We are heading from Dubbo to Bateman's Bay and back over the Easter period and wondered which route would be best.
We are in a Prado towing a 20ft Jayco Journey. I thought via Braidwood might be best, so any advice or comments would be appreciated.
rmoor said
12:35 PM Jan 4, 2024
From the Dubbo region and family in Canberra I have driven that route a fair bit.
You got that right. Wello/Molong/Cudal/Canowindra/Cowra/Boorowa (the pies are good at Boorowa).
Bungendore/Braidwood are correct out of Canberra.
Clyde mountain pass out of Braidwood is a challenge with the odd 15KM an hour bend but the road is very good through there, well built for pollies and public servants to holiday.
It is not too pleasureable a drive over the mountains in the wet towing, but dry conditions at the right time of day and avoid migrating public servants hours is wise.
Where are you staying at Bateman's Bay when you get there?
There are also a couple of top quality little fish shops I have discovered there to do as the locals do.
Durras Lake is my new goto location to annoy some fish.
The Travelling Dillberries said
12:43 PM Jan 4, 2024
Whatever you do, don't go Browns Mountain which is B72 or Snowy Mountains Hwy . The worst I have been down (didn't do my homework). DMax towing 21 ft van, overhauled and rewired brakes, 1st gear, had to pull over half way down, smoke coming off all wheels.
rmoor said
01:37 PM Jan 4, 2024
The Travelling Dillberries wrote:
Whatever you do, don't go Browns Mountain which is B72 or Snowy Mountains Hwy . The worst I have been down (didn't do my homework). DMax towing 21 ft van, overhauled and rewired brakes, 1st gear, had to pull over half way down, smoke coming off all wheels.
Wow. I asked a friend not so long ago about that road. They too had traveled it ONCE only. Never again was the response. Don't do it with your van on comment followed quickly.
I guess it would be a lovely sightseeing trip using the right conveyance.
Clydes mountain around the Pooh Bear cave is enough for me to access Bateman's Bay. The road is good but brakes need to be in tip top condition. Also impatient Canberra Public Servants on your tail are not a lot of fun at holiday times. I worked on contract for 4 years with many Public Servants in Canberra. They are a rare breed that mob. In car parks, they park in an orderly fashion spot by spot whereas old bushies like me head for the best shady spot or best point of escape car park. They are strange fish, it took me a while to get used to hanging a pass around ones neck like a dog tag.
Nice spot Bateman's Bay, a few locations south of there are great spots as well.
Us 3 said
06:51 PM Jan 4, 2024
Thanks for the help. We are actually staying at Bawley point, but will suss out the fish in the region.
Travel safe.
rmoor said
03:12 PM Jan 5, 2024
Us 3 wrote:
Thanks for the help. We are actually staying at Bawley point, but will suss out the fish in the region.
Travel safe.
Bawley Point looks a nice spot. Not been there as yet. From what I can gather access to Meroo Lake is restricted. The waters look nice around the beaches but appear to be relatively shallow. Still, plenty of good fishing in the region. Hope you have a top stay there.
bristte said
09:30 AM Jan 6, 2024
The Travelling Dillberries wrote:
Whatever you do, don't go Browns Mountain which is B72 or Snowy Mountains Hwy . The worst I have been down (didn't do my homework). DMax towing 21 ft van, overhauled and rewired brakes, 1st gear, had to pull over half way down, smoke coming off all wheels.
The question about whether to take the Clyde Mtn drop or Brown Mtn is frequently asked in forums and on social media. It's true that the majority prefer the Clyde. I'm the odd one out, I prefer Brown Mtn. It's true that it's a fairly steep and winding 10km descent that you have to take slowly in a low gear and with only judicious use of the brakes via stab braking, but it's doable for most rigs and other than that, the road condition is better in my view and with less traffic and less idiotic drivers than the Clyde. I hate the Kings Highway, even when not towing. It's the totality of the road that's important for me.
If your destination is Bawley Point then from Braidwood you could take the Nerriga road, which is a much more even descent. Probably a bit longer, but not excessively so.
Plain Truth said
07:10 PM Jan 7, 2024
Been awhile since we have been up that area,there was a nice lookout at the top of Browns Mt.,worth a look before coming down.
Also there is a nice free camp just before Braidwood, coming down Clyde Mt.lots of art work up in the trees.Hope they are still there.
Travelling Dillberris: if you think the Brown was bad - do not ever, ever travel either up or down the Macquarie Pass out of Moss Vale! At one place large vehicles - such as towing a van - have to back up to get around a very tight bend. The whole road is very steep, tight bends and to compound the problem, very narrow.
As Bristte says, for the Brown, and Clyde - use your gears, One of the problems people have with the Brown is that only doing about 30km/h average the 10kms take a long, long time to get to the bottom!
I have made six up and down trips on the Brown alone towing our 21ft van over the years, plus more than that on solo runs. More than twice that many via the Clyde.
As for the road from Braidwood to Nerriga there is exactly 4.7kms of real narrow, outback country gravel road that way. but apart from a steep climb as you leave Nerriga the rest of the road is pretty straight and level. After Nerriga there is a turn off called Turpentine Road that goes to the Princes Highway - and although I have never used it, my daughter used it many times when she used to drive from Canberra to Huskinson to visit her husband.
As for the Clyde, the drop is 5kms but being a better road that the Brown you can make better time. There are also a number of pull overs to allow the buildup of traffic to get past. The Brown doesn't have any such spots. A major problem with the Clyde is the sheer number of local expert drivers on that road who know it backwards. Before long you have a convoy behind you tailgating and trying to get you to speed up.
For both the Clyde and Brown a tip is to check your odometer just as you start going down (or up) and count off the kilometres. Otherwise, it will seem to take forever to reach the bottom. (Some time ago I gave that tip to a person going down the Brown - when I checked back with him, he said he was too scared to take his eyes off the road to check!)
Coming from the North another way to get to Bawley Point would be to take the Picton/Wollongong exit from the Hume Highway and turn left to Wollongong. The descent down to Wollongong is via Mount Ousley, and while steep, is a SIX lane highway! Coal trucks towing dog trailers use it so is completely doable for caravans.
I haven't been that way for some five years but from Wollongong the road was freeway to Albion Rail with a couple of roundabouts and traffic lights there. (They were talking of putting in a bypass.) But from there I understand it is freeway to the north of Nowra. South of Nowra the road is good all the way to Bawley Point. (My daughter and family used to go there every year where they stayed at the Race Course Beach caravan park. I wonder if they have fixed the water quality since those days?)
Murray
Edit: fixed a couple of typos.
-- Edited by Long Weekend on Monday 8th of January 2024 11:26:25 AM
bristte said
09:33 AM Jan 8, 2024
Long Weekend wrote:
As for the road from Braidwood to Nerriga there is exactly 4.7kms of real narrow, outback country gravel road that way. but apart from a steep climb as you leave Nerriga the rest of the road is pretty straight and level. After Nerriga there is a turn off called Turpentine Road that goes to the Princes Highway - and although I have never used it, my daughter used it many times when she used to drive from Canberra to Huskinson to visit her husband.
As for the Clyde, the drop is 5kms but being a better road that the Clyde you can make better time. There are also a number of pull overs to allow the buildup of traffic to get past. The Brown doesn't have any such spots. A major problem with the Clyde is the sheer number of local expert drivers on that road who know it backwards. Before long you have a convoy behind you tailgating and trying to get you to speed up.
-- Edited by Long Weekend on Sunday 7th of January 2024 11:47:22 PM
Some very good advice from Long Weekend there. I'd like to express a different view on a couple of points. I drove the Nerriga Road (not towing) recently including the Turpentine Road shortcut and I don't recall any dirt. There has been a lot of work in recent years at the Braidwood end, and I confess that I didn't drive that section, but I was under the impression that it was all now sealed. We returned to Canberra via Oallen as it was shorter, but you need to follow GPS directions if you take that route as there are a couple of turns. I'd take the Nerriga Road if I was heading to the coast significantly north of Batemans.
I'd have said that there are a couple of short pull-off zones on the Brown Mtn descent, but they're not sign-posted and they're pretty short, so you need to keep an eye out for them. And they're in the top half, so once you're past them then that's it. But I wouldn't worry about being slow, as slow traffic is not uncommon on that descent, and there at less crazy and impatient drivers than on the Clyde. But you wouldn't take that route if you were going to Bawley. If you're heading to Bega or south of there then there are alternatives to Brown Mtn that are easier, such as the Mt Darragh Road or Imlay Road.
Long Weekend said
12:15 PM Jan 8, 2024
Hi bristte,
A lot of work has been done on the Nerriga Road - being the NSW State Road MR92 but is the responsibility of the Queanbeyan Palerang District Council - over the last few years. All but the last 4.7kms of gravel have been rebuilt, although the original narrow rough sealed sections were left as they were.
As at 9 November 2023 work on sealing the 4.7kms section at Ningee Nimble was still awaiting funds to begin. I too expected the road to be all completed when I last travelled that way in August last year.
If you went via Oallen - was that through Tarago? - you would have missed the gravel section. You are right about using the GPS, or else have a good map reader. That road wanders all over the place and it is easy to get lost! (Don't ask me how I know that, except that there is a small village in the area with enough room to turn around with the van on and back track.)
I have only used Mt Darragh Road once, and that was to go up from South Pambula. It has much to recommend it - I thought it wasn't as steep, nor as long as the Brown. But it is narrower than the Brown and there are two one way bridges, one at the bottom and one before Bombala. Just before Bombala there is a dirt road short cut but I didn't take it so don't know what it would be like.
The only thing wrong with the Mt Darragh road is that it appears to be twice the distance to going up the Brown.
Sorry to get away from the original request - being to go to Bawley Point either from the north or south.
Murray
bristte said
09:13 PM Jan 8, 2024
Yes, we came through Tarrago. I was guided by my personal navigator and ExplorOz. I stand corrected about the dirt, although 4.7kms is not a lot of it to cope with if you don't want to deal with navigating the shorter and all-bitument Oallen route to the coast via Nerriga.
It's been a while since I took the Black Lake Road shortcut to Cathcart. My recollection is that it's ok as a dirt road shortcut. But as you say, this is way off-topic, since it's not a route to Bawley Point. I only jumped in on this thread to bag out the Kings Highway, towing or not.
Hi all, and Happy New Year.
We are heading from Dubbo to Bateman's Bay and back over the Easter period and wondered which route would be best.
We are in a Prado towing a 20ft Jayco Journey. I thought via Braidwood might be best, so any advice or comments would be appreciated.
You got that right. Wello/Molong/Cudal/Canowindra/Cowra/Boorowa (the pies are good at Boorowa).
Bungendore/Braidwood are correct out of Canberra.
Clyde mountain pass out of Braidwood is a challenge with the odd 15KM an hour bend but the road is very good through there, well built for pollies and public servants to holiday.
It is not too pleasureable a drive over the mountains in the wet towing, but dry conditions at the right time of day and avoid migrating public servants hours is wise.
Where are you staying at Bateman's Bay when you get there?
There are also a couple of top quality little fish shops I have discovered there to do as the locals do.
Durras Lake is my new goto location to annoy some fish.
Whatever you do, don't go Browns Mountain which is B72 or Snowy Mountains Hwy . The worst I have been down (didn't do my homework). DMax towing 21 ft van, overhauled and rewired brakes, 1st gear, had to pull over half way down, smoke coming off all wheels.
Wow. I asked a friend not so long ago about that road. They too had traveled it ONCE only. Never again was the response. Don't do it with your van on comment followed quickly.
I guess it would be a lovely sightseeing trip using the right conveyance.
Clydes mountain around the Pooh Bear cave is enough for me to access Bateman's Bay. The road is good but brakes need to be in tip top condition. Also impatient Canberra Public Servants on your tail are not a lot of fun at holiday times. I worked on contract for 4 years with many Public Servants in Canberra. They are a rare breed that mob. In car parks, they park in an orderly fashion spot by spot whereas old bushies like me head for the best shady spot or best point of escape car park. They are strange fish, it took me a while to get used to hanging a pass around ones neck like a dog tag.
Nice spot Bateman's Bay, a few locations south of there are great spots as well.
Thanks for the help. We are actually staying at Bawley point, but will suss out the fish in the region.
Travel safe.
Bawley Point looks a nice spot. Not been there as yet. From what I can gather access to Meroo Lake is restricted. The waters look nice around the beaches but appear to be relatively shallow. Still, plenty of good fishing in the region. Hope you have a top stay there.
The question about whether to take the Clyde Mtn drop or Brown Mtn is frequently asked in forums and on social media. It's true that the majority prefer the Clyde. I'm the odd one out, I prefer Brown Mtn. It's true that it's a fairly steep and winding 10km descent that you have to take slowly in a low gear and with only judicious use of the brakes via stab braking, but it's doable for most rigs and other than that, the road condition is better in my view and with less traffic and less idiotic drivers than the Clyde. I hate the Kings Highway, even when not towing. It's the totality of the road that's important for me.
If your destination is Bawley Point then from Braidwood you could take the Nerriga road, which is a much more even descent. Probably a bit longer, but not excessively so.
Been awhile since we have been up that area,there was a nice lookout at the top of Browns Mt.,worth a look before coming down.
Also there is a nice free camp just before Braidwood, coming down Clyde Mt.lots of art work up in the trees.Hope they are still there.
Travelling Dillberris: if you think the Brown was bad - do not ever, ever travel either up or down the Macquarie Pass out of Moss Vale! At one place large vehicles - such as towing a van - have to back up to get around a very tight bend. The whole road is very steep, tight bends and to compound the problem, very narrow.
As Bristte says, for the Brown, and Clyde - use your gears, One of the problems people have with the Brown is that only doing about 30km/h average the 10kms take a long, long time to get to the bottom!
I have made six up and down trips on the Brown alone towing our 21ft van over the years, plus more than that on solo runs. More than twice that many via the Clyde.
As for the road from Braidwood to Nerriga there is exactly 4.7kms of real narrow, outback country gravel road that way. but apart from a steep climb as you leave Nerriga the rest of the road is pretty straight and level. After Nerriga there is a turn off called Turpentine Road that goes to the Princes Highway - and although I have never used it, my daughter used it many times when she used to drive from Canberra to Huskinson to visit her husband.
As for the Clyde, the drop is 5kms but being a better road that the Brown you can make better time. There are also a number of pull overs to allow the buildup of traffic to get past. The Brown doesn't have any such spots. A major problem with the Clyde is the sheer number of local expert drivers on that road who know it backwards. Before long you have a convoy behind you tailgating and trying to get you to speed up.
For both the Clyde and Brown a tip is to check your odometer just as you start going down (or up) and count off the kilometres. Otherwise, it will seem to take forever to reach the bottom. (Some time ago I gave that tip to a person going down the Brown - when I checked back with him, he said he was too scared to take his eyes off the road to check!)
Coming from the North another way to get to Bawley Point would be to take the Picton/Wollongong exit from the Hume Highway and turn left to Wollongong. The descent down to Wollongong is via Mount Ousley, and while steep, is a SIX lane highway! Coal trucks towing dog trailers use it so is completely doable for caravans.
I haven't been that way for some five years but from Wollongong the road was freeway to Albion Rail with a couple of roundabouts and traffic lights there. (They were talking of putting in a bypass.) But from there I understand it is freeway to the north of Nowra. South of Nowra the road is good all the way to Bawley Point. (My daughter and family used to go there every year where they stayed at the Race Course Beach caravan park. I wonder if they have fixed the water quality since those days?)
Murray
Edit: fixed a couple of typos.
-- Edited by Long Weekend on Monday 8th of January 2024 11:26:25 AM
Some very good advice from Long Weekend there. I'd like to express a different view on a couple of points. I drove the Nerriga Road (not towing) recently including the Turpentine Road shortcut and I don't recall any dirt. There has been a lot of work in recent years at the Braidwood end, and I confess that I didn't drive that section, but I was under the impression that it was all now sealed. We returned to Canberra via Oallen as it was shorter, but you need to follow GPS directions if you take that route as there are a couple of turns. I'd take the Nerriga Road if I was heading to the coast significantly north of Batemans.
I'd have said that there are a couple of short pull-off zones on the Brown Mtn descent, but they're not sign-posted and they're pretty short, so you need to keep an eye out for them. And they're in the top half, so once you're past them then that's it. But I wouldn't worry about being slow, as slow traffic is not uncommon on that descent, and there at less crazy and impatient drivers than on the Clyde. But you wouldn't take that route if you were going to Bawley. If you're heading to Bega or south of there then there are alternatives to Brown Mtn that are easier, such as the Mt Darragh Road or Imlay Road.
A lot of work has been done on the Nerriga Road - being the NSW State Road MR92 but is the responsibility of the Queanbeyan Palerang District Council - over the last few years. All but the last 4.7kms of gravel have been rebuilt, although the original narrow rough sealed sections were left as they were.
As at 9 November 2023 work on sealing the 4.7kms section at Ningee Nimble was still awaiting funds to begin. I too expected the road to be all completed when I last travelled that way in August last year.
If you went via Oallen - was that through Tarago? - you would have missed the gravel section. You are right about using the GPS, or else have a good map reader. That road wanders all over the place and it is easy to get lost! (Don't ask me how I know that, except that there is a small village in the area with enough room to turn around with the van on and back track.)
I have only used Mt Darragh Road once, and that was to go up from South Pambula. It has much to recommend it - I thought it wasn't as steep, nor as long as the Brown. But it is narrower than the Brown and there are two one way bridges, one at the bottom and one before Bombala. Just before Bombala there is a dirt road short cut but I didn't take it so don't know what it would be like.
The only thing wrong with the Mt Darragh road is that it appears to be twice the distance to going up the Brown.
Sorry to get away from the original request - being to go to Bawley Point either from the north or south.
Murray
It's been a while since I took the Black Lake Road shortcut to Cathcart. My recollection is that it's ok as a dirt road shortcut. But as you say, this is way off-topic, since it's not a route to Bawley Point. I only jumped in on this thread to bag out the Kings Highway, towing or not.