Monday, Nov 18, 2019 at 21:38
All 3 of the above involve steep climbs and winding, narrow roads. Having said that, I tow my caravan over 1 and 2 with no dramas - it all depends on what the on-coming driver is doing. Stay on your own side of the road and you will have no problems.
Option 1 is probably the easiest route for the tug. There are some long, slow climbs before the Elliot Way turnoff, and subsequently as
well, and some of these bits are narrow and winding. There is a steady downhill section down to O'Hares (the head of Talbingo Reservoir) and the winding alignment of the road will automatically limit your speed. Even so, use low gear on all steep sections and do not rely on your brakes alone. You will then start to climb up a long (about 10 km)
hill - not too steep and eventually come to the Upper Tumut Switching Station.
Cabramurra is off to the right it you want to go there, otherwise straight on through
Kiandra to
Cooma. No really steep hills from here on...
Option 2 (
Khancoban to
Cabramurra) is marginally shorter than Option 1 (Elliot Way), but involves some steep, very narrow, winding sections. This road is closed during the winter months and then the only real option is the Elliot Way. The road initially follows the 330 kV transmission lines, and is generally straight, except for some short steep winding sections where you climb up a ridge. Then more straight sections of road until you leave the transmission lines. All the way along the transmission lines, be careful for kangaroos, especially in early or late hours of the day. Veer Right, and about 200 m later, you come to a boom
gate (this is closed in winter). From here on, you have a steep climb for about 5 km and after that the worst is over. There are other short pinches, but they are easy. Eventually, you will pass a turnoff the Right which leads to Happy Jacks. This road is gated and closed, but shortly after this , you will start a long descent into
Tumut Pond Dam. This is hard on brakes, so engage low gear and just let the rig crawl down. Many years ago, a tourist bus missed a gear at the top and the driver nearly made it to the bottom, but eventually crashed over the side, stopping just short of the water. Several oldies from
Adelaide were killed and quite a few others injured. Again, take your time and you will have no problems.
Tumut Pond Dam is interesting. There is a
toilet just before the
dam if you need it. The
dam is a 85 m high, concrete arch structure. It is only about 4 m thick at the top and probably 15 m thick at the bottom. It is built as an arch, the water pressure trying to flatten
the arch by pushing the structure harder into the abutments at each side. A few years back, an advertising agency made a commercial for some chocolate bar by doing a forward abseil over the edge to the bottom. I never saw that ad. It is a very L o n g way down to the bottom of the
dam.
Cross
Tumut Pond Dam and a gentle climb takes you to
Cabramurra. You can get coffee in the
general store there or if you want a meal, there is a cafe/worker's mess which serves some hearty meals, especially these days with Snowy 2.0 construction under way. From
Cabramurra, you have one major climb (not difficult at all except if it is icy and it is effectively all downhill from there to
Cooma.
Option 3 (The Alpine Way) is not recommended for caravans, although they are not specifically outlawed. This road has several really long, hard slogs on the way, and is not my choice. Spectacular scenery (if it is not cloudy), and indeed a spectacular road, but not with a caravan.
Fuel is available at Corryong,
Adaminaby and
Cooma, nowhere else on these routes.
Going via Tumut and up the
Snowy Mountains Highway involves a lengthy detour, and the climb up Talbingo Mountain is very steep and slow. Your rig will do the job, but I think that the easiest route it Option 1 or 2. Any route over the mountains involves climbs, descents and winding roads, but keep to your own side of the road, take it easy and any of these roads can be handled safely. Your tug will handle the load OK (as long as the cooling system is in good condition).
I have prepared a set of route notes describing points of interest en route (18 pages long) and if you are interested, pm me and I'll email you a copy.
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