Next week we are planning on travelling from Scotts Head across to the New England Hwy with a 20ft van can anyone recommend the best way to get across the ranges ie, Oxley Hwy, Waterfall Way, Gwyder Hwy or Bruxner Hwy ? We have driven both the Oxley Hwy and the Waterfall Way before but not for a couple of years and not when towing a van. We are actually heading for Nth Qid and beyond so the alternative could be for us to just stick to the coast. The prospect of being on the NSW north coast, Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast in school holidays is not that appealing and with the recent flooding even finding somewhere to stay on the north coast maybe a challenge..
Our crossing of choice has always been; "The Golden Highway" - detest and condemn crossing at Victoria Pass/ Katoomba - Bruxner Highway OK if you have to.
Best scenic and easy drive from Singleton to Dunny Doo (Golden Highway).
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Possum; AKA:- Ali El-Aziz Mohamed Gundawiathan
Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
Thanks Possum but we are leaving tomorrow from Newcastle heading to Scotts Head near Macksville to meet up with some friends. I dont really want to head all the way back down to Hexham to get onto the New England I was hoping the pick the best of one of the less desirable routes when towing across the ranges. We normally use the Golden Hwy when heading south or west or as we did a couple of months ago when we came back to Newcastle from Lightning Ridge via Dunney Doo. Thanks anyhow for the advice the Bruxner is definately on our list I dont know how much flood damage was on that road that area was pretty hard hit..
As Possum suggests, Bruxner Highway is the best choice. Couple of steep pinches where I was down to 3rd gear, but overall it's easy. Drake pub is good stop for lunch etc. Enjoy your travels! Cheers
When you look at the profiles for each route the best two would be the Gwydir Hwy & Waterfall Way. The Bruxner is mainly uphill all the way from Casino. The Oxley is similar to the Bruxner.
We are about to do one of our regular jaunts down the NSW East Coast from Brissy to Sydney and back.
Were looking for our range crossing options for the return leg that were the kindest to the GQ Patrol 4.2 Petrol & 2.4T Jayco Westport.
Not sure if the answers have solved the problem but I was planning on using the Golden Highway. They did however make me less anxious than before. Interesting to see how more cautious I become as I age.
In the past we have come down the other crossings & up the waterfall way a few times without the van, all with no problems but the rig & the driver are getting old & are more inclined towards the easier option.
Thanks guys for your feedback The Gwydir was probably my 3rd choice but the fact that Chris reckons his bride doesnt mind going that way carries a lot of weight and has made me do a rethink. Cupie if you want to avoid climbs heading back from Sydney wouldn't you come up the M1 to Newcastle and take the Hunter Expressway offramp (M15) which bypasses Maitland and all the other small towns to rejoin the New England Hwy after Branxton. Going out to the Golden Hwy from Sydney is going to add a lot of distance to your trip it basically runs from Dubbo back to Singleton.
Cheers
BB
-- Edited by The Belmont Bear on Sunday 11th of September 2022 04:25:22 PM
If we decide on an inland segment then we will probably go that general direction, except that we will try to go thru the small towns, as is our habit.
Thanks for the advice.
I must add though that SWMBO is currently delving into Camps & Wiki looking at low cost options along the coast as a new experience, something that we never do. Should be interesting to see what happens after a couple of nights with limited TV & short showers.
Just some feedback we ended up using the Gwyder highway from Grafton across to Glen Innes We didnt mind the drive at all. Just that one continual cliimb to the top of the range to deal with. We took our time with the corners and the Jeep handled pulling the 3T load to the top pretty easily. The only comment I would make is - I think I would prefer to climb from the Grafton side rather than riding the brakes all the way down when travelling from the other direction. Thanks everyone for your advice we are currently in Longreach and heading for Winton in the morning not too many steep climbs out here to worry about.
