Silver City Highway

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Silver City Highway

Farmhat · Senior Member

Hello The Belmont Bear.
Going through Peterborough is probably the only other sensible bitumen way to Mildura. It will be a couple hours shorter drive as well.
Peterborough is an RV friendly town and a nice stopover.
Joe.

Radar · Guru

BB hi.

Terowie is worth a stop over or a look, have a look in the general store, buy a packet of lollies, just like we use to buy when kids. Free camp comfortable. Fuel here was not a bad price.

More importantly the SA border means no fruit and veg past this point. We stopped for lunch out on the road and had a big cook up then bubble and squeak for lunch..

Hallet had cheap fuel last month when we went passed there.

Burra is worth the time, it has a lot of old charm. Coffee shops are great, awesome pasties, caravan park was good price and very friendly.

I think the extra kilometres will be truly rewarding.

Take your time and enjoy.

Whenarewethere · Guru

http://m.livetraffic.rta.nsw.gov.au/Incident.aspx?id=40820

Emergency bridge repairs

Silver City Highway on Bunnerungee Bridge over Great Darling Anabranch (approximately 65km north of Wentworth)

Motorists should divert via Hay and Wilcannia using Sturt Hwy, Cobb Hwy and Barrier Hwy - this will add an extra nine hours to your journey.

Motorists choosing to travel via South Australia as an alternative should visit traffic.sa.gov.au for road conditions.

DMaxer · Guru

Go to Peterborough and you will get to visit the train museum. Great spot and friendly town.

Iva Biggen · Senior Member

Hi BB,
Unless you particularly need or want to go to Peterborough you would travel on the Barrier Highway from Broken Hill to Burra and then head across to the Murray and on to Mildura.
Going to Peterborough will add more distance to your trip.
By the way, Burra is a great little town to have a look around if you have the time.

pomme · Senior Member

Is the Pooncarie road a option ?
I traveled this road many times with a camper about thirty years ago up to Menindee, must be a bit better after that many years ago.
Not knowing were the roadworks are of course,but from Menindee to broken hill is not far.
Pomme.

TheHeaths · Guru

Pomme, that is a good idea for those happy to do some dirt sections.

We did the trip along there 4 years ago, enjoyed the country, and in the main, dirt was reasonable. From Pooncarie down is all bitumen I think.

Cant advise condition of dirt, but could be worth finding out from local authorities.

Also has advantage of visiting Mungo if you want, and the nice low cost camp at Pooncarie. PS dirt into Mungo, and south from there, was very ordinary 4 years ago, and wife still considers it the worst dirt we have taken the van on.

pomme · Senior Member

I used to travel that road in my Falcon ute towing a camper every two weeks, when i had a rabbit run from Menindee to Wilcannia, the chiller was in Menindee.
Memory's so long ago, wouldn't change a thing
Pomme.

BW · Senior Member

I was working on the outback roads before I retired last year , we were having trouble then with getting any water to fix roads, so I would not like to take any chances much on the dirt.(Thats at Broken Hill)

-- Edited by BW on Friday 25th of October 2019 01:45:53 PM

BW · Senior Member

Bet BB is on the road by now.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

There is another crossing via the gravel Old Broken Hill Road about 15km north of the bridge. Would only add 10 or 15km to the total distance.
Cheers,
Peter

BW · Senior Member

Must be a reason why they are not using that crossing Peter.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

BW wrote:
Must be a reason why they are not using that crossing Peter.

It is gravel. Horror of horrors. confuse

Cheers,

Peter

Iva Biggen · Senior Member

BB stated that he preferred to stay on bitumen roads.

The Belmont Bear · Guru

Guys thanks for all the great suggestions unfortunately I didn,t get any of them before we left due to a lack of internet service - I think that there was too much dust in the air we couldnt even see the sky this morning. We ended up heading for Peterborough into a strong headwind didn,t matter what speed I did I was still using 21ltrs/100km. Luckily we were warned about the quarantine so we had consumed our fruit and veg. over the few days that we were in Broken Hill. We kept going past Peterborough with the intention of staying in Burra but ended going even further to Morgan and are staying at a nice little park on the river. Just by coincidence Radar I actually filled up at Terowie for 1.47/ltr which was the same price that I had paid at Perrys roadhouse 80 kms before Broken Hill that I had been told about by a fellow traveller back in Cobar. In Broken Hill itself diesel was 1.55ltr and the servos didnt have real good access when you had a van on the back. Enjoyed the drive down here but it would have been better without the wind but the good news was once the road turned back towards the east with the wind assistance we were averaging only 15lts/100.

Cheers

Bb

BW · Senior Member

Road blocks at Broken Hill and Wentworth , Local traffic only. So say the Wentworth Shire site.

Radar · Guru

The Belmont Bear wrote:
Guys thanks for all the great suggestions unfortunately I didn,t get any of them before we left due to a lack of internet service - I think that there was too much dust in the air we couldnt even see the sky this morning. We ended up heading for Peterborough into a strong headwind didn,t matter what speed I did I was still using 21ltrs/100km. Luckily we were warned about the quarantine so we had consumed our fruit and veg. over the few days that we were in Broken Hill. We kept going past Peterborough with the intention of staying in Burra but ended going even further to Morgan and are staying at a nice little park on the river. Just by coincidence Radar I actually filled up at Terowie for 1.47/ltr which was the same price that I had paid at Perrys roadhouse 80 kms before Broken Hill that I had been told about by a fellow traveller back in Cobar. In Broken Hill itself diesel was 1.55ltr and the servos didnt have real good access when you had a van on the back. Enjoyed the drive down here but it would have been better without the wind but the good news was once the road turned back towards the east with the wind assistance we were averaging only 15lts/100.
Cheers
Bb

Nice work, enjoy the detour.

BW · Senior Member

Caravans seem to go to the Woolworths Station , at Woolworths. easy access and shopping , caravan parking area.(heaps of caravan parking area).

-- Edited by BW on Friday 25th of October 2019 06:43:05 PM

BW · Senior Member

Highway still closed . Also for anyone that might be out on the dirt roads , looks pretty fairdinkum its going to rain this weekend as far as Tiboorburra , maybe furture .

bogged on the Murray.jpg 2.jpg A reminder what it's like in black soil when it rains, a few years ago .

-- Edited by BW on Tuesday 29th of October 2019 06:27:53 PM

-- Edited by BW on Tuesday 29th of October 2019 07:16:58 PM