Cape York road conditions?
Submitted: Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 10:48
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Ford Rodeo
Can someone who has been on the Cape in the last few weeks give me a road condition report. Have been up there the last two years as a comparison and am leaving in 71hrs and14 minutes!! (Who's counting....LOL)
Thanks
Phill
Reply By: ferris - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 11:25
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 11:25
Phill,
I came back from up that way 3 or 4 weeks ago. Apart being from heavily corrugated in
places (as usual), the roads were fine.
Keep the shiny side up.
Ferris
AnswerID:
260676
Reply By: Wontok - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 12:38
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 12:38
Just got back was up there about ten days ago. The OTT is quite corrugated,which I have head is normal. The development road is OK , again corrugsted, but they seem to be doing a lot of work on it
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Reply By: Lochmonster - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 13:00
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 13:00
I'm hearin' ya Phil, 16 and a wakey for me. Started counting 430 sleeps ago. But really, who cares about the road conditions, as long as you and the vehicle is as prepared as can be, the adventure is in the unknown.
See you up there.
Grey 91 GQ towing a camper and a late mod white Prado towing a camper, and big cheezy grins.
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Follow Up By: Member - Reiner G (QLD) 4124 - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 20:52
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 20:52
17 days to go for us.......might see you up there :-)
Reiner
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Follow Up By: Ford Rodeo - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 21:10
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 21:10
Only 3 sleeps for us but we are travelling form Melb and are staying at
Inskip Point for a few days then up the coast to meet 6 other vehicles in
Townsville on the 20th or thereabouts.
Hang on...................64hrs and 48mins to go!!!! LOL
ACE!!!
Phill
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Reply By: Member -Signman - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 14:17
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 14:17
Just take the Eastern drop into Gunshot...and from the South !!
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Follow Up By: Lochmonster - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 14:54
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 14:54
Thanks for the heads-up Signman, however, having negotiated gunshot 2 years ago, I'm erring on the side of caution and taking the inner bypass through Heathlands. Mainly because of the camper hitched up. I know I said 'adventure' earlier on, but that also entails taking no unnecesary risks.
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Reply By: Ford Rodeo - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 21:11
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 21:11
Thanks for the info.
CANT WAIT!!!!!
Phill
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Reply By: vcbb - Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 22:00
Thursday, Sep 06, 2007 at 22:00
We did it about 4 weeks ago (after doing the
Savannah Way from WA)
The first diversion has lots of serious corrugations, suggest doing the telegraph track and only the the small (25km) diverion around gunshot,
water levels should be down by now
I also dropped the tyre pressure down to 30 for the trip back and made a huge difference
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Follow Up By: Lochmonster - Friday, Sep 07, 2007 at 14:08
Friday, Sep 07, 2007 at 14:08
Tyre pressures are a big one. Did you have much weight on board? Trailer? What pressures did you use for the OTL?
Apparently one of the major causes of corrugations is too hard a tyre pressure. A good example is sand tracks and operators not deflating tyres enough. Result...bad corrugations. Wheel spin is another cause, especially accelerating away from slow points, obstacles, etc. Maybe if we all run a lower pressure, corrugations might give up, grow a set of legs and leave 'ey?
Cheers
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Follow Up By: vcbb - Friday, Sep 07, 2007 at 15:12
Friday, Sep 07, 2007 at 15:12
we had a Navara STR which pretty full, with
water 2 tyres, 2 jerry cans, rooftop tent and firdges etc. We didnt tow anything. OTL we ran 30, then from
townsville to
leonora we ran 34.
Had desert duellers 693's
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522286
Reply By: marq - Friday, Sep 07, 2007 at 21:16
Friday, Sep 07, 2007 at 21:16
Just got to the blacktop from up there.
North on OTL if your doing Gunshot.
The roads north of southern mid-bypass (ie north of the gunshot bypass) is full on corrugations - drop the tyre pressures to <24psi to help.
We came across a 4wd on it's side with people badly hurt on the better dirt section - SLOW DOWN WHEN PASSING OTHERS! (they were going about 80? and could not see the small dips in the road due to dust of another vehicle going the other way and they lost control going onto the other side of the road - imagine if you were following and there was a headon)
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