Has anyone travelled this route lately? I'm looking to travel this route early May pulling a 17.5ft poptop and was wondering what this road was like? Any camping spots on route or how have you found the National Parks?
we did a day drive from bellingen to dorrigo But did not take caravan To c what the road was like. Decided to return to the coast. Personally, would not drive to armidale from coast with a caravan.
Driving that country is a matter of confidence and experience. I took a club group up that road. Many were apprehensive about making the trip, however they thought that if some of us were keen to go that way then it must be OK. When we collected at happy hour that night the previously nervous ones turned around and asked why they had heard some people tell them not to travel those roads.
The road through there has a few steep pinches but there is nothing that a legally loaded rig can not handle. Use your gear box control to keep your engine revs up around 3,000 rpm or higher to give your motor an easy time on the uphill grades. Just because you will be climbing hills slowly in low gear does not mean the rig is struggling, it just means you are asking it to do a bit of hard work and just remember that you will not damage the rig in any way. On the steeper downhill runs slow down and pull your gearbox into low gear to assist your brakes. Many of the bends (and there are plenty) have speed advisory signs on the approach, use those speeds and you will be OK. Take things a bit slower than normal and you will be able to relax. Learn to drive those hills and you will become a far better driver than those nervous Nellies that stay clear of those hills.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
