Esperance To Balladonia
Submitted: Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 at 21:06
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Member - Roger L (WA)
Hi Everyone and merry Christmas.
Just wondered if anyone had travelled from Esperence to Balladonia via the Paramango Road (looks like you join the Balladonia Road for the last 70 odd ks). Thinking about taking the Bushtracker through that way in February.
Any information / advice would be gratefully received.
Thank you.
Hope you all have a good Christmas break and a safe and healthy 2013.
Roger
Reply By: equinox - Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 at 21:21
Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 at 21:21
Hi Roger,
That is a good track all the way. It will be slippery after rain though. Lots of history in the area, old buildings,
graves..
You too have a great christmas!!
Cheers
Alan
AnswerID:
500954
Follow Up By: get outmore - Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 00:02
Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 00:02
disagree , by taking parmango road you miss most of the best spots on balladonia road coming out too far north
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Follow Up By: Member - Paul B (WA) - Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 22:39
Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 22:39
I agree with Get Outmore.
There's certainly some interesting history through that country, bearing in mind there used to be some hundreds of people lived around
Israelite Bay for the 50-odd years of the Telegraph Station from the 1870's to the 1920's.
If nothing else. at least look out for
Pine Hill, Deralinya & Booanya and spend at least one night on the track.
Remember, if you're in a hurry there's always the Eyre Hwy! Or the jet overhead.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 00:06
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 00:06
balladonia to cape arid[/url]this is a trip report from a few years ago
balladonia to cape arid
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Reply By: Bush Wanderer - Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 at 21:23
Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 at 21:23
G'day Roger,
Yep Parmango Road joins up with Balladonia road.
I will be out there later in the week for a week or so. I can give you a detailed report when I get back.
I would think the treck you have mentioned would be fine, provided that there is not too much water lying around....if dry you should be fine. The usual, tyre pressures and taking it easy.
On the other hand the southern end of Balladonia Road down to Isrealite Bay gets tight and would be an experience towing something a big as a Bushwacker.
Happy Christmas.
BW.....
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Reply By: Norm C (WA) - Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 at 22:32
Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 at 22:32
G'Day Roger
I'm heading down that way leaving
Perth in the next few days (Boxing Day all going
well)
I will be staying on the Balladonia road thru to Mount Raggard.Last year around the same time it was quite wet But had no trouble getting thru.I tow a TVan with a Ford
Ranger.
It's a good drive.If your heading from
Perth or Kalgoorlie it's
well worth going down the Trans Access Line to Zanthus and onto Ballidonia a quick left and right and your on the way
Norm
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Reply By: Member - John and Val - Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 08:55
Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 08:55
Hi Rocer,
We drove that road going S to N at the end of September last. The southern section was in very good condition, and the northern half was a bit rough in
places. There are lots of signs warning that it is a 4WD track. Enjoyable drive.
Cheers,
Val
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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Reply By: Motherhen - Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 22:30
Monday, Dec 24, 2012 at 22:30
Hi Roger - we went through back in January 2005. After the
well maintained Parmango Road through the farms, the continuing road through the station and the next stretch on to Balladonia were pretty rough and unmaintained; corrugations and wheel ruts. No problems if taken slowly. We didn't even let down the tyres.
Motherhen
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Follow Up By: Member - Paul B (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 12:30
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 12:30
This road has a very contentious history and is the source of some considerable dispute between the shires of
Esperance and
Dundas (
Norseman).
For the communities east of
Esperance it is a massive shortcut (200-odd km) for them if heading east but the
Norseman people feel massively threatened by the loss of business from tourism & travellers, notwithstanding they constantly urge the sealing of the
Norseman to
Hyden rd, seemingly without consideration for a similar loss of business at
Coolgardie!
Anyway, this explains why the road is quite
well maintained at the southern (
Esperance) end but the minute you cross the
shire boundary into
Dundas you encounter a bit of a goat track.
Enjoy your trip. And merry Christmas
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 12:38
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 12:38
I don't think a gets any maintenance at all does it Paul?
Roger it also gets closed if it rains. As it always rains
Norseman Balladonia way - for us anyway - be aware of this. We camped in one of many gravel scoops alongside the road, but were careful to be up out of the scooped out area and ready to move onto the road if it rained, as rain looked likely.
When we came past in November 2009 it was signed closed and barricaded off at the Balladonia end. On asking i was told probably because of the rain (that day), but people who went passed some weeks before and after us saw the same.
Mh
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:30
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:30
what you on about?
your talking about the
lake king road which is maintained by the shire of I think
lake grace and not by the
norseman shire so the minute you pass by the sign it turns rough
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Follow Up By: Member - Paul B (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:30
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:30
Yeah, the
Esperance shire maintains the section within its shire boundaries. In fact, once it unofficially did up the whole section which caused a major "diplomatic incident" (ie almost war) which is still seared indellibly into the psyches of all concerned!
The top end is invariably barricaded off by the
Norseman mob who maintain the rage to this very day!
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:36
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:36
Thanks Paul - that explains why the barricade was up and Main Roads road closures and conditions hotline did not have it logged in at all.
We did not see it as a "short cut" to reduce our journey time but a different way to go to see different things. Having done that, we have taken the main road on all subsequent trips as we were just travelling through. I have not compared travel times.
Mh
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Follow Up By: Member - Paul B (WA) - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:37
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:37
I've not been on the
Norseman to
Lake King road, so can't comment, but certainly the difference on the Balladonia track when you pass through the
shire boundary is very obvious.
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:40
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 14:40
The
Norseman to
Lake King Road has always been pretty scrappy in the middle section through the Frank Hann NP Paul, but still acceptable to us and our preferred route due to where we live.
Mh
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 15:36
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012 at 15:36
sorry I mistook what you are saying.
ive never tazken the parmango road because as I said it misses out on the highlights between the turn off and cape arid.
I understand it is maintained in the farmland area but not the northern section
the
lake king road last time I took it was fantastic then as soon as you get to the
shire boundary someone has sprayed on the sighn wheres the F......n
grader and it changes from a
well graded wide gravel road to a narrower much rougher road,
From memory my speed went from 100kph to 60kph with frequent slow downs for the larger holes and
rock ledges
bottom line in both cases is the
Norseman shire doesnt seem to want to pay to maintain roads which are used largly by farmers as access roads from outside shires
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Reply By: Member - Noldi (WA) - Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 at 14:00
Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 at 14:00
G'day Roger, we stayed 2 nights out that way in late September, we went Balladonia road rather than Parmango Stopped overnight at Mt Ragged and another at Balbinya
ruins had a great time would recommend to anyone. Tracks a bit rough in spots and a bit muddy further south after rain but nothing to crazy.
BTW we did not take the bus
Rgds Ian
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Reply By: SteveAbbott - Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 at 20:18
Thursday, Dec 27, 2012 at 20:18
How does this route go as a 4x4 track?
we are heading back to
perth from the east on the 3rd and are looking for an alternative from the eyre hwy to go to
esperance?
We have a Ford
Ranger and are pretty capable with 4x4 but being alone dont want to get stuck without a winch.
Cheers
Steve
AnswerID:
501117
Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Friday, Dec 28, 2012 at 08:49
Friday, Dec 28, 2012 at 08:49
I doubt very much that you would need a winch. If there has been recent rain there could be difficulties with water on the road in
places but otherwise, as others have said, a good drive. Easy in 4x4 terms although a bit rough (rutted and stony and a few patches of corrugations) in the northern section. Paramango Rd was in good condition last September.
Cheers,
Val
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Friday, Dec 28, 2012 at 17:39
Friday, Dec 28, 2012 at 17:39
southern part of the track is rough due to
limestone caprock - definitly no winch required
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Follow Up By: Member - Roger L (WA) - Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 at 23:03
Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 at 23:03
Thanks very much everyone for the information, sounds like a good trip, worth taking your time over.
Cape Arid NP is one of our favourite
places and we like to give it a look when we're crossing the Nullabor.
I wish you all safe travelling 2013.
Cheers,
Roger
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