Nullabor Plain
plateau of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country immediately north of the Great Australian Bight. The name is derived from the Latin for "no trees".
It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about 200,000 sq km (77,200 sq miles). At its widest point, it stretches about 1200 km from east to west between South Australia (SA) and Western Australia (WA).
Contrary to popular belief, the driest spot in Australia is actually found in this region and not to the north, in the area of the Northern Territory (NT) known as the Centre. The SA settlement of Farina has average annual precipitation of 142 mm (5.6 inches); by contrast, Alice Springs, NT, receives an average of 281 mm (11.1 inches) of rain per year.
Vegetation in the area is primarily small scrub. A large part of the Nullarbor Plain is now a National Park.
The southern ocean, in areas, blows through many subterranean caves resulting in blow holes up to several hundred metres from the coast. One such area open for public inspection are the Murrawijinie Caves, in South Australia. Most other caves can only be visited and viewed with conservation department approval.
The two ways of crossing the Nullarbor plain by land are the Transcontinental railway line that stretches from Kalgoorlie, WA to Port Augusta, SA, and the Eyre Highway, which goes from Norseman, WA to Port Augusta, SA. Their nature is such that they hold the record for the longest straight piece of railway line in the world (478 km) and the longest straight piece of tarred road surface in Australia (146.6 km). The railway cuts straight across the Nullarbor, but the Eyre Highway cuts along the edge of the its southernmost area. Only a small portion of it is actually in the Nullarbor.
Most of the inhabited areas of the Nullarbor Plain can be found in a series of small settlements located along the railway line, and in a small hotel complex called the Nullarbor on the Eyre Highway.
One uninhabited area noted for a water supply is Ooldea, located along the railway.
