Balladonia, located in Western Australia, offers unique attractions for travelers. As a rest stop along the Eyre Highway, it provides a welcome break for those tackling the long-distance drive. Visitors can explore the world's largest and healthiest temperate woodland, the Great Western Woodlands, which is of great ecological significance. The area also boasts the remains of Skylab, the NASA space station that crashed here in 1979, and offers the opportunity to play a hole on the world's longest golf course, the Nullarbor Links, which stretches 1,365 kilometers from Ceduna to Kalgoorlie.
For those interested in history, the Balladonia Heritage Museum, located in the Balladonia Hotel Motel complex, offers a range of informative displays covering various subjects, including Aboriginal heritage, European exploration and settlement, Afghan cameleers, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and the construction of the Eyre Highway. The museum's main focus is on the fiery re-entry of NASA's Skylab space station in 1979, coinciding with Balladonia's centenary of settlement. It features documents from NASA, a recreation of the event, photos, and related ephemera, providing a unique and educational experience for visitors.
In addition to these attractions, the area around Balladonia offers vast clay pans, rocky outcrops for wildflower and wildlife spotting, and the Balladonia Rocks, which provide superb views of the flat plains. Travelers can also visit the Balladonia Homestead, a remarkable stone building that serves as a reminder of the area's early settlers' endurance and initiative. Furthermore, the region is known for one of the longest stretches of straight road in the world, making it a distinctive destination for road trip enthusiasts.