Hi all - my first venture on this forum - looking to head to Cairns from Melbourne via Cobar, Bourke, Torrens Creek, T'ville etc this week towing single axle 18 foot 6 van. Seeking advice on road conditions etc. TIA - robndi
I read some where of late that Australians took in 2023 15 million trips with their caravans and feel sure a good percentage of those were from Victoria to Queensland.
So hook up the caravan and come an join them it all been done before.
Can't help you with the inland route these days but I can give some info regarding Cairns and the Tablelands. Cairns in Summer is not worth it as very high humidity with drizzling rain most days, very uncomfortable.
Road conditions are reported online for all states. For NSW use "live traffic " from service NSW. In QLD use "QLD traffic" both are updated at least daily. Use a CB radio to communicate with the road trains on the narrow roads in QLD north of Emerald. There are markers along the roads so you can advise your location to others eg "marker 25 heading north in a motorhome " then wait if anyone responds. If yes then get off the road and wait until the RT passes. A RT with 100 head of cattle at 500kg per head approx takes a while to slow down from 90kph plus. Very interesting journey you will enjoy.
All good sealed road, a small amount of narrow seal north of Aramac that can be problematic if it rains and you need to get onto the shoulder or right off for a truck. There is one creek crossing South of Torrens Creek that can go under water after heavy rain. I have travelled this route towing a van with no issues. Fuel is not always available at Aramac and Torrens Creek. Aramac showgrounds is worth an overnight stay.
The road between Aramac Torrens Ck is now bitumen but single lane only.
You should be prepared where necessary to shift off the road when trucks approach - they could throw stones if you don't. To get off the road, slow down or stop is far better than getting stone damage to your car, van.
The Aramac Caravan Park has a deal to encourage you to stay - pay for two nights, the remainder are free (courtesy of the rate payers). There aren't too many council parks that can offer shower screens on their facilities. There are two fuel stations at Aramac, it is more expensive at Torrens Ck but if you need it, you have to pay for it.
And yes, the Sculpture Trail is well worth doing - a 200km trip on a mainly dirt road easily done in a day. Find the 40 sculptures, look in at Lake Dunn. We've done it twice - the last time was last year (2024) as they added a new sculpture & we couldn't find one of the others.
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Warren
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