Would this be suitable for a motorhome (7.5m) towing a Suzuki Grand Vitara.
Looking at doing this trip in late April 2025.
Any thoughts/advice appreciated.
Thanks Les
Hi Les
I believe your tour is doable, my experience has been only with a dual cab ute and mostly camping. The road is very windy and slow through Greehi to Thredbo but has beautiful scenery.
The weather could be tricky as we at that time of year have experience rain and early snow at the end of April and May, not wanting to put a damper on your trip.
I am not familiar with the road from Tooma, but from Khancoban it should be doable for your rig. I have taken my Ford Ranger with 21 foot van there and would do so again.
The Alpine Way is steep on the way down to Geehi, and steep on the way up to Thredbo. About 15km of strong workout for brakes, then another 15km workout for the auto and engine on thw way back up. Quite easy for the rest of the trip.
Some of the bends are a bit tight but buses do it. In a couple of places it gets very narrow. If you meet a big vehicle going the other way at one of these, one may need to reverse a bit.
Unless the advice has changed in the last couple of years, National Parks recommendation is that it is not suitable for caravans. But talking to the officer locally his recommendation was "not for the inexperienced", but otherwise OK.
I agree with that. If your rig is well set up and you are confident, and using the gears is second nature, then don't be put off. But bear in mind, for the steepness and length of the steep sections, it is probably the most challenging in NSW. Your passenger(s) also need to be considered if they get nervous on steep descents while the engine works hard to keep the brakes from cooking.
The road is rarely closed at that time of year, but weather events sometimes do result in closure with minimal notice if any. So you need to have a plan B if weather is doubtful.
Edit: Just an update. My advice is based on a caravan behind a suitable tow vehicle. You WILL need to use a lot of engine braking otherwise your brakes will cook very quickly. I don't know how much braking effect you can get from your motorhome engine. Maybe seek advice from someone more familiar with them and maybe your specific motorhome. There are not many places to pull over and let brakes cool.
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Thursday 9th of January 2025 06:23:12 PM
The likelihood of having to reverse is pretty slim and only for a short distance. In that unlikely event the other will probably do so. Based on your comments you would be well aware of the engine braking needs and capabilities of your motorhome. I assume 8 gears means a pretty low 1st gear. From memory I only resorted to 1st gear a couple of times. I had low range available as well but did not need it. (Could only be on straight sections anyway due to transmission lockup).
-- Edited by Are We Lost on Thursday 9th of January 2025 09:00:51 PM
I assume that by "Tooma", you mean the small hamlet of Tooma, not Tooma Dam in the mountains. If so, there are some long, steep hills between Tooma and Khancoban, but the roads are fine (alignment good) and you should have no troubles thee. You may wonder at times why the rig is going so slow, but the hills there are quite steep. As said above, the Alpine Way is not recommended for towing vehicles, but if you have driven the Clyde Mountain (and Brown Mtn - that is easier), and not run out of brakes going downhill, you should be OK. The roads are narrower, but they are sealed all the way.
If you meant Tooma Dam, the road from there to Khancoban is narrow, winding nd steep in places. All that is required is to stay on your side if the road and hope that oncoming traffic does the same. Definitely use your gears to help the brakes though. Years ago, I saw a motorhome towing a small car in Utah which had snotted itself against the back of a Ford F350, going down a LONG, steep hill. They had come about 5 miles, and had another 10 miles or so to go. The motorhome's brakes were smoking. The Ford's brakes were smoking too, but not as badly as the motorhome.
The gradients on the Alpine Way are in places steep to very steep. After passing Murray 1 Power Station, there is about a 10 km climb, which is fairly easy. At the top is a turnoff on the R side leading to Scammels Spur Lookout. Don't miss this one. Then it is downhill until you reach Geehi. This is where you should take it easy, because the road is narrow, and there are box cuttings, where rocks fall onto the road after rain - big rocks at times... Then, you have a moderate uphill/downhill section (about 15 km I think) until you come to Tom Groggin, and the Murray River beside the road. From here, it is uphill for most of the way to Thredbo - very steep, but if you have driven up the Clyde Mtn with your rig without incident or overheating, you should be OK. From Thredbo, you have a steep downhill section after you leave the National Park, and then another as you come down into Lake Jindabyne. Otherwise it is a fairly easy drive.
You will have to call into the NPWS at Khancoban to get a permit to use the Alpine Way. No charge, but you are not allowed to stop en route, which is a pity, because the campground at Geehi Airstrip is the most serene camping area I know of. Tom Groggin is another good camping spot...
