Hi all I'm heading from Tumbarumba to Cooma and would like to go via Tooma Drive Rd and the Elliot Way to Kiandra then through Adaminaby. Towing a 3 tonne off road van. Just wondering how steep and windy it is and if I should go this way ? Appreciate any feedback. Cheers
wilkopj said
04:59 PM Dec 10, 2018
Towing with a BT50 and I mean't winding roads not windy. Thanks
LLD said
05:11 PM Dec 10, 2018
I thought Elliot Way was very rough dirt / gravel. Maybe wrong. You can probably research that with the NSW roads or just typing in "Elliot Way" and any other roads into Mr Google.
Plain Truth said
06:29 PM Dec 10, 2018
wilkopj wrote:
Hi all I'm heading from Tumbarumba to Cooma and would like to go via Tooma Drive Rd and the Elliot Way to Kiandra then through Adaminaby. Towing a 3 tonne off road van. Just wondering how steep and windy it is and if I should go this way ? Appreciate any feedback. Cheers
Check this out,should help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qciSUTI7GJw
erad said
09:03 PM Dec 10, 2018
The Eliot Way is sealed all the way. From Tumbarumba. you go to Paddys River and then turn left. It is a gentle climb all the way and the road is a reasonable width until you start to drop down into the Tumut River valley. The the road gets very winding and rather narrow. USE LOW GEAR. This saves the brakes and gives you a chance to look at the views - they are stunning.
Once you get down to the lake level, you will then follow the river upstream for about 6 km, crossing it 3 times from memory (over single lane bridges). Then you start to climb. The road is narrow and winding for the next 12 km or so it is steep, winding and narrow. Your BT50 should be able to tow the can OK - it will be working rather hard though. Eventually you will come to a fork in the road. Right goes to Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. You can get basic meals there if you want. If you go this way you will pass the Upper Tumut Switching Station, which is where the power generated by Tumut 1 and Tumut 2 power stations gets pumped into the grid. Unless you have a specific reason to go to Cabramurra, I would take the left fork in the road. This goes to Kiandra.
You will have ups and downs from here on, but no really steep hills. There is a long drag up a hill called Power Line Hill. The reason is obvious. Power lines droop across a deep valley - I am told this is the longest span between towers in Australia - something like 4 km, but I don't think it is that far. Even so it is a long way. Once past the power lines you are at the crest of the hill and the worst of the climbing is over. You will then go past Three Mile Dam - a storage reservoir built by the Chinese to provide sluicing water for the gold mines at Kiandra. After the dam, you will pass on you right a road leading to Mt Selwyn - a ski field. There is nothing more depressing than a ski resort in summer... SHortly after the Selwyn turnoff, you will go down a short steep hill. If you look to the right to the side of the river valley, you may be able to see the remains of the aqueducts which used to carry the water from the dam to the sluicing works further downstream. There were at least 5 channels, but most of them have faded away over the years and only faint traces remain. There is a historical machinery display on the left side of the road just near the junction with the Snowy Mountains Highway (the road between Cooma and Tumut). This is a stamper battery and a rock tumbler. Immediately behind the display, the whole hillside is called 'New Chum Hill'. The story goes that a new chum arrived and asked where he could find gold. They told him over there and he did find gold. Then there was a rush to the hill and today there are still mullock heaps and holes, shafts etc spread throughout the whole hill.
Past the historical display, you come to the Snowy Mountain Highway junction. Turn Right and you will be in Kiandra (or what remains of it these days). It was a town of about 10000 people during the gold rush of 1888/1890. Pubs, butcher shops, blacksmiths etc. Most of the men lived in tents, even through the winter and the snow can get quite deep here. There are some signboards erected to give some of the history.
Kiandra was one of the first places in the world to have ski races. The miners fabricated skis from local timber and skied down the hills sitting on a pole which acted as a brake and a steering mechanism.
About 2 km from Kiandra, the old cemetery is on the right side of the road, You can see a few headstones still standing there. You head gently downhill for a few km until you cross the Eucumbene River. This is a prime trout fishing river - fly fishing only here.
As you climb up the hill past the river, look over your shoulder and note how there are no trees in the valley. This is a natural frost basin and apparently trees did not grow here. In the early 1950's the Snowy Mountains Authority planted a small grove of pine trees as an experiment. it took years before they finally started to grow and around the year 200 or so, the National Sparks and Wildfire people declared they were not native trees and cut the lot down. Mind you they had already decreed that the township of Kiandra was not natural either and they razed most of the structures there - only the stone building which was a hotel/courthouse/DMR depot and probably a lot of other uses as well, plus the remains of 2 shops are still there.
Near the bottom of the next descent, you will pass Sawyers Hut on the right side of the road. This was a staging post where they changed horses for the stage coaches (which also took the gold from Kiandra and other fields to Cooma where the railway then took it to Sydney. The NPWS have actually rebuilt this hut in recent years. From here on, you have a predominately downhill run into Adaminaby.
After crossing Gang Gang Creek, the road climbs up for a short distance and then you come to a turnoff to the left. This road goes to Tantangara Dam. At present, there is a lot of work going on there with respect to Snowy 2.0, and thus there is a lot of construction traffic. Unless you specifically want to see Tantangara, I would avoid this road and keep straight on (on the bitumen road). You continue down the hill and just as you start climbing again, there is a gravel road forking off to the right. This leads to Providence Portal. From this area, you can see Lake Eucumbene. It is also where the tunnel from Tantangara Dam exits and pours water into Lake Eucumbene. For what it is worth, this is the only tunnel outlet which is visible - the others are all under water all the time. Currently, the tunnel is out of service for repairs, so no water is coming out of it at present.
At Adaminaby, there is a little pool on the left side of the road just past the town turnoff. There is a large trout there, and if you are lucky, you may see it jumping out of the water to catch some of the insects around the grassed areas. Adaminaby is a town which was moved by the Snowy Mountains Authority because the old town was being flooded by the formation of Lake Eucumbene on the early 1950's. They moved most of the buildings - even the local church - stone by stone.
Adaminaby into Cooma is gently undulating grazing country - both sheep and cattle are grazed in this area. The rest of the run into Cooma is straightforward and resents no major problems for a sensible driver.
-- Edited by erad on Monday 10th of December 2018 09:04:48 PM
thomas01 said
09:06 PM Dec 11, 2018
Erad,
You obviously don't know very little about the Snowy Mountains area.
You know VERY MUCH. There is more information in that spiel than you will get from any tourist brochure.
Well done!
Having worked in and traveled through that area for a few years, (about fifteen years ago now), you tweaked my memory with many of the details you mentioned, however some of your information was all new to me.
Just wants to make me go back there for another visit.
Thank you.
To Wilkopj,
Just do it. Take your time and use your gears as previously suggested and you will be fine. Just like the roads through the Victorian snowfields, ie Falls Creek and Mt Hotham, they are well made sealed roads. Enjoy the experience.
Check this out,should help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qciSUTI7GJw
The Eliot Way is sealed all the way. From Tumbarumba. you go to Paddys River and then turn left. It is a gentle climb all the way and the road is a reasonable width until you start to drop down into the Tumut River valley. The the road gets very winding and rather narrow. USE LOW GEAR. This saves the brakes and gives you a chance to look at the views - they are stunning.
Once you get down to the lake level, you will then follow the river upstream for about 6 km, crossing it 3 times from memory (over single lane bridges). Then you start to climb. The road is narrow and winding for the next 12 km or so it is steep, winding and narrow. Your BT50 should be able to tow the can OK - it will be working rather hard though. Eventually you will come to a fork in the road. Right goes to Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. You can get basic meals there if you want. If you go this way you will pass the Upper Tumut Switching Station, which is where the power generated by Tumut 1 and Tumut 2 power stations gets pumped into the grid. Unless you have a specific reason to go to Cabramurra, I would take the left fork in the road. This goes to Kiandra.
You will have ups and downs from here on, but no really steep hills. There is a long drag up a hill called Power Line Hill. The reason is obvious. Power lines droop across a deep valley - I am told this is the longest span between towers in Australia - something like 4 km, but I don't think it is that far. Even so it is a long way. Once past the power lines you are at the crest of the hill and the worst of the climbing is over. You will then go past Three Mile Dam - a storage reservoir built by the Chinese to provide sluicing water for the gold mines at Kiandra. After the dam, you will pass on you right a road leading to Mt Selwyn - a ski field. There is nothing more depressing than a ski resort in summer... SHortly after the Selwyn turnoff, you will go down a short steep hill. If you look to the right to the side of the river valley, you may be able to see the remains of the aqueducts which used to carry the water from the dam to the sluicing works further downstream. There were at least 5 channels, but most of them have faded away over the years and only faint traces remain. There is a historical machinery display on the left side of the road just near the junction with the Snowy Mountains Highway (the road between Cooma and Tumut). This is a stamper battery and a rock tumbler. Immediately behind the display, the whole hillside is called 'New Chum Hill'. The story goes that a new chum arrived and asked where he could find gold. They told him over there and he did find gold. Then there was a rush to the hill and today there are still mullock heaps and holes, shafts etc spread throughout the whole hill.
Past the historical display, you come to the Snowy Mountain Highway junction. Turn Right and you will be in Kiandra (or what remains of it these days). It was a town of about 10000 people during the gold rush of 1888/1890. Pubs, butcher shops, blacksmiths etc. Most of the men lived in tents, even through the winter and the snow can get quite deep here. There are some signboards erected to give some of the history.
Kiandra was one of the first places in the world to have ski races. The miners fabricated skis from local timber and skied down the hills sitting on a pole which acted as a brake and a steering mechanism.
About 2 km from Kiandra, the old cemetery is on the right side of the road, You can see a few headstones still standing there. You head gently downhill for a few km until you cross the Eucumbene River. This is a prime trout fishing river - fly fishing only here.
As you climb up the hill past the river, look over your shoulder and note how there are no trees in the valley. This is a natural frost basin and apparently trees did not grow here. In the early 1950's the Snowy Mountains Authority planted a small grove of pine trees as an experiment. it took years before they finally started to grow and around the year 200 or so, the National Sparks and Wildfire people declared they were not native trees and cut the lot down. Mind you they had already decreed that the township of Kiandra was not natural either and they razed most of the structures there - only the stone building which was a hotel/courthouse/DMR depot and probably a lot of other uses as well, plus the remains of 2 shops are still there.
Near the bottom of the next descent, you will pass Sawyers Hut on the right side of the road. This was a staging post where they changed horses for the stage coaches (which also took the gold from Kiandra and other fields to Cooma where the railway then took it to Sydney. The NPWS have actually rebuilt this hut in recent years. From here on, you have a predominately downhill run into Adaminaby.
After crossing Gang Gang Creek, the road climbs up for a short distance and then you come to a turnoff to the left. This road goes to Tantangara Dam. At present, there is a lot of work going on there with respect to Snowy 2.0, and thus there is a lot of construction traffic. Unless you specifically want to see Tantangara, I would avoid this road and keep straight on (on the bitumen road). You continue down the hill and just as you start climbing again, there is a gravel road forking off to the right. This leads to Providence Portal. From this area, you can see Lake Eucumbene. It is also where the tunnel from Tantangara Dam exits and pours water into Lake Eucumbene. For what it is worth, this is the only tunnel outlet which is visible - the others are all under water all the time. Currently, the tunnel is out of service for repairs, so no water is coming out of it at present.
At Adaminaby, there is a little pool on the left side of the road just past the town turnoff. There is a large trout there, and if you are lucky, you may see it jumping out of the water to catch some of the insects around the grassed areas. Adaminaby is a town which was moved by the Snowy Mountains Authority because the old town was being flooded by the formation of Lake Eucumbene on the early 1950's. They moved most of the buildings - even the local church - stone by stone.
Adaminaby into Cooma is gently undulating grazing country - both sheep and cattle are grazed in this area. The rest of the run into Cooma is straightforward and resents no major problems for a sensible driver.
-- Edited by erad on Monday 10th of December 2018 09:04:48 PM
You obviously don't know very little about the Snowy Mountains area.
You know VERY MUCH. There is more information in that spiel than you will get from any tourist brochure.
Well done!
Having worked in and traveled through that area for a few years, (about fifteen years ago now), you tweaked my memory with many of the details you mentioned, however some of your information was all new to me.
Just wants to make me go back there for another visit.
Thank you.
To Wilkopj,
Just do it. Take your time and use your gears as previously suggested and you will be fine. Just like the roads through the Victorian snowfields, ie Falls Creek and Mt Hotham, they are well made sealed roads. Enjoy the experience.
Robert