Caravan towing over great dividing range

Submitted: Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 17:12
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Can anyone advise their experience the easiest and flattest road crossings of the great dividing range in New South Wales from the coast to inland from Queensland headingsouth. I have a 2007 Nissan Navarra D40 diesel towing 2.5 tonne 20' Caravan.
Thanks
Ken'n'Rob
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Reply By: Roachie.kadina.sa.au - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 17:46

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 17:46
It depends on where you're heading to I would say.

If you're starting in Queensland and want to end up in NSW on the western side of the Great Divide, then I would suggest the Newell Highway.

However, if you're thinking of going down the east coast into NSW, then there are various possibilities. The flattest route is possibly the Hume Highway if you're prepared to navigate your way through greater Sydney.

So, a bit more info on your plans would be great please.

Roachie
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Follow Up By: Member - Ken&Rob - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 17:58

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 17:58
Sorry Roachie, I guess I could have been clearer. Travelling from Brisbane down the East Coast (Pacific Hwy) on the way to North West Victoria. Last year we crossed over from near Newcastle through Denman to Dubbo and I was just looking at as many options as possible to have a look around, and importantly that doesn't punish the Navarra too much. Through Blue Mountains ( say Lithgow) not an option.
I should point out we are not in any hurry.
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Follow Up By: Member - Alan H (QLD) - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 18:17

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 18:17
The flatest way out of Queensland would be Heifer Creek rd over the range.

Brisbane - Gatton - Heifer creek rd to Clifton - Texas -Yetman - Warialda - Bingara - Manilla - Gunnedah - etc down to NW Vic

Alan
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Follow Up By: Member - string - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 18:39

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 18:39
Hi Roachie. Reckon the Hume is the way to go. Getting through Sydney is not really a problem, use the ring roads and take your time, they all have dual carridge ways so slow vehicles can be accommodated. Once your past the Campbell town exit, you've made it!!
The hume Highway starts it's gradual climb over the 'great divide' at "Phesants Nest", and there are dual or three lanes at the steepest bits.
The other 'passes' you don't want to know about !
Good luck.. string
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Follow Up By: Member - string - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 18:42

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 18:42
Sorry Roachie, my thread should have been adressed to Ken & Rob
string.
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Follow Up By: madfisher - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 19:30

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 19:30
The Golden highway through Merriwa is by far the flattest route to the inland. highest point is only about 700m
cheers Pete
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 23:17

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 23:17
" I was just looking at as many options as possible to have a look around, and importantly that doesn't punish the Navarra too much."

What's this "doesn't punish the Navarra too much?" Is your rig way overloaded or something.

Diesel motors thrive on working hard periodically. Give it a good run over some decent hills and blow the cobwebs out of it. I have a similar rig to yours and run it over most of the GDR hills in NSW regularly and it does no harm to it. I don't think I have missed any of the main road crossings from Melbourne to Cairns that I have not negotiated.
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Follow Up By: Member - Ken&Rob - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 09:25

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 09:25
Thanks Peter,
I reckon I would have 4-500kgs in ute including us and measured 2500kgs for van. She did it but struggled a bit through Toowoomba down to 60kms on one climb and I hate holding too many people up. With climbs I am getting about 22ltrs/100kms and may be being a bit scroogy about a quid, just looking for easy way out. Great comfortable ute but lacks guts a bit.
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Colcam42 - Thursday, Jul 30, 2015 at 20:32

Thursday, Jul 30, 2015 at 20:32
Why not via Beaudesert, Warwick to Goondiwindi, then down the Newel, or, go to St George and then have a look at Lightning Ridge on the way, adventurous. Done the reverse of this with 4 tonne on the back and it seemed an easy way to me. (We were heading to SW Brisbane). Depends on where in Victoria you are heading to. B....... cold either way. In Warrick they put a scarf and beanie on the prominent persons statue.
See more.....Cheers, Col
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Follow Up By: Member - Ken&Rob - Thursday, Jul 30, 2015 at 21:33

Thursday, Jul 30, 2015 at 21:33
Thanks Colcam been up the Newel many times and got to Brisbane this time via Lightning Ridge, Hebel and St George, Warwick, etc. Pretty easy run through GDR.

Have decided home to Vic via Pacific and Hume. We might as well go home and freeze cause it hasn't been too warm up here.

Cheers
Ken&Rob
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Reply By: Gronk - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 21:44

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 21:44
Why do you want to go over the range ?

Straight down the pacific hwy, thru Sydney and onto the Hume....no range to go over .

When you get to Albury, pick your direction from there !
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Follow Up By: Roachie.kadina.sa.au - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 22:43

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 22:43
Gronk,

That was my suggestion earlier.....but technically you ARE still going over the GDR, it's just that they've built the roads now that make it "seem" like you're not crossing it.... hahaha
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Follow Up By: Roachie.kadina.sa.au - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 22:45

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 22:45
By the way, if heading for NW Victoria, then I wouldn't be going all the way down to Albury...better off turning off the Hume, onto the Sturt through Wagga, Narrandera (my old home town), Hay and Balranald. There you can decide whether to cross over to Victoria or continue on to Mildura before crossing the Murray.
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 23:09

Tuesday, Jul 28, 2015 at 23:09
"Straight down the pacific hwy, thru Sydney and onto the Hume....no range to go over ."

The range goes from western Victoria up to near Cape York. The OP will have to cross it somewhere on his trip. It's just a matter of him finding the least hilly part to cross it. The Hume crosses it a bit west of Goulburn.
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Follow Up By: Gronk - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 09:21

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 09:21
Jeez, you are hard to please......yes, technically you do go over it near Goulburn, but you'll be hard pressed to know exactly where it was...yes there are several hills to go over, but none that I would call a mt range ( came back that way last week )

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Follow Up By: Member - Ken&Rob - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 09:52

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 09:52
Thanks troops no arguing over technicalities now.
I am from Swan Hill and last year we went home via Golden Highway from Maitland to Merriwa, Dunedoo to Dubbo along Golden Highway and along Western to Hay. All fairly flat and good trip but we have been north through Dubbo to Warwick, Brisbane, numerous times.
We have a week or so to get home so I was looking for all options to have a look around, thinking of the easiest GDV crossings. I think we will prob just travel down Pacific Hwy to Bowral, Goulburn and cross.
I am a fairly new member and was just getting advice through this forum.
Thanks for all the replies.
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Follow Up By: Steve - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 19:50

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 19:50
Ken/Rob

easiest and flattest is definitely the Pac Hwy, thru the dreaded pennant Hills rd at the end of the old F3 which is where the free way ends before you reach or bypass Sydney. try to avoid peak hour here and the 7 ks or so is ok until you rejoin the M2 and head south. Dead easy. Minimal hills, minimal stops.
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Follow Up By: RobandFlip - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 20:48

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 20:48
Ken/Rob,
Lots of road works in progress on the Pacific converting to dual carriageway and bypassing towns. Travelled the Pacific last November and there are a couple of places where it goes over the range which are uphill and down dale, but extensive roadworks from Byron to south of Ballina and a huge stretch just south of Grafton down to Port Macquarie. The Pacific will be worth travelling when the roadworks are completed. However, there is at least 3 years of work in total still ahead.
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Follow Up By: Bilbo B - Wednesday, Aug 12, 2015 at 20:48

Wednesday, Aug 12, 2015 at 20:48
So true. It's not all that obvious but the Hume crosses the range north of Holbrook and every time my diesel water tem heads skyward along that 100km stretch
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Thursday, Aug 13, 2015 at 17:14

Thursday, Aug 13, 2015 at 17:14
Bilbo, the Hume Hwy crosses the Great Divide near Breadalbane just SE of Goulburn (as I said above.)
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Follow Up By: Bilbo B - Friday, Aug 14, 2015 at 14:20

Friday, Aug 14, 2015 at 14:20
True mate. But as Gronk says you wouldn't know it. Hardly a hill in those parts.
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Follow Up By: Roachie.kadina.sa.au - Friday, Aug 14, 2015 at 14:53

Friday, Aug 14, 2015 at 14:53
Bilbo.....If you were jockeying a fully-loaded B-double over there, you'd certainly know when you reach the hills!!! hahaha.

However, I reckon the worst hills on that road are the ones between Gundagai and the Wagga turn-off.

Roachie
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Reply By: cruiser 3 - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 10:52

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 10:52
The Oxley highway isn't too bad, the Waterfall way is similar, Penrith through Katoomba again similar . They are scenic, hilly and with a fair few bends but are certainly manageable. Thunderbolts way I consider is worse.
The Denman way as well as Hume are certainly the least mountainous though.
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Reply By: landseka - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 18:23

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 18:23
We went from Batemans Bay up Clyde 'Mountain' a few weeks ago. There was a section that slowed us somewhat but not much worse than heading east out of Adelaide.

We are using a 2015MY D-Max with a 2.9t caravan.

Maybe time for the OP to upgrade his car lol.

Cheers Neil
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Follow Up By: Member - Ken&Rob - Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 22:27

Wednesday, Jul 29, 2015 at 22:27
That is definitely on the cards!
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Reply By: Pattio - Friday, Jul 31, 2015 at 00:22

Friday, Jul 31, 2015 at 00:22
If you have it set up well you can go anywhere you want to without worrying about overstressing anything. Seems to me that you have it overloaded to the crap so you should reconsider what you have. Simple as that. Chris Patterson.
AnswerID: 588154

Reply By: Member - Ken&Rob - Wednesday, Aug 12, 2015 at 21:18

Wednesday, Aug 12, 2015 at 21:18
Well thanks to everyone for the advice. In the end we came home to Victoria along the Golden Highway from Maitland to Dubbo via an overnight stop at the Denman Van park. Thanks Rod for a great stay. The roadworks from Coffs Harbour to Port Macquarie are a nightmare at the moment with constant delays and speed down to 80 and 60km for extensive stretches. It took us hours to get to Denman from Belford because we were stuck behind a loaded mine vehicle. Anyway home safely in cold Victoria.
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