travelling from Bowraville NSW to CAnberra ACT...suggestions wanted

maz666 · Member

travelling from Bowraville NSW to CAnberra ACT...suggestions wanted

Fringe Dweller · Senior Member

G'day Maz666 . The Putty is out , too long & you have several climbs .

I would just "bite the bullet" & go down the Hwy , Pennant Hills Rd then the M7 motorway round Syd.

I do it 3 times a year , twice to Canberra & once to Wollongong . I come down from Coffs to Goulburn on

Thurs , but go through Syd after 7/8 o'clock & come home Sun night after 6pm , all I want to do is get north

of Sydney . So , for you going through Syd , why not try Sat 18 or 25 after lunch , say leave Caltex at Wyong or

have a sanger & cuppa at Hawkesbury river & wander down then . To me , that would be the quietest time.

You only have about 15min on Penn Hills Rd then on fwy . I Rather pay th tolls than all th stop start & narrow

lanes , getting from North Rocks to Liverpool.

Have a Safe trip.

Wild1 · Senior Member

Hi Mazz, welcome to the Forum.

Depending on how much distance you want to cover, here are two ways to Canberra. Take the Putty road, which is no problem these days, unless your van is very heavy, to Richmond, Penrith, Campbelltown and continue down the M31. Pretty much a straight line, with good camping spot at Gray Gum Cafe halfway between Singleton and Windsor. Or ..

Take the Golden Hwy past the Putty Rd turn off and turn left near Sandy Hollow and follow the Bylong Valley Way which comes out near Bathurst, then to Cowra and Canberra. I traveled this way last June and it's extremely pretty, and stop at Historic Rylstone at the designated campground in town. If you have time, you could visit Hill End, I believe it's really interesting. There are lots of spots along this route where you can stop overnight.

Can I suggest that you look online at Google maps, it gives you a lot of information about all areas if you type in the place name. Enjoy your trip.

Jennifer

Wild1 · Senior Member

Another tip - if you go to 'Search' (above and centre) and type in 'Putty Road' you will get a lot of feedback from other nomads. Most roads have been reported on, as well as other topics.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Wild1, if you are suggesting turning off the Golden Highway just before Sandy Hollow and going out to Rhylstone/Kandos through The Goulburn River National Park (Bylong Valley Way) it's picturesque but there are some sections of narrow road, climbs and sharp bends to negotiate. I suggest staying on the Golden Highway out through Merriwah and don't turn until you get to the Ulan Road. Once you reach Ulan you can then decide whether to go straight through or via Gulgong to Mudgee alternatively you can stay on the Golden Highway and not turn off until the Castlereagh Highway to Gulgong & Mudgee. As you said Wild 1 Hillend is definitely worth a visit but we would normally do it as a day trip when staying in Mudgee, you can do the loop on the Hill End Road from the Honey Haven in Mudgee out to Hillend then via the Sofala Road to Bathurst especially now that the Hillend Road has been sealed. If you go the Bylong Valley Way route it actually brings you out near Ilford 60kms south of Mudgee which is still another 75km to Bathurst via the Sofala Ilford Road. If your going to be travelling in that area you could stop in at Australias first gold rush town Sofala for a coffee but leave the van and take a stroll as the streets are a bit narrow. To give you an idea of distances Nambucca to Canberra via Sydney is approx 770kms - Nambucca via Newcastle, Golden Hwy/Ulan Road, Gulgong, Mudgee (600kms) then Bathurst, Cowra, Yass, Canberra (400kms). if you decide to take the long way you might want to consider breaking your trip into 3 sections rather than 2 maybe stop the first night somewhere around the Raymond Terrace area.

Happy travels
BB

PeterD · Guru

maz666 wrote:
Thought maybe head off the Pacific Hwy and going down Putty Rd (but no idea if that is suitable for towing a van!

I would sooner go down the Pennant Hills Road than the Putty Road. The only thing wrong with PH road is it's a bit slow and stop start. It does not have the dangers or the Putty like mad drivers and riders coming the opposite way cutting bends.

Negotiating Pennant Hills road is easy. First, if you have not got an e-Tag then go to Roam Express and purchase one or alternative a Visitor's e-PASS (Roam are the billing agent for the M7.) Then as you approach PHR from the M1 get yourself into the middle lane. Stay in that lane, the trucks actually travel as quickly as those in either of the other lanes. A couple of kilometres from the M2 turnoff the RH lane will disappear turning north, stay in the middle lane which will then become the RH lane. Turn onto the M1 at the bottom of the hill. The M2 morphs into the M7 down the track, use any appropriate lane until you get to the intersection with the M5, keep to the RH two lanes there and your next turn will be onto the Federal Highway a little past Goulburn.

My preference is to drive down there on week days when the better drivers are on the road and not drive amongst the weekend warriors (or is that the weekend worriers.) Aim to be on PHR between 1000 and 1400 (time) when you don't have the school mums on the road. Don't expect to be able to stop on the road through Sydney. Take a break at the Hawkesbury River, just past the end of the 90 km/h section of the M1. Your next convenient stop is the roadside rest area a little past Campbelltown. This route is around 230 km shorter than using the Golden Highway - see map.

-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 11th of January 2017 03:07:23 PM

maz666 · Member

Good point Fringe Dweller...thank you

maz666 · Member

Thank you jennifer, Wild 1

some good ideas there

maz666 · Member

good feedback there, Belmont Bear. Thanks

I am glad I am starting the research now!!

maz666 · Member

Thank you PeterD

a lot of sense in what you say too.....maybe what we will do is travel via Sydney as you suggest on the way down, and then do a slow travel back and be a bit touristy. Everyone's suggestions have merit

PeterD · Guru

Great decision Maz, unless I am in a hurry I usually do a round trip.

Grumpytoo · Senior Member

I recently travelled the Putty Road and found it was a pleasant drive with little traffic. There were a couple of steep parts but really a problem. Stayed at Grey Gum Roadhouse for the night (free camp and a shower cost $5.

The Bylong Valley Way is probably my favourite drive. Great scenery, not a lot of traffic but there are a couple of steep twisty bits. Camp at Dunn's Swamp outside of Rylstone.

Glenn

PeterD · Guru

Grumpytoo wrote:
The Bylong Valley Way is probably my favourite drive. Great scenery, not a lot of traffic but there are a couple of steep twisty bits. Camp at Dunn's Swamp outside of Rylstone.

I like that road too. I would sooner travel it than the Putty road. The hills along it are not too bad and would be a good training ground to ease the OP into tackling the other roads across the Great Divide. It would be a great trip for his slow return home.