Ceduna is the last proper town before the long emptiness. It sits on the western side of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, facing Murat Bay, and for most people it is the place where the Nullarbor Plain crossing begins: more than a thousand kilometres of the Eyre Highway to Norseman in Western Australia, with roadhouses spaced out like stepping stones. The town itself is small, with around two thousand people, but it has the sort of weathered, practical atmosphere of a place that serves travellers and fishermen.
Oysters are what Ceduna is known for. The bay and the nearby waters produce some of the best in the country, and they are sold fresh from sheds along the coast, usually at a very fair price. Eating a dozen on the jetty before heading into the desert is a sensible tradition.
The highway was named for Edward John Eyre, who in 1841 made an exhausting overland trek along this coast, helped by an Aboriginal man named Wylie. The road itself was only fully sealed in 1976, and before that, travellers had to cross hundreds of kilometres of dirt. Today it is a good, straight road, carrying road trains, caravans and the occasional cyclist. A rider should plan fuel carefully, because stations are far apart. After Ceduna, you will find roadhouses at Penong, Nundroo, Yalata, Nullarbor, Border Village and Eucla, with long gaps in between, and prices rise the further you go. Top up at every opportunity, and carry water.
Wind is the main enemy. It can blow from the side with great force, and on a bike the effect over hundreds of kilometres is tiring. Early mornings are calmer, but kangaroos and wombats are most active at dawn and dusk, so avoid riding at those times if you can. The stretch near the Head of Bight lets you walk to cliff edges and, from June to October, watch southern right whales that come into the Bight to calve.
The treeless plain itself, whose name comes from the Latin for no trees, gives an extraordinary sense of scale. The sky is huge, the road runs straight to the horizon, and you will feel very small.