Ivanhoe to Menindee Road
Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 28, 2007 at 21:37
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Warrie
Evening all. Thinking that an alternate route to
Broken Hill from
Sydney might be more interesting than the Barrier Hwy, autumn showers permitting. Hoping to
camp near what little water is left in the
Menindee system. Any thoughts/experience on the road conditions or should I stay a tar - hugger on the way to the Flinders. Have Pathfinder and old van so not worried about a bit of dust. Cheers, Warrie
Reply By: Dave198 - Wednesday, Mar 28, 2007 at 22:44
Wednesday, Mar 28, 2007 at 22:44
Warrie, that road varies a lot due to weather conditions and maintainence.
If it has rained along there and there has been traffic on it at the time,
well, it's going to be cut up. (has been raining along there tonight AFIK)
Not too sure how often the graders get along there to clean it up, so before you commit yourself to that road, I would ring and see what the road is like.
Maybe they can help at this number.
Tourist Information Ivanhoe
Post Office Columbus St Ivanhoe NSW 2878
Telephone: (02) 6995 1140.
Dave
AnswerID:
230360
Follow Up By: slave - Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 10:37
Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 10:37
Thanks Dave.
Weather permitting we are planning on travelling that road next week so will take that number and give them a ring before we make any descions on the route we take.
We will be in the
Broken Hill /
Menindee area for 2 weeks and that will be extended if the roads are closed when we have to come
home. If I am really lucky I will get to go to
Broken Hill for one night.... LOL
Mrs S
FollowupID:
491251
Follow Up By: Member - Hayjude (NSW) - Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 15:53
Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 15:53
If you are travelling on the weekend and they are closed phone the Service Station at
Menindee, they are open 7 days a week from 7am to 6pm on 08 80914297. They should have an up to date report on what the road is like.
FollowupID:
491290
Follow Up By: slave - Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 17:02
Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 17:02
Thanks Heyjude
On Saturday we will be travellingfrom
Mildura to our first destination on the
Menindee -
Wilcannia Rd via
Pooncarie.
Monday we are going to Dubbo to visit the zoo and returning to the
Menindee -
Wilcannia via Ivanhoe. This is all depending on road/weather conditions but so far they are looking good.
Site Link
If things change we will go th
plan B.
Mrs S
FollowupID:
491309
Follow Up By: Member - Hayjude (NSW) - Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 10:43
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 10:43
Where on the
Menindee Wilcannia Rd are you planning on staying? and are you really planning on driving to Dubbo and then back? That's a long drive with not much in between. Most boring road to travel on in my opinion.
Pooncarie to
Menindee Road is very rough with lots of bulldust in
places,
Menindee to Ivanhoe Rd is in pretty good nick and
Menindee to
Wilcannia (both sides of river) are fairly rough as
well. Save travel and have fun.
FollowupID:
491442
Follow Up By: slave - Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 10:55
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 10:55
Slaves cousin has a small property on the
Menindee -
Wilcannia Rd and we are staying there.
Yep driving to Dubbo, see the zoo and then go to
Parkes to see the dish and turn around and head back. If the road is boring it will still be a diferent boring to what we have seen before, another reason to take a different route on the way back.
We traveled the
Pooncarie -
Menindee road in Sept 2005 and it was pretty good at the time but it had been closed shortly before due to rain.
Mrs S
FollowupID:
491444
Follow Up By: Member - Hayjude (NSW) - Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 12:20
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 12:20
I grew up in
Menindee and Dad had the mail run from there up one side of the river to
Wilcannia and down the other side twice a week. Used to love going for a drive and giving him a hand. Knew all the station owners and their kids and loved camping at every opportunity we could. Most have sold and moved on now but some still remain.
FollowupID:
491455
Follow Up By: slave - Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 12:30
Friday, Mar 30, 2007 at 12:30
Cousins place doesn't fall into the catagory of station, a bit small for that. It has been in the family for about 30 years so it probably isn't hard to work out which one it is. It is probably the only one on the western side that never had mail delivered.
Mrs S
FollowupID:
491458
Follow Up By: slave - Monday, Apr 16, 2007 at 17:19
Monday, Apr 16, 2007 at 17:19
Thanks Dave and Heyjude for your advice.
We have just returned
home from our 2 weeks away and had a great time. The trip to Dubbo was long and boring just like Heyjude said. We went back via Ivanhoe and did it over 2 nights which was better.... at last the roeds had bends in them.
The
Pooncarie Menindee road was really dusty, and in much worse condition than it was 18 months ago.
Heyjude this time we met the owners of Rochdale and the previous owner of Black
gate. Previously we had met the owners of Black
Gate and Bookameena. We were staying on Balaka.
Mrs S
FollowupID:
494688
Reply By: curious - Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 20:10
Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 20:10
Went that way at Xmas 2006 and followed the railway line from
Parkes to
Broken Hill. As others have noted, stay clear if it's rained, Worst section is around 80km east of
Menindee just south of the lakes &
swamp areas - just north of Kaleentha Loop. In one place, rain had cut a 500mm deep channel across the road and had to go bush bashing to get around it. Also some very slippery patches between
Menindee and Darnick where it was best to hug the crown of the road. Towing a van would have been scarey. Seek local advice; interesting and pleasant road if it's dry, take the bitumen if wet.
AnswerID:
230520
Reply By: RichieK - Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 21:57
Thursday, Mar 29, 2007 at 21:57
Drove a rent-a-car Commodore this way years ago, also at
Easter. Camped at Willandra NP (great place) then drove to
Kinchega NP next day via Ivanhoe and Darnick. Quite rough and rocky, thought the car would shake apart at
places, but no real dramas. The
Menindee-
Wilcannia rd the next day was rougher still but heaps of fun (heard the road on eastern side of the river is in better nick due to less traffic). Great country out there, can't wait to re-visit it..
As others say, would be a quagmire in the wet...
Cheers and beers
Rich
AnswerID:
230543
Reply By: Outa Bounds - Monday, Apr 02, 2007 at 12:29
Monday, Apr 02, 2007 at 12:29
We went that way maybe a few months ago with the Cruizer and Camper.
The
Menindee lake system was dry as a bone - lakes, what lakes? Heaps of wildlife to see (kangaroos, emus, lizards). The
Darling river had a reasonable amount of water and some good camping in the national park (
Kinchega) right next to the river (out of
Menindee a bit).
We travelled from
Menindee back to
Cobar (
home) via Ivanhoe & the road was pretty reasonable. Like others have said it would be dependent on rain, there has been a little in the region lately (few puddles still around in
places here in
Cobar) but the area tends to dry out pretty quickly anyway so as long as you're not travelling just after a big bout of rain you should be right.
AnswerID:
231206