Hi, looking for suggestions on driving route with a small mh . The shortest route seems to be Bairnsdale to omeo, omeo to mitta mitta, mitta mitta to tallangatta then on to corryong (around 6 hours)
other route I have found is Bairnsdale to Dargo, Dargo to Bright, Bright to Tallangatta then on to Corryong (around 8 hours)
I need to collect a dog and for the covid police lurking on travel forums it is a permitted activity as purchase was made before last regional lockdown.
Any useful comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
erad said
10:42 PM Sep 1, 2021
How much time do you have? Do you dislike driving on gravel roads?
Shortest distance is Bairnsdale, Omeo, Benambra, Upper Nariel and then Corryong. It is a gravel road - I haven't been on it for a few years now, but it is a major North/South road in that area. Watch for timber trucks outside the National Park. As you go through the National Park (North from Benambra) you will get spectacular views of the Snowy Mountains. For years, you didn't see much but the bushfires would have destroyed all the tall trees in the National Park, and the views at this time of the year were to die for - heavy snow on the mountains. Check at Omeo or Vicroads website to verify that the road is open.
The Dargo road will likely be closed at this time of the year, but again a superb High Country drive. Gravel road from Dargo to the Mt Hotham road, but good surface.
The Omeo Highway is a sealed road and goes from Omeo to Tallangatta, although you don't have to go into Tallangata - turn Right once you hit the Corryong Road (Sealed all the way Wodonga to Corryong).
Any of the above routes cross the Great Dividing Range, and as such at this time of the year could be subject to snow & ice. Check at Omeo or Vicroads website for the latest information. All of them involve narrow winding roads through remote areas, but by driving at a sensible speed and keeping well to your own side of the road you should be quite safe and enjoy the drive.
hokianga said
11:04 PM Sep 1, 2021
Thanks Erad I have a day to get there and a day to return, I want to avoid any roads that may have snow which is my main concern. Being from NZ winding roads don't worry me or gravel, it's the snow I am worried about the most.
Mike Harding said
07:20 AM Sep 2, 2021
I'd go; Omeo, Benambra, Corryong.
I concur with all erad posted. It's also a few years since I did the Benambra - Corryong road but it was an excellent gravel surface and is a major and often used road so I suspect it's well maintained and the Vic Roads site shows it as open.
In a small motorhome you could go via Mitta Mitta but it's further, has a climb to 1300m and is as windy and narrow as hell! I have done it with a large caravan but will not do so again.
At this time of the year the chance of snow on either road is very low, just check the forecast before leaving.
Plain Truth said
08:33 AM Sep 2, 2021
I must disagree with Mike ,It is the shortest,but not the best,last month a girl was stranded on the road.
It is poorly maintained and can be rough in places,especially past Sassafras gap,
Thank you everyone for your advice, it sounds like Omeo to Mitta Miita then Talangatta to Corryong is teh best option, I will ring Omeo visitor information today and check on road conditions. Thanks for the helpfull responses.
yobarr said
09:45 AM Sep 2, 2021
Not sure who is sillier here,the reporter or the driver? The driver allegedly says that she would never have set out on the journey had she known that there was snow on the road.Spare me.Snow is fairly easy to identify.It is white,and amasses in piles as it falls.If she was concerned about driving in the snow,she could have turned around and gone back home,and saying that there "No signs to indicate that there was snow on the road".Whaat.Do people still need to be spoon-fed at age 27? If you can't easily see or feel snow on the road,perhaps you should not be driving.Even surfaces that are in the least bit slippery can be felt through "the seat of your pants",as racing driver Jim Richards once said in an interview.And then we have a councillor making himself look important by saying that "if the road was sealed,it would provide the perfect route to get visitors from NSW to the Victorian Coast". Perhaps he thinks that snow doesn't cause problems on sealed roads? And if "she nearly ran off the road 3 times" as the councillor attests,she certainly should have turned around,rather than proceeding to "the highest point on the mountain",where,presumably,there would be most snow? But,to offer the benefit of the doubt to this young lady,the story is probably just typical bullspit from a reporter.Certainly the snow on the road surface appears to be nowhere near "knee deep", and if it was,the car would not have travelled as far as it did.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Thursday 2nd of September 2021 09:45:49 AM
Following up on my earlier reply, Omeo - Mitta Mitta road is incredibly winding and narrow in places, but these days it is sealed. However, you still have to cross the Great Dividing Range, so you could expect snow and ice at any time of the year. That girl in her RAV 4 should not have tried when she saw the snow that deep, but then again, I have been in the same position and have done the same thing (but not been stranded). I was young once (a long time ago).
I forgot to mention that from the ridge at the higher parts of the road, you can see the Snowy Mountains (to the East), but to the West you look down into Dartmouth Dam as well, and the views there also include Mt Hotham. Like any gravel roads, the surface can be good or it can be cut up badly - check with the local authorities.
Whichever way you take, you are going to cross the Dividing Range so you can expect to see some snow somewhere at this time of the year. There are other roads in the Benambra area which i used to use, but they are not recommended even though they are not closed. It only takes a fall of snow, or a tree to fall across the road and you have to turn back. The Benambra - Nariel road would be the same classification - check with the locals first.
hokianga said
10:48 AM Sep 2, 2021
Thanks Erad, thats good advice- the Omeo info centre is shut so I am resorting to asking to join an Omeo facebook page to try and get some current information.
Mike Harding said
12:50 PM Sep 2, 2021
Call the police in Omeo and Corryong (not on 000! :) ) and ask them, they always have up to date information on the roads but both the roads discussed here are main(ish) roads and I seriously doubt snow will be an issue on either of them at this time of year.
hokianga said
01:35 PM Sep 2, 2021
Great thanks Mike
hokianga said
05:10 PM Sep 2, 2021
Thanks Mike rang Omeo police they were very helpful but as they said conditions can change quickly, looking forward to teh drive quite nervous driving at this time of year.
2trout said
10:01 PM Sep 2, 2021
I live in this area and know these roads quite well. The Benambra/Nariel road has 60kms of gravel and is the shortest route. It goes over Sassafras Gap where you can encounter snow and the road can sometimes be closed for a period of time during winter. It is fairly good quality gravel and the snow does not normally lay around for long. The Omeo/Tallangatta has 2 lanes and is sealed all the way. There is no problem with the road but it is windy and you need to allow plenty of time (about 3 hours). It is quite an attractive route as it closely follows the Mitta River. This road also goes over the top of the Great Divide and you can occasionally encounter snow and even trees being blown over the road but not very often. As the police said, check first; obviously if snow is forecast over the mountains, give it a miss. This is your best route. I would not hesitate to take it during winter however our forecast is pretty bleak for the weekend so I would leave it for a few days after that. Good luck and enjoy the drive. Call into the Blue Duck Pub on the way if you have time.
Nifty150 said
08:06 AM Sep 4, 2021
Seems to me you have a golden opportunity here. Both roads are fabulous drives, so go one way and come back the other, while the rest of us sit in our little 5km entrapments. The roads are slow, take your time, stop and boil the billy, check out the many campsites, and patronise as many of the little businesses you can. Dont forget to put your mask on every time you get out of the car though.
2trout said
06:46 PM Sep 4, 2021
Sorry Nifty, please don't do that at the moment. The Nariel/Benambra road will likely have snow on it at the moment and may be closed. Good to do what you suggest a little later in the year.
hokianga said
09:28 PM Sep 24, 2021
Thanks everyone for your advice, I took the Omeo/Tallangatta option, got stuck in lovely Corryong due to flooding, and encountered light snow on the way back through, a lovely drive but a bit narrow in places if there was traffic coming the other way.
Hi, looking for suggestions on driving route with a small mh . The shortest route seems to be Bairnsdale to omeo, omeo to mitta mitta, mitta mitta to tallangatta then on to corryong (around 6 hours)
other route I have found is Bairnsdale to Dargo, Dargo to Bright, Bright to Tallangatta then on to Corryong (around 8 hours)
I need to collect a dog and for the covid police lurking on travel forums it is a permitted activity as purchase was made before last regional lockdown.
Any useful comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Shortest distance is Bairnsdale, Omeo, Benambra, Upper Nariel and then Corryong. It is a gravel road - I haven't been on it for a few years now, but it is a major North/South road in that area. Watch for timber trucks outside the National Park. As you go through the National Park (North from Benambra) you will get spectacular views of the Snowy Mountains. For years, you didn't see much but the bushfires would have destroyed all the tall trees in the National Park, and the views at this time of the year were to die for - heavy snow on the mountains. Check at Omeo or Vicroads website to verify that the road is open.
The Dargo road will likely be closed at this time of the year, but again a superb High Country drive. Gravel road from Dargo to the Mt Hotham road, but good surface.
The Omeo Highway is a sealed road and goes from Omeo to Tallangatta, although you don't have to go into Tallangata - turn Right once you hit the Corryong Road (Sealed all the way Wodonga to Corryong).
Any of the above routes cross the Great Dividing Range, and as such at this time of the year could be subject to snow & ice. Check at Omeo or Vicroads website for the latest information. All of them involve narrow winding roads through remote areas, but by driving at a sensible speed and keeping well to your own side of the road you should be quite safe and enjoy the drive.
I'd go; Omeo, Benambra, Corryong.
I concur with all erad posted. It's also a few years since I did the Benambra - Corryong road but it was an excellent gravel surface and is a major and often used road so I suspect it's well maintained and the Vic Roads site shows it as open.
In a small motorhome you could go via Mitta Mitta but it's further, has a climb to 1300m and is as windy and narrow as hell! I have done it with a large caravan but will not do so again.
At this time of the year the chance of snow on either road is very low, just check the forecast before leaving.
I must disagree with Mike ,It is the shortest,but not the best,last month a girl was stranded on the road.
It is poorly maintained and can be rough in places,especially past Sassafras gap,
We go Omeo,Mitta Mitta,much better.
Not sure who is sillier here,the reporter or the driver? The driver allegedly says that she would never have set out on the journey had she known that there was snow on the road.Spare me.Snow is fairly easy to identify.It is white,and amasses in piles as it falls.If she was concerned about driving in the snow,she could have turned around and gone back home,and saying that there "No signs to indicate that there was snow on the road".Whaat.Do people still need to be spoon-fed at age 27? If you can't easily see or feel snow on the road,perhaps you should not be driving.Even surfaces that are in the least bit slippery can be felt through "the seat of your pants",as racing driver Jim Richards once said in an interview.And then we have a councillor making himself look important by saying that "if the road was sealed,it would provide the perfect route to get visitors from NSW to the Victorian Coast". Perhaps he thinks that snow doesn't cause problems on sealed roads? And if "she nearly ran off the road 3 times" as the councillor attests,she certainly should have turned around,rather than proceeding to "the highest point on the mountain",where,presumably,there would be most snow? But,to offer the benefit of the doubt to this young lady,the story is probably just typical bullspit from a reporter.Certainly the snow on the road surface appears to be nowhere near "knee deep", and if it was,the car would not have travelled as far as it did.Cheers
-- Edited by yobarr on Thursday 2nd of September 2021 09:45:49 AM
I forgot to mention that from the ridge at the higher parts of the road, you can see the Snowy Mountains (to the East), but to the West you look down into Dartmouth Dam as well, and the views there also include Mt Hotham. Like any gravel roads, the surface can be good or it can be cut up badly - check with the local authorities.
Whichever way you take, you are going to cross the Dividing Range so you can expect to see some snow somewhere at this time of the year. There are other roads in the Benambra area which i used to use, but they are not recommended even though they are not closed. It only takes a fall of snow, or a tree to fall across the road and you have to turn back. The Benambra - Nariel road would be the same classification - check with the locals first.
Call the police in Omeo and Corryong (not on 000! :) ) and ask them, they always have up to date information on the roads but both the roads discussed here are main(ish) roads and I seriously doubt snow will be an issue on either of them at this time of year.