Border Village
A stopover point which is ideal for access to the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight
Border Village, sometimes known rather commercially as BP Border Village, is nothing more than a service stopping point a few hundred metres from the border between South Australia and Western Australia. It is 1255 km west of Adelaide, 949 km west of Port Augusta and 885 km north-west of Port Lincoln.
The most valuable information for any visitors to the area is that the famed cliffs of the Great Australian Bight lie to the east of Border Village. Between Border Village and Nullarbor there are a total of six clearly marked lookout points. Each has its own special interest but there are only two which are truly breathtaking.
A word of warning. None of the cliff lookout points (except, maybe, for the first two) are for the faint-hearted or for those people who can't stand heights. At this point the cliffs rise sheer for about 100 metres from the sea which pounds on the rocks below. There are no safety rails and therefore the visitor is obliged to stand on the edge of the cliff and gaze up or down the coastline with nothing to protect you from falling over. To this day my stomach still drops when I recall the girl casually sitting on the edge of the cliff at Lookout #5. She had a pair of binoculars and was craning out into the void for a better view of seals on the rocks below.
Border Village, like all of the stopping points on the drive across the Nullarbor Plain, offers a full range of services including Motel, Cabin and Caravan Accommodation, a restaurant which opens from 6.00 a.m. - 10.00 p.m., a takeaway service which is open from 6.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m., full garage service and a desalination plant which provides fresh water.
Although Border Village is really nothing more than a watering hole it does boast the Big Roo, or 'Rooey II', a giant kangaroo which is a perfect companion to all the other 'Big' pieces of Australiana - sheep, prawns, oysters, barramundi, winches, bananas etc - which are spread from one end of the country to the other and seem to draw tourists who stand beside the large object grinning while some hapless companion clicks away with great photographic enthusiasm.
Things to see:
From Border Village the lookouts go as follows:
Lookouts #1 and 2
Lookouts #1 and #2 offer something totally different. Here, beyond the line of the sheer cliff face, the cliffs drop to a narrow coastal plain with sand dunes and scrub. It would be quite possible, if you had half a day, to clamber down the cliff and make your way across to the coast.
Lookouts #3
Lookout #3 is another disappointment. The view of the cliff face is difficult and unless the intrepid visitor is prepared to dangle off the edge of the cliffs there is little to see.
Lookouts #4 and 5
Lookout #4 and Lookout #5 are the one which most commonly appear in coffee table books and on postcards. Both lookouts are located on cliffs which jut out so that there are truly magnificent views both to the east and the west. It is worth contemplating, as you stand 100 m above the Southern Ocean, that the Great Australian Bight is recognised as the largest indentation in the Australian coastline and that these dramatic cliffs are reputed to be the longest cliff face in the world. There is no doubt that the views from the cliffs have to be one of the truly awe inspiring natural wonders of Australia. They are a scenic highlight to match Uluru, the Blue Mountains, the MacDonnell Ranges or the Kimberley. If you're lucky (and brave enough) it is quite common to see seals on the rocks below and to hear their distinctive barking muffled by the faint sound of the waves breaking on the rocks.
Lookouts #6
Lookout #6. It is here that the Eyre Highway Memorial (a memorial to the actual construction of the road) is located. However the view of the cliff face is difficult and unless the intrepid visitor is prepared to dangle off the edge of the cliffs there is little to see.
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