Caravan towing over great dividing range

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.

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

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

Sorry Roachie, my thread should have been adressed to Ken & Rob
string.

The Golden highway through Merriwa is by far the flattest route to the inland. highest point is only about 700m
cheers Pete

" 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.

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

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

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

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

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.

"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.

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 )

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.

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.

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.

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

Bilbo, the Hume Hwy crosses the Great Divide near Breadalbane just SE of Goulburn (as I said above.)

True mate. But as Gronk says you wouldn't know it. Hardly a hill in those parts.

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

That is definitely on the cards!