Caiguna, Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Caiguna is a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway
in Western Australia
. It is the second stop east of Norseman
on the long journey east across the Nullarbor Plain
. Between Balladonia
and Caiguna is a 146.6 kilometres (91.1 mi) stretch of the highway which is one of the longest straight stretches of road in the world.
word possibly meaning "spear track". In 1841, Edward John Eyre
's party, consisting of Eyre, a man named John Baxter
and three Aboriginals including one named Wylie
, travelled across the Nullarbor, leaving Fowler's Bay in South Australia. On 29 April, two of the Aboriginals killed John Baxter and disappeared into the desert, taking most of the party's supplies. Due to the terrain, Baxter could not be buried, so his remains were wrapped in a blanket and left behind, and Eyre and Wylie pressed on for another month, after which they were rescued by a French vessel off Thistle Cove near modern-day Esperance, Western Australia
. A memorial to Baxter is located 10 km south of the roadhouse.
The townsite was established in 1962 to assist traffic crossing the Nullarbor for the Commonwealth Games
in Perth.
Motel that provides roadhouse
facilities including a basic caravan park. It is one of only three Nullarbor roadhouses to be open 24 hours. A landing strip is located nearby and connects to the roadhouse with a short taxiway.
Caiguna is the town at which the unofficial Central Western Time (CWT)
starts.
Eyre Highway
The Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highway 1/A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, who was the first to...
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It is the second stop east of Norseman
Norseman, Western Australia
Norseman is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, east of Perth and above sea level. It is also the starting point of the Eyre Highway, and the last major town in Western Australia before the South Australian border to the...
on the long journey east across the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
. Between Balladonia
Balladonia, Western Australia
Balladonia is a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia, Australia. It is the first stop east of Norseman on the long journey east across the Nullarbor Plain...
and Caiguna is a 146.6 kilometres (91.1 mi) stretch of the highway which is one of the longest straight stretches of road in the world.
History
The name is an AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word possibly meaning "spear track". In 1841, Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and a controversial Governor of Jamaica....
's party, consisting of Eyre, a man named John Baxter
John Baxter (explorer)
John Baxter was a friend and companion of Edward John Eyre on his crossing of the Nullarbor Plain in 1840-1841. When the party was low on supplies and in desperate need of water, near the coast south of present-day Caiguna in Nuytsland National Park, Baxter was murdered by Yarry and Joey, two of...
and three Aboriginals including one named Wylie
Wylie (person)
Wylie was an indigenous Australian originally from the tribes around Albany in Western Australia. He accompanied Edward John Eyre to Adelaide by sea in May 1840, and would have left with Eyre on his expedition to penetrate to the interior in June of the same year, but Wylie was ill...
, travelled across the Nullarbor, leaving Fowler's Bay in South Australia. On 29 April, two of the Aboriginals killed John Baxter and disappeared into the desert, taking most of the party's supplies. Due to the terrain, Baxter could not be buried, so his remains were wrapped in a blanket and left behind, and Eyre and Wylie pressed on for another month, after which they were rescued by a French vessel off Thistle Cove near modern-day Esperance, Western Australia
Esperance, Western Australia
Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...
. A memorial to Baxter is located 10 km south of the roadhouse.
The townsite was established in 1962 to assist traffic crossing the Nullarbor for the Commonwealth Games
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from 22 November-1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth....
in Perth.
Present day
Caiguna today consists of not much more than the John EyreEdward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and a controversial Governor of Jamaica....
Motel that provides roadhouse
Roadhouse (facility)
A roadhouse is a commercial establishment typically built on a major road or highway, to service passing travellers. Its meaning varies slightly by country.-USA:...
facilities including a basic caravan park. It is one of only three Nullarbor roadhouses to be open 24 hours. A landing strip is located nearby and connects to the roadhouse with a short taxiway.
Caiguna is the town at which the unofficial Central Western Time (CWT)
UTC+8:45
UTC+08:45 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:45.UTC+08:45 is used as a time in Australia . It is used by some roadhouses along the Eyre Highway in Western Australia and South Australia...
starts.
External links
- Shire of Dundas - Towns of the Eyre Highway
- Nullarbor Net - Caiguna including local information.