll be heading into the wind. The sun is more of an issue, hit the road early & you'll avoid driving straight into it. After 4ish it can become quite dangerous on the long straight stretches you'll drive across.

Generally you'll be driving into a head wind. When heading west, leaving early & stopping around 4pm meant you avoided driving directly into the sun. We found getting away early made for a much more enjoyable trip across the Nullarbor.

Hi there,
have found that headwinds seem to always be there. Most of the time they aren't too bad but sometimes can be really strong. This year our crossing was not too bad and it was done late April. Last year done mid May and it got so bad we pulled over for the day. The bad winds pushed our economy from 18-10litre per 100kms to 26. This is with a 100 series Landcruiser pulling a 22ft van so a fair weight. In my opinion the best time to travel IF convenient is when the whales are in at Head of the Bight, which is a bit after when we travelled. This is a magnificent setup with viewing paths and platforms setup on the cliff. Plenty of parking for vans and vehicles. I think it costs about $10 a head but a terrific experience. If you can fit it in take some binoculars with you.
As we are towing a van we normally travel maximum of 8am-4pm. Plenty of light to see clearly and generally the roos and emus are back off the road. Travelling outside those times may create problems with wildlife but also most trucks seem to operate overnight we find. 99% of the truckies are terrific and will work with you on UHF40. In my numerous crossings over the years I have only had hassles with one driver who kept dropping his wheels in the dirt so I just pulled up and had a cuppa.
Sorry to waffle on but I have done the return trip many times now and each trip has been most enjoyable EXCEPT the fuel costs. Have fitted a LR tank now so can do Penong to Norseman now and bypass all those high fuel prices.
Anyway I hope you have a great trip if you go and take time to see the sites.
Nev

Most people will tell you that the headwinds affect the direction they are heading into. There are a couple of good web pages you can use to work things out for yourself.

1. Wind Roses for Selected Locations in Australia. You can generate the wind roses for each month and each season at 0900 and 1500. There are 81 locations you can use for obtaining your data. If you have a Windows operating system with a snipping tool you can copy each rose and paste them into a WP document for later reference..

2. Average wind velocity maps. These show the average wind speed and direction for each month over the year.

Happy searching.

In the winter months -May to August- you have a stronger chance of driving into strong westerlies ie headwinds going west. However you can strike them any time. If towing a van it is best to be prepared to just camp for the day and to not try to drive into the wind - you just burn up fuel and get nowhere. The strong winds seldom last more than a few hours so you just get going early the next day and all is well. Lynne

We crossed in late March and had very little wind while on the main road. Had a bush camp, all I can say is that some people are pigs. There was this big camping area just before the big ocean cliffs and there was so much rubbish and human waste. So pick you spots, along the cliffs is great, but very windy.

Thanks to all for your input and advice.

Hi Ubique

While the prevailing wind may be westerly, the strongest headwind we encountered was from the south east. We stopped and waited until the clam of the next morning. If you are prepared to take you time to allow for stops, any time is a good time. In summer, you will need your car air conditioner.

An enjoyable drive every time, and plenty of scope for bush camping if you are able to do this.

Motherhen

I asked the WA tourist people at the caravan show at Rosehill the same question. I was going that way in April. They said no problem and there wasn't any wind to worry about.
After July would be different. The people at the WA border protect their state with a passion. Don't even think about bringing fruit or bags that have carried seed in them.

I crossed in November in one of SA's 10 day heat waves. Unfortunately I had to be in WA for a wedding and had no choice
Patrol towing caravan ran great till i hit the bight where very very strong headwinds and temps around 46 c meant the patrol was struggling to keep above 80ks an hour and temp gauge hovering around high meant down with all windows air con off and just let in plod along and stopping to let it have a rest and cool down every couple of hours.

First thing is carry excess water and nibbles.
Make sure you have your radiator flushed before you do such a trip. Even if it is not summer.
Watch for wildlife in the mornings and afternoons. Roos, Emus and Camels are very unforgiving to the front of your car.

The other time was in cooler months and did not have any winds to complain about, so I think the cooler months are the go.

Cheers
Patrolman