Editing Nullarbor Plain (section)

===Railway line===
The [[Trans-Australian Railway]] railway line crosses the Nullarbor Plain from [[Kalgoorlie railway station|Kalgoorlie]] to [[Port Augusta railway station|Port Augusta]]. Construction of the line began in 1917, when two teams set out from Kalgoorlie and Port Augusta, meeting in the centre of the plain at [[Ooldea]], an uninhabited area noted for a water supply. This original line suffered severe problems with track flexing and settling in the desert sands, and journeys across the Plain were slow and arduous. The line was entirely rebuilt in 1969, as part of a project to standardise the previously disparate [[rail gauge]]s in the various states, and the first crossing of the Nullarbor on the new line reached Perth on 27 February 1970. The ''[[Indian Pacific]]'' is a weekly passenger train crossing the Nullarbor from [[East Perth railway station|Perth]] to [[Central railway station, Sydney|Sydney]] via [[Adelaide Parklands Terminal|Adelaide]].

The railway line has the longest straight section of railway in the world ({{convert|478|km|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}),<ref>{{cite news | first=Peter | last=Vincent | title=Railroaded into Fun | date=27 September 2006 | url =http://www.theage.com.au/news/peter-vincent/railroaded-into-fun/2006/09/25/1159036475813.html?page=2 | work =[[The Age]]| access-date = 25 January 2008 }}</ref> while the [[Eyre Highway]] (refer below) contains the longest straight section of tarred road in Australia ({{convert|146|km|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}).

Most of the inhabited areas of the Nullarbor Plain can be found in a series of small settlements located along the railway, and in small settlements along the Eyre Highway that provide services to travellers, mostly spaced between one and two hundred kilometres apart. The town of [[Cook, South Australia]], was formerly a moderately thriving settlement of about 40 people, with a school and a golf course. The reduction of railway operations at the town resulted in its virtual desertion, and it now has a permanent population of four. The ''[[Tea & Sugar]]'' operated until 1996, supplying provisions to the town along the railway line.