The Barry Way - Snowy Mountains

Is that the one that ends up very narrow and hairy near Suggan Buggan? There's not enough room for 2 cars in some places and you've got big dropoffs on the side. The road condition is usually fine.

The only problem is the width of the road in some places as Michael has already said. I drove over it two years ago and I think from memory there were signs at each end saying the road was not suitable for towing. If you meet another car on the narrow sections, one of you is going to have to reverse for who knows how far.

When I say narrow roads I am not kidding. I stopped on one sharp corner and took a photo of my car from about twenty metres in front of it. You could clearly see that two cars could not possibly pass each other. The mountains are very steep and if you went over the edge in many places you could roll for a hundred meters or more unless you were lucky enough to be stopped by a tree.

At that time of the year it will most likely be very cold. I lived in the Snowy for five years and we usually had the fire burning twenty four hours per day from April to September. The road could easily have black ice on it and it can remain there until after lunch in some places. In heavily shaded areas it may not melt at all..

You want be the only one enjoying that road towing a trailer. We have towed our 21ft without a problem. Yes there are a few narrow section but shouldn't be a problem with your camper trailer.

Just came through today , Tues 13/3 , no problems towing a Cub Supermatic.
Both ends in NSW have "no caravan or Semi trailer " signs , also a sign on Jindabyne side "4 WD only due to fire damage" no damage or problems seen. As already stated there is a stretch of about 5 Kms narrow and winding with steep drops south of Suggan Buggan but I felt it was half a metre wider than previous trips , some work has been done on this stretch about a year ago , most likely what the NSW signs were about.

Take your time , allow for the idiot coming the other way and enjoy what I reckon is one of the best drives about. We saw Deer , roos, wallabys, brumbies , dingos and lots of birds. Best camps are Pinch River or Willis Loop , in either you will likely have brumbies wander through camp.

Cheers,
Peter OKA196 motorhome

I take my van over roads like the Alpine Road (which generates heated threads) but I will not take it over the Barry Way until it is significantly upgraded in width and surface.

We did the Barry Way in January and it's a stunning drive. We were in a 2WD but decided to come back with Landcruiser and camper trailer in the future. Our assessment was that it would handle it if appropriate caution was taken. Yes, there are some narrow sections and deep fall aways but it's definitely doable. We met a caravan coming the other way right on a bend with the caravan doing the full sway. Thankfully it wasn't on the super narrow bit as that could have been awkward :-)

Lou

Yes - the road is narrow in places - very much so. If you look further than the next corner, you can see by a dust cloud if anyone is coming. Now, just because you don't see dust doesn't mean there are no cars, and in places you simply cannot see anyway, but for the most part of the trip it is possible to cover this road safely. The key message is to drive slowly and look well ahead when you can. I have driven this road on and off for 54 years now, and even though I fairly well know each bend, I assume that there is someone coming towards me in the middle of the road - that is where they drive. A camper trailer is not normally much wider than a 4WD and accordingly should present no problems at all.

Not sure which way you intend to travel, but there is a steep climb if heading North out of the valley past Jacobs River. In many ways, I think this is more dangerous than the descent into Suggan Buggan from the South. The road surface ie normally much smoother and less rocky and people tend to scoot along a lot faster there. There are no guard rails anywhere along the road.

Good camp sites down along the river. I imagine there will be quite a few campers down there early April.

If you want a really scary road, take the turnoff to McKillops Bridge. That road is very narrow and of course no guard rails. But if you do take this road, go from the West towards the bridge, and you will be on the inside (cliff) side. Excellent campsite at the bridge.

It is simply a matter of taking your time and looking well ahead when you can and you should have no problems at all. Be prepared to travel no more than 30 km/h on the narrow bendy sections, but once down on the flat, 70 km/h is quite feasible. Brumbies and other wildlife are the problem then and I would not go any faster than 70 anywhere along the road with or without a trailer.

Just a thought; would night time be a better time to travel? Less or no other traffic and headlights would be seen long before the other vehicle appears.