Apart from mice all over the country, the roads are hell. I've just done a pilot run to Moranbah, and now I'm heading home. I've parked up at Dalby for a couple of days catch up. I've even constructed my tent for the first time, all by myself. We travelled up through Jamestown on the "Over Dimension" Route, to Broken Hill, Cobar, Bourke, Charleville, Barcaldine, Emerald to Moranbah. The road north of Cobar isn't too bad, but from Bourke north, especially inland Qld, it's as good as a thrill ride at the sideshows, and it's free. Jeez it's rough! Really, really ruffffff! Where the road is too rough they install speed limit signs. The road from Dingo to Dalby is hell, and even at 100 KPH it's hell. Instead of rebuilding the damaged roads, they are just patching the worst sections and holes. Good old Qld, too scared to spend any money on infrastructure, and the local tax payers can go to hell. There is fresh road kill everywhere out there - foxes, cats, emus, roos, pigs, echidnas, snakes. The crows and eagles are having a smorgasbord of their choice. Where is everyone? I'm heading down from Goondawindi to Mildura, via Parkes and Forbes. The country looks spectacular!
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Come back to SA Granny, at least the Stuart Highway is good! Well as far as Pt Augusta to Coober Pedy. Heading North tomorrow, hope it continues like this. Lovely to see the desert all so green.
Yep - and they have been this way for a while. Last year, about August, I travelled up from Lightning Ridge, through Hebel, Dirranbandi, St George to Cunnamulla as an example.
The roads then were only patched and the patches were breaking up with "rough surface' signs everywhere - I guess the trucks etc make it hard to keep it in good nick - although the floods last year probably didn't help either.
This year I have been up from Stanthorpe, through Dalby, Mundubbera and Gayndah to Biggenden and the roads generally are not very good. Dalby to Mundubbera expecially was a roller coaster and degraded.
But it is better than sitting in an air-conditioned office - would much rather be travelling.
Cheers
John
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2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE Auto - 2008 23ft Golden Eagle Hunter Some people feel the rain - the others just get wet - Bob Dylan
HI Cruising Grannie could you let us know what the roads are like coming down from Goodiwindi , Parkes Forbes Mildura as we will be travelling that way at the beiginning of June. Thanks for any info you can give us. Helena.
Helena, the roads you mention are really good down that way, I came up over easter and found them the least of my worries, just watch out for mice. But up around Moonie they are shocking, broken up and dangerous. Go slow and be prepared to pull over to the side to drive around the real bad bits.
I'll keep you posted as I progress from Dalby to Mildura. I travelled down from Middlemount today, and my body is still rocking to the tune of my shock absorbers. NSW roads aren't much better out back of Bourke way, but not as bad as Qld. I realise they had big wet season and floods, and some of the water is still lying around, but for heavens sake, why can't they actually REBUILD the roads from the bottom, instead of just patching the top. Some of the road looks like sink holes where the ground under the tarmac has gone and the top has sagged but not broken. So if you're into rock and roll, this is the way to do it in your tug.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
I ,,totally agree with CG about the Qld roads. I am in Roma at the moment.The Warego hwy? is a roller coaster from Dalby.And i was told it goes all the way to Charleville.
We did Mildura to Brisbane via Sturt and Newell Hwys in early March. Side roaded to Orange (from Forbes, back to Parkes) for a week. We also detoured from Dubbo via Mendoran to Coonabarabran. Flatter road this way and good free camp at Mendoran. great shortcut. Our only problem with the roads, was the section from Narradri to Goondiwindi. We must have hit about 12 parts where the road had ripples that caused tug and van to jump and sway a lot. We were pleasently surprised by both these highways as they seemed to a better standard than anticipated.
We did Mildura to Brisbane via Sturt and Newell Hwys in early March. Side roaded to Orange (from Forbes, back to Parkes) for a week. We also detoured from Dubbo via Mendoran to Coonabarabran. Flatter road this way and good free camp at Mendoran. great shortcut. Our only problem with the roads, was the section from Narradri to Goondiwindi. We must have hit about 12 parts where the road had ripples that caused tug and van to jump and sway a lot. We were pleasently surprised by both these highways as they seemed to a better standard than anticipated.
On my regular travels on the Leichhardt Highway between Goondi and Miles the road surface is uneven, especially south of "The Jump Up". That section of the road is on a black soil plain so I think it would be challenge to build any road there that wouldn't become uneven. Likewise Narrabri to Goondi.
I still much prefer those inland roads to the Bruce Highway that is a nightmare with its heavy traffic and lack of adequate passing lanes.
Thank you thank you, we were heading north middle of the week and were going to go vir BH , CoBar. Burk then up .. Now will go vir Hay WW. then up from there Thank you again saved in the nikof time......
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Chris, which way did you go from Dingo to Dalby? You didn't come down that back road from Bauhinia Downs on the Dawson Highway to Taroom did You?
Jim I went east for a bit to Gogango, to Biloela, Monto, Mundubbera. The truck driver i was working with suggested it as another way south. The country is looking spectacular, pity about the "tracks" through it. There's a bit of water still lying around. They've actually redone the road about 10kms north of Dalby but it's not sealed yet.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Thank you thank you, we were heading north middle of the week and were going to go vir BH , CoBar. Burk then up .. Now will go vir Hay WW. then up from there Thank you again saved in the nikof time......
BobnBev,
We did Bh, Cobar (great caravan park), Burke, Charlieville, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, up the develpment road to Hughenden, then east to Charter Towers, north to the Mt Suprise turn off (did the lava tubes on the way in, stayed at the caravan park there, road all sealed now), then west to Georgetown, Normanton (stayed there it was great, did the Gulflander train ride from there) and a day trip out to Karumba (packed like sardines in the caravan park). Then south to Cloncurry, west to Mt Isa and Camooweal and then three ways etc.
Having been across to Qld about 10 years earlier, we were surprised at the improvement since JBP was in power there, it was a real nightmare then. If you haven't been to the areas I mentioned you will do yourself a diservice by not doing it, lots to see and enjoy, we found the roads ok around May last year , some work going on in place after the big floods there that year although they have had a lesser flood since then.
I don't know how bad they are now but if you just drive to the conditions I'm sure you will not be sorry. Vist Fred Hollow grave at Bourke, we stayed at Kidman Camp C/P about 8kms north of Bourke and did the boat ride on the Darling just at the back of the camp. One of our best trips we've had for a long time.
Coming down the west coast from Broome heading south I was suprised at the condition of the roads there in some places too since we were there last (that was before the Turkey Creek/Warmun wash out). I think most of the country roads have taken a beating from the floods etc. Just drive to the conditions.
Hi Billy, I see you got your new Coromal van eventually, hope you are keeping well and enjoying yourself, we missed you at the last UWE at Dwellingup.
-- Edited by Vic on Sunday 8th of May 2011 10:15:12 AM
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Vic
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Thanks for the info everyone will remember to keep doors well and truly closed had one experience with a mouse had us awake all night so want to avoid a repeat performance. Helena.
Queensland roads have always been a bone of contention, even with Queenslanders, but our wet season this year has been phenomenal as everyone probably knows. Springs are trickling up through some bitumen roads, road edges are crumbling again almost as soon as they are repaired, potholes appear overnight when road subsidence occurs, and all due to extremely wet conditions that are only now beginning to dry out below ground level. Traffic still flows of course, but more care needs to be taken, so once again, as BobnBev wrote, drive to the conditions and you should be fine.
Unfortunately I only get paid while I'm on the job. I did ask the boss if there was anything going south from this region, but nuh. Just my luck. Now it's raining, so I hope it doesn't get too big. It's the pits driving in constant rain.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
