Dog Friendly Nullarbor Crossing | Norseman To Ceduna With Your Dog

Last updated on 6 May, 2023

A dog friendly Nullarbor crossing, driving across the Nullarbor Plains from Norseman in Western Australia to Ceduna in South Australia, is an epic outback adventure for any traveller with a dog.

Travel between Perth and Adelaide, a significant section is driving the Eyre Highway across the vast ‘treeless’ Nullarbor landscape. It is valid to wonder what there is to do and how much of the Nullarbor Plain is dog friendly.

Unexpectedly we discovered many dog friendly Nullarbor Plain things to do. The breathtaking sea cliffs of the Great Australian Bight, brilliant limestone caves, iconic roadhouses and the longest section of straight road in Australia are just a few things you and your dog can see and enjoy.

A Nullarbor road trip with your dog is a journey every traveller with a dog should do at least once. It is truly a remarkable place to visit.

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Nullarbor Road Trip Questions, Answered

Should I Take My Dog to the Nullarbor?

Between the vast distances and the Nullarbor National Park and Regional Reserve, it can seem there would be very little to do with your dog. There are surprisingly enough sites to see that are dog friendly to make crossing the Nullarbor with your dog enjoyable and fascinating.

Together, you and your dog can marvel at the spectacular Bunda Cliffs, explore underground caves and sinkholes, play Australia’s longest golf course and visit historical landmarks. All while driving one of Australia’s most iconic landscapes.

Where Can Dogs Stay on the Nullarbor?

Dogs can stay at the pet friendly caravan parks at the roadhouses and numerous dog friendly free camps along the Eyre Highway when crossing the Nullarbor. Many are not signposted and have no facilities.

What Do You Need to Know When Taking a Dog Across the Nullarbor?

The main risks to dogs on the Nullarbor are 1080 baits, possible heat exhaustion and potentially getting lost. Ensure your dog is always on a lead, has a collar with your contact details and that you carry plenty of water. In addition, you may want to consider using a muzzle on your dog to prevent the eating of baits.

How Many Roadhouses on are the Nullarbor? Are the Nullarbor Roadhouses Dog Friendly?

There are ten roadhouses on the Nullarbor between Norseman and Ceduna. The roadhouses are the sole establishments with fuel, toilets, food and basic supplies, caravan and motel style accommodation. All the Nullarbor Roadhouses are dog friendly for camping.

The roadhouses are also where we were able to get Telstra mobile service. Sorry I cannot comment on Optus reception.

The WikiCamps App and the bonus free FuelMap App together will give information on fuel prices, reviews on the roadhouses and distances.

Related read: Travel Apps Australia for a Road Trip

BP Balladonia Roadhouse and Museum
BP Caiguna Roadhouse
BP Cocklebiddy Wedgetail Inn and Roadhouse
Shell Mandura Roadhouse and Links Golf
Liberty Mundrabilla Roadhouse and Motel
IOR Eucla Motel and Caravan Park
Shell Border Village Roadhouse
Nullarbor Roadhouse Caravan Park
Yalata Roadhouse (Closed)
Mobil Nundroo Roadhouse

How Long does it take to drive across the Nullarbor? Driving Distances on the Nullarbor?

The distance of the Nullarbor, from Norseman to Ceduna, is 1200 kilometres or 12 hours and 30 minutes. We have listed the distances between stops in the guide further down.

Is there a Speed Limit on the Nullarbor and What are the Road Conditions?

The Eyre Highway is a fully sealed road and the speed limit is 110 km/hr.

The main risk to vehicles and caravans is that most roadhouses have potholes big enough to cause significant damage. So, slow down and take it easy when entering and exiting.

Additionally, all the roads off the Eyre Highway to attractions are dirt.

How much does it cost to drive across the Nullarbor?

Fuel was our only expense crossing the Nullarbor. We stayed at a dog friendly caravan park in Esperance, shopped in town for food supplies and again in Ceduna.

Our expenditure on fuel totalled $856, filling up at Esperance, Balladonia, Mundrabilla and Ceduna.

Note, the Shell Border Village Roadhouse had the most expensive fuel when we crossed the Nullarbor at 50+ cents per litre more than any other. Hence, why we did not buy fuel there.

What is the best time to cross the Nullarbor?

The cooler months from May to October is the preferred time to cross the Nullarbor, especially when travelling with your dog. We travelled across in mid May. It was warm during the day, cold at night and barely any wind.

The prevailing winds on the Nullarbor are something to take into consideration. A headwind can significantly increase your fuel costs. It is best to get an update on the conditions close to the time you travel, but here are the averages to help you plan.

Dog Friendly Nullarbor Crossing Attractions and Where to Camp

The roadhouses along the Nullarbor are the backbone and life of the vast plains. So for this guide on driving the Nullarbor with your dog, we let you know what the best dog friendly stops on the Nullarbor are between the roadhouses.

Remember that the roadhouses are where fuel is available. The distances noted in our Nullarbor itinerary between the roadhouses is the distance between fuel stops on the Nullarbor.

As you self drive the Nullarbor with your dog, it is essential to know where to camp. In our guide, we highlight the best dog friendly overnight stops on the Nullarbor in addition to the roadhouses.

Norseman to Balladonia Roadhouse

Norseman to Balladonia Roadhouse | 191 kilometres or 2 hours

Norseman is where the Eyre Highway, the road that cuts across the vast Nullarbor Plain, starts (or ends if travelling east to west). The town is most known for mining and as a tourist gateway to the Nullarbor.

Dog friendly Norseman attractions are the Statue of Norseman, the horse owned by a prospector that kicked the ground unveiling a gold nugget and the who the town is named after. There are also the Corrugated Camels, Norseman Beacon Lookout and the Woodland Walk (a short 700 metre walk) to check out with your dog before crossing the Nullarbor Plains.

Nullarbor Links is the world’s longest golf course that stretches across 1365 kilometres from the 1st hold in Ceduna to the 18th in Kalgoorlie. 15 of the 18 holes are on the Nullarbor (holes 14 and 15 are in Norseman) and on our Crossing the Nullarbor map. For more information, visit the Nullarbor Links website.

While in Norseman, if needed, there is water, a supermarket and fuel. Top of these before starting your Nullarbor crossing.

Dog friendly camping in Norseman is at the Acclaim Gateway Tourist Park or the Norseman 72 hour SC RV Rest Area, a free camp in town with no amenities and strict rules on “self contained.” Alternatively, just out of town, on the Eyre Highway, is a free camp Jimberlana Hill Rest Area, with no amenities.

Driving across the Nullarbor Plain from Norseman begins by cutting through the Great Western Woodlands, the largest untouched woodland expanse in the world. Not what we expected when setting off to drive across a plain whose name means treeless, but travel is full of fascinating surprises.

The woodland landscape continues to Balladonia. Along this stretch of road, stop at the dog friendly Pulijanya (Buldania Rocks), a sacred site for the Ngadju people with numerous mijalkarru (gnamma holes) that hold water reserves. It is a short walk to Pulijanya from the carpark. Wander about the rock area and see how many mijalkarru you can find.

At the Fraser Range Caravan Park (closed when we drove through) are a dog friendly summit walk (that we did not do) and the 13th hole. Further on is the Newmans Rock Campground and waterhole, which looked like a nice place to camp. Alternatively, stop here for about 30 minutes to walk with your dog to the waterhole.

Balladonia Roadhouse to Caiguna Roadhouse

Balladonia Roadhouse to Caiguna Roadhouse | 181 kilometres or 2 hours

The Balladonia Roadhouse called Balladonia Hotel Motel was famous briefly in 1979 when the parts of the NASA Skylab fell to earth here. The local authorities, in good humour, issued NASA with a littering fine.

The 12th golf hole is here. Down the road is the west end of the famous 90 Mile Straight. Signposted, the iconic 146.6 kilometre span of highway is dead straight, with no bends or turns and is a bucket list item for many Australian travellers.

Woorlba 24 hour Free Camp and Baxter Rest Area are dog friendly free campgrounds with drop toilets on the 90 Mile Straight. Just before the longest, straight piece of road in Australia ends at Caiguna is the Caiguna Blowhole. The Caiguna Blowhole, signposted, is 50 metres off the highway and blows air.

Caiguna Roadhouse to Cocklebiddy Roadhouse

Caiguna Roadhouse to Cocklebiddy Roadhouse | 66 kilometres or 45 minutes

At Caiguna Roadhouse is the other end of the 90 Mile Straight and the 11th golf hole.

The Nullarbor caves are captivating, with Cocklebiddy Cave being one of the most fascinating as it is one of Australia’s most famous and longest dive caves at 6.4 kilometres long. It blew my mind crossing the Nullarbor that there were dive caves! Cocklebiddy Cave is accessible by a 10 kilometre, rugged 4WD track (no caravans) and entry is permitted into the cave entrance only.

Nuytsland Nature Reserve is a large, pleasant, dog friendly camping area about 5 kilometres west of Cocklebiddy Roadhouse. Also, before the roadhouse is Murra-El-Evelyn Cave which is not dog friendly but only a short 500 metre walk from where you can park your car. Murra-El-Evelyn Cave looks best in drone footage.

Cocklebiddy Roadhouse to Madura Roadhouse

Cocklebiddy Roadhouse to Madura Roadhouse | 91 kilometres or 1 hour

At Cocklebiddy Wedgetail Inn and Roadhouse, read the stories of Samantha and Bruce, the rescued Wedgetail Eagles that live on site. Also, play the 10th golf hole.

Madura Pass Lookout and Campground is only 2 kilometres west of Madura Roadhouse. It is a free bush camp with no facilities.

Madura Roadhouse to Mundrabilla Roadhouse

Madura Roadhouse to Mundrabilla Roadhouse | 116 kilometres or 1 hour 15 minutes

Stop at Madura Roadhouse to play golf hole 9. Then drive out to the dog friendly Madura Caves and the Inland Sea. The road is dirt. It was in good condition when we went along it, towing our caravan. The track is Madura Cave is off to the left, long before the dingo gate. The inland sea is through the dingo gate.

At Madura Caves, the adventurous can climb down into what appear to be two cave entrances. Take a torch and be careful of dead kangaroos. Otherwise, it is a lot of fun. At the inland sea, see thousands of shells and try finding fossils.

The dog friendly Jilah Rockhole Wayside Free Camping Area has drop toilets and bins.

Mundrabilla Roadhouse to Eucla Roadhouse

Mundrabilla Roadhouse to Eucla Roadhouse | 66 kilometres or 45 minutes

Mundrabilla Roadhouse, you probably guessed, is where to play to the 8th golf hole. The drive from the Mundrabilla Roadhouse to Eucla Roadhouse is not long.

Eucla Roadhouse to Border Village Roadhouse

Eucla Roadhouse to Border Village Roadhouse | 42 kilometres or 30 minutes

Eucla is the biggest community and the most eastern Western Australia town on the Nullarbor Plain. It is in Eucla that you and your dog can hit the beach! It is where golf hole 7 is.

At the Eucla Roadhouse, check out the traveller’s cross with the distances to many capital cities and a reminder of how far away and isolated from everywhere else you are. There is also the big whale, which is not as exciting as it sounds.

The best dog friendly things to see in Eucla are the remnants of the old telegraph station (also a great campground) and the old Eucla jetty. Both are interesting and fun to explore with your dog.

If like us, you decide to walk with your dog from the old telegraph station to the beach and jetty, to find your way back, look for the only gum tree and head to it. The gum tree is at the old telegraph station.

Dog friendly attractions Nullarbor Plains

Border Village Roadhouse to Nullarbor Roadhouse

Border Village Roadhouse to Nullarbor Roadhouse | 184 kilometres or 2 hours

A bit is going on at the Border Village Roadhouse. Firstly, an imposing gigantic kangaroo holding a jar of Vegemite will greet you. He is friendly and ready to pose for an iconic photo.

Next, head over to the WA SA border sign for another photo. Unfortunately, there is a lot of rubbish so be careful where you and your dog walk.

The roadhouse is where to play the 6th Nullarbor links hole. Finally, the quarantine station checkpoint for travelling east to west (west to east is near Ceduna) is also here.

Welcome to South Australia!

The Nullarbor semi arid landscape stretches out for miles in all directions. Windblown and barren, it is hard to imagine much survives out here. Our favourite things to see along the Eyre Highway start not far over the border, the Bunda Cliffs.

The dramatic Bunda cliffs run along 210 kilometres of coastline and stand as high as 120 metres. The contrast between the sparsely shrub covered limestone plateau and the towering sea cliffs takes your breath away. It did ours.

There are three official Nullarbor lookouts to view the cliffs. In addition, we highly recommend (if not too windy) doing one night Bunda Cliffs camping. The experience of camping on top of the cliffs is thrilling. Note that the camping areas are not signposted.

Each lookout and the best Bunda Cliff camping spots are all in the Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area. It has become accepted that dogs are allowed, provided they are on leads and under your effective control. Please also clean up after your dogs.

Coming from the west heading east, the first Nullarbor Scenic Lookout #3. It was my favourite of all the lookouts.

25k Peg Rest Area is a fantastic dog friendly Bunda Cliff camping spot. Even if you do not camp here (we did not), stop here for the views.

Next along the Eyre Highway is the 52k Peg Camp Area. Caravanning the Nullarbor, it was here we camped for the night overlooking the Nullarbor cliffs with our dog. We were able to set up our caravan in such as way that we could take in views of the cliffs. Come nighttime, Daryl could not get it out of his head that the cliff could fall away, so we moved further back from the edge.

Continuing the drive across the Nullarbor soon up to Scenic Lookout #2 and further up the road to Scenic Lookout #1. Oh yeah, all the lookouts are suitable for caravans. Drive slowly to avoid the potholes.

Wigunda Cave is the next Nullarbor tourist attraction not far off the highway. We decided not to go to this cave, but I have included it because it looks impressive in other people’s photos. The reviews on the road conditions are mixed, so you will have to judge it for yourself.

By now, it is not too far to the iconic Nullarbor Roadhouse. Before reaching the roadhouse, is the Nullarbor Plain Western End of Treeless Plain sign, not that there had been trees for quite some distance.

Nullarbor Roadhouse to Penong

Nullarbor Roadhouse to Penong | 223 kilometres or 2 hours 20 minutes

The iconic Nullarbor Roadhouse is a must stop dog friendly attraction on the Eyre Highway. We did an overnight stop here to use the showers, top our water and have a night on power.

The other reasons to stop at the roadhouse:

the old Nullarbor Roadhouse fuel stop,
the big whale,
the camel, wombat and kangaroo sign (here you can get a photo without worrying about trucks or cars hitting you at high speeds),
play golf on hole 5,
see the painted mural,
do a scenic flight during whale season, and
grab a drink and a meal in the roadhouse.

I should mention that fuel here is pricey even for Nullarbor standards. There is also an additional charge for showers.

Driving out of the roadhouse, not far up the road is the Eastern End of Treeless Plains, signposted. Not there are trees after the sign, so why it is specifically put where it is, is a mystery to me.

Nearby to the roadhouse is the Head of Bight Visitor Centre with a boardwalk and lookout for onshore watching migrating Southern Wright Whales. Whales are frequently seen here from June to October just off the shore, making it an exceptional experience on the Nullarbor. There is a fee (currently $18 per adult) charged whether whales are present or not. Also, dogs are not allowed. We regrettably did not go, but if we did would have likely left Chika in our caravan at the free campground at the top of the road to the centre. I am not aware of any dog minding available.

175 kilometres from the Nullarbor Roadhouse is Fowlers Bay, a detour off the Eyre Highway which we did not take, but you may wish to. Instead, we continued to Penong.

Penong and Surrounds

Penong to Ceduna | 73 kilometres or 45 minutes

The township of Penong has a rural ambience. Indisputably, the wild, desolate Nullarbor Plain has made way for the more tree filled landscape.

In Penong, we visited the quirky pet friendly Windmills in the Paddock. There is also a museum which I believe allows dogs only. I cannot say for sure because we did not visit it. Also, this is where golf hole 3 is.

A detour off the highway from Penong is Lake MacDonnell (a pink lake), Shelley Beach and Port Le Hunte. It is a dirt road that was good enough for a 2WD when we drove it.

Disappointingly, the lake was not pink when visited. Never mind, we have seen other pink lakes on our travels. Shelley Beach is dog friendly. The best on our trip was the small isolated seaside stop of Port Le Hunte. There is not a lot in Port Le Hunte, just a jetty and short seaweed covered beach Chika enjoyed.

On our way out to see Lake MacDonnell and Port le Hunte, we passed Point Sinclair Camp. It looks fabulous. Dog friendly, beachside, bush camping. I hope in the future we can stay. Time constraints for our return to the east coast meant we kept driving.

Back on the highway, close to the Ceduna turnoff, is the Ceduna Quarantine Station. If travelling from the west as we did, this is where you will have to stop. If you are unsure, declare.

Ceduna

The final stop (or first if going east to west) is the coastal town Ceduna. After the Nullarbor, Ceduna is where you can replenish supplies at a well stocked Foodland Supermarket and pay a less heart stopping price for fuel. It is a rural centre with everything you need.

Ceduna has five dog friendly caravan parks and no free or low cost campgrounds unless you are willing to stay well out of town. The Nullarbor Links holes 1 & 2 are here. The dog friendly things to do are the Ceduna Foreshore, Ceduna Jetty, Pinky Point Lookout and the coastal walking trail.

Also, cheers you made it across the epic Nullarbor with your dog!

Dog Friendly Nullarbor Crossing Map

Click on the link to see our Dog Friendly Nullarbor Crossing Map. The map is interactive and can be downloaded.

Completing an epic road trip across the Nullarbor Plains with Chika has been a highlight of our travels. We have now done the dog friendly Nullarbor Crossing twice. The beauty and ruggedness of the coastal cliffs and the many hidden things to do, do not get old.

Dog Friendly Nullarbor Crossing | Norseman to Ceduna with your Dog