Head of Bight lookout, South Australia: What can I see?

From the boardwalk at the Head of Bight lookout in South Australia, it is possible to see sand dunes, the Bunda Cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain, and calving southern right whales. The Head of Bight whales make it one of the best stops on an Adelaide to Perth road trip.

Head of Bight is one of the unquestioned highlights on the long, often very boring drive across Australia’s remote Nullarbor Plain. As the name suggests, this is the high point of the Great Australian Bight. It’s where the Southern Ocean pushes Australia into a rough boomerang shape.

The Eyre Highway ploughs remorselessly across the Nullarbor for 1,664km, from Port Augusta in South Australia to Norseman in Western Australia. If you’re going to drive that, an extra 18km diversion for a speck of joy at Head of Bight is hardly onerous.

Don’t want to drive the Nullarbor? Then consider a ten day camping adventure tour from Perth to Adelaide (or in the opposite direction).

Head of Bight boardwalk

The Head of Bight lookout gives a marvellous vision of Australia dividing. A zig-zagging boardwalk has been placed at the top of the cliffs, offering expansive views of the Southern Ocean. But it’s what’s either side, forming a frame that’s more impressive.

To the left of the Bunda Cliffs lookout are grandiose sand dunes, piling up on top of each other, conjuring a vision of deserted South Australian beaches. To the right are stark, intimidating cliffs.

The Bunda Cliffs of the Nullarbor

The Bunda Cliffs stretch roughly 100km along the Great Australian Bight. They run from near Border Village at the border with Western Australia to just east of Head of Bight. They’re made up of a fossil-heavy limestone called Wilson Limestone which was once part of an ancient sea bed.

The cliffs formed when Australia separated from Antarctica approximately 65 million years ago, and they’re big. They rise almost vertically west of the Bunda Cliffs lookout, 60 metres to 120 metres above the crashing ocean.

Whale-watching at Head of Bight

But very few people will come all the way to Head of Bight to see the Bunda Cliffs. The real star attraction here is whale-watching. That little, protective nook formed by the Southern Ocean is a perfect spot for southern right whales to shelter. It is one of the few places in the world where you can reliably watch whales from the land.

Between mid-May and late October, southern right whales come to Head of Bight to give birth, then raise their calves ready for the great migration south. The Head of Bight whales can often be seen swimming, breaching and protecting their young. And it can all be viewed from the Head of Bight lookout.

Head of Bight on a Nullarbor road trip

Realistically, you’re not going to visit Head of Bight unless you’re driving across the Nullarbor from Adelaide to Perth (or vice versa). The Head of Bight lookout is 1,060km from Adelaide and 1,649km from Perth. The nearest South Australian town of any size, Ceduna, is 286km to the east. The nearest roadhouse, the Nullarbor Roadhouse, is 25km to the west. This hosts one of the holes on the Nullarbor Links, the longest golf course in the world.

Head of Bight is the best stop between Penong – gateway to surfer heaven Cactus Beach and Lake MacDonnell – and Western Australia.

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Direct flights from Adelaide to Ceduna.

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