I have driven the road many times - never with a caravan. I have done it with a camper trailer though.
I personally wouldn't tow a large van on the road - too much winding road, blind corners etc. I would not be able to relax or even look lovingly at the wonderful scenery.
Having said that, at this time of year (and for the next three months) snow will be a problem up the 'top'.
Others may have differing experiences.
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
Thanks, for the reply, i did that trip about twenty years ago in an old ford xp station wagon and it was a bit dicey then so i think
you have just confirmed my suspicions, I will have to go the southern route instead.
Again thankyou for your reply.
Pomme.
Did the trip in March from Bairnsdale to Bright towing a 19 ft caravan with a Navara. It was not bad at all, yes there are lots of bends but the gradient is not that steep. Going the other way like you would be even easier. Much prefer it to the Brown Mountain.
Thanks for your input Lynda, now you have put me in a quandary I would dearly love to go this route and if you had no problems !!
John mentioned the snow, but hopefully it would be all gone by October.
Spring up in the hills is a magical time, and the Wife and i would love to do this trip.
Again thankyou for your input.
Pomme.
No problems on that road with any size van if you are both a confident and competent driver. Just remember to shift in as low a gear as you need to to hold your speed on downhill stretches (auto or manual box.) It's the main road between NE Vic and Gippsland. I have seen large boats on tri-axle trailers going over there. Semi trailers also use it, if they can fit down it so can you.
In saying the above it's not a good time to go now, I think you need to carry snow chains. You will need to wait until after the snow season which finishes on the long weekend in October.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
Okay, i'm going to try it the worst that can happen is that i have to turn around and try another road.
You guys have wet my whistle, the wife is rolling her eyes and saying, "here we go again" but what the hell life is to short if you worry about all the things that could go wrong.
The other thing i"m a little concerned about, are there any low hanging branches i have to worry about. (the caravan)
Thanks for everybody's input
Pomme.
I am so glad I read this thread before leaving Wollongong to head towards Bright. We had planned to follow the coast, turning off at Bairnsdale and then up the C500 to Bright. After reading this thread, and a little more investigation, I found that it would a) be unsuitable to tow a van up, and b) probably be closed at the time we were travelling (i.e. NOW)
Instead we travelled inland, stopping at some brilliant spots like Wingello State Forest and Gunning. Discovered places like Crisp Galleries near Yass and Junee. Have had a ball - had our first frost in four years at Wagga Wagga, saw snow from a distance on Mt Buffalo, tonight camped beside the Ovens River, which is fast flowing with melted snow, at Myrtleford.
Another time, we will take the C500, but happy that we have had to take an alternative.
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DUNMOWIN is no longer on the road and still DUNMOWIN!
Just logged on to get info on the Bright to Bairnsdale road as I am also planning on travelling that route around mid Oct in a 7.6m motorhome so found the info quite helpful. I also went onto google maps and checked out what I could on street view. Wondering if there are pull off areas at advantageous points to take pics & admire the views especially up the top of the range.
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The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only one page.
I am so glad I read this thread before leaving Wollongong to head towards Bright. We had planned to follow the coast, turning off at Bairnsdale and then up the C500 to Bright. After reading this thread, and a little more investigation, I found that it would a) be unsuitable to tow a van up, and b) probably be closed at the time we were travelling (i.e. NOW)
b) is correct, keep vans away from any road with snow or black ice.
However a) is a complete Furphy. The Great Alpine Road is used by heavy vehicles. If it is safe for them then it is safe for us caravanners. The only thing that stops people towing over this road is their confidence and/or their competence. If you are a competent driver then I suggest you tackle some of these roads and build up your confidence. It all comes down to technique.
The Technique you use on these roads starts with caution. You keep your speed down when there is any doubt of the road ahead. You use as low a gear as practical (auto or manual) when descending hills. You slow a bit further when you can't see around a bend, this gives fast travelling oncoming traffic time to dodge you. Don't drive faster than you are comfortable and don't worry about those behind, you can generally find pull over spots every now and again to let them overtake.
There is a lot of Oz from Melbourne to Cooktown along the Great Dividing Range you will miss out on if you are going to be too timid to cross the range on these cross routes. Try a few of those crossings, cautiously at first and if you are a competent driver you will come to enjoy those trips.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
The only problem I could see would be snow - you would need to check the weather reports before starting. The police in Bairnsdale would be helpful as well. We did over summer one year in a motorhome, and it was beautiful. Very windy, but quite fine for caravan and motorhome. Just take it easy. When you get down, there is a nice free camp at Smoko, right on the river, good place to get back to flatter land and relax, before heading into Bright.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
I am so glad I read this thread before leaving Wollongong to head towards Bright. We had planned to follow the coast, turning off at Bairnsdale and then up the C500 to Bright. After reading this thread, and a little more investigation, I found that it would a) be unsuitable to tow a van up, and b) probably be closed at the time we were travelling (i.e. NOW)
b) is correct, keep vans away from any road with snow or black ice.
However a) is a complete Furphy. The Great Alpine Road is used by heavy vehicles. If it is safe for them then it is safe for us caravanners. The only thing that stops people towing over this road is their confidence and/or their competence. If you are a competent driver then I suggest you tackle some of these roads and build up your confidence. It all comes down to technique.
The Technique you use on these roads starts with caution. You keep your speed down when there is any doubt of the road ahead. You use as low a gear as practical (auto or manual) when descending hills. You slow a bit further when you can't see around a bend, this gives fast travelling oncoming traffic time to dodge you. Don't drive faster than you are comfortable and don't worry about those behind, you can generally find pull over spots every now and again to let them overtake.
There is a lot of Oz from Melbourne to Cooktown along the Great Dividing Range you will miss out on if you are going to be too timid to cross the range on these cross routes. Try a few of those crossings, cautiously at first and if you are a competent driver you will come to enjoy those trips.
Peter, you can only be guided by local knowledge. We were advised of conditions by locals and decided not to use the route with the caravan for this crossing. Normally, mountain crossings do not deter us, Mr D is a compenant driver, has been towing for over 40 years. He is not a timid driver, but is cautious, and if advised not currently suitable for a caravan, would not take it there.
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Pay it forward - what goes around comes around
DUNMOWIN is no longer on the road and still DUNMOWIN!
We are planning on doing the Great Alpine Way from Bairnsdale up. We shall be towing our full off road 21.6 Spinifex Van ( it has an extended A farm as well which adds more length) with 200 series turbo diesel. Is it much steeper or longer climbs going in this direction? We initially were going from Wangaratta down but timing has determined the direction of our trip. We'll be going just after Christmas this year. Hope you well travelled people here can help me.
Merril - my recollections are that the hill up from Harrietville is the longer and the hill up from Omeo is a bit steeper. Neither should be a worry with your rig.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
Thanks for that. In all my searching I could only find references to Wangaratta down to Bairnsdale, so I was a bit concerned that it was much better that way. We came down from Walcha to Port Macquarie earlier in the year and we commented that we wouldn't want to be travelling in the opposite direction with the van, as there are some extremely long climbs for the up traffic.
rimel wrote: We came down from Walcha to Port Macquarie earlier in the year and we commented that we wouldn't want to be travelling in the opposite direction with the van, as there are some extremely long climbs for the up traffic.
Merril
Merril, having travelled both ways up and down that stretch I can assure you there is no more problem going up than down. It is the bends and not the gradients that limit your speed. The bends limit you to the same speeds going up just as they do coming down. There is a lot of our country that if you want to explore it then you just have to learn to love the bends.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
Well we are back home after doing this trip, the road is good no problem there, the only thing i can say about the trip is towing a 20 foot caravan around all these bends was a bit
tiring, the scenery was spectacular, the road up to mt Hotham was fun, after that i started to get a headache and by the end of the four and half hour trip i felt quite ill.
Yes i am glad i did it, would i do it again !! "no" not with a caravan.
This road has been put on my once r list (once you been on it never again)
Pomme.
