Hunter Valley to Longreach, looking for suggestions.
Submitted: Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 10:28
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Member - Fred G (NSW)
Morning all, looking to do a loop from the Hunter Valley to
Longreach and back, bypassing the coast in April next year, approximately 14 days available to us. Just wondering if any members have done one similar recently. Any information and hints greatly appreciated. Would like to take in
Toowoomba on this trip.
Reply By: PBob - Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 10:47
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 10:47
Go up via either Coonamble, Lightening Ridge etc., or
Bourke,
Cunnamulla, as you can move along easily out there and knock over a few Ks, so as you can have a bit more time up north. Take the back road from
Blackall to
Isisford to be different.
Come back via Carnavon Gorge and across to Biloela, Murgon etc and down to
Toowoomba - a pretty drive. From
Toowoomba you can take your pick as to either home via the
New England Hwy, or acrss to
Goondiwindi and down.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Fred G (NSW) - Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 10:55
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 10:55
Thanks Bob, do you reckon 14 days is OK or pushing it a bit?
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Follow Up By: Member - vivien C (VIC) - Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 11:45
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 11:45
Fred,
I agree with PBob to head west first and then come back via
Carnarvon Gorge. There is so much to see out there. I can recomment the Woolscour at
Blackall as an interesting place.
At
Ilfracombe there is a small museum dedicated to the Light Horsemen and their horses. It's on a side street and if you ask someone will give directions. We found it a touching tribute.
Emerald is a big, vibrant place.
Fairbairn Dam has
camping and although low, is still a marvellous sight.
After you leave
Carnarvon Gorge there is a loop road that takes you through an area called
Arcadia and brings you back onto the road through Sunrise Np..you can
camp here and its just a bit North of
Injune.
Injune has a grassy, clean caravan
park too.
If you went from
Roma across to
Miles and then to
Chinchilla there is good
camping at the weir to the south of
Chinchilla.
Last year we came from
Toowoomba across to Inglewood and then to Texas. From there we went Inverell to
Uralla (Captain Thunderbolt country..in fact I think they call the road Thunderbolt Way). From
Uralla to
Walcha and then to
Gloucester. It was a really good drive and good roads.
You can
camp at
Pindari Dam near
Ashford and
Copeton Dam near Inverell.
Best wishes and hope some of that helps
Viv
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Follow Up By: Member - Fred G (NSW) - Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 13:27
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 13:27
Thanks for your tips Viv. April can't come quick enough. Good to hear from folks who have done the area. We did a loop from the Hunter via
Echuca, the Murray,
Mildura, up to
Broken Hill,
White Cliffs and back via Coonabarabran in Sept, 20 days, had a ball.
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Reply By: PBob - Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 11:10
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 11:10
Easy, we went up there last year for two weeks and added a fair bit more. (Towing a camper). Dare I say it, once a few years back, we left
Mudgee early in the morning, and pulled up that night in
Longreach by dinner time. As you can imagine, two drivers and we basically didn't stop. not suggesting this, but if you take the western roads and keep moving along, you can knock over early in the trip a fair few Ks., which allows you more time further down the track.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Steve - Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 20:40
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 20:40
we did it last year from the Central Coast - so you have an hour up your sleeve on us. Stayed in
Nindigully (top recommendation) for the first night and
Isisford (an hour or so from
longreach) for the second.
Nindigully was a top place to o/night and if you don't want to set up everything for cooking, I swear you'll get the biggest steak you've ever seen in the pub. (you
camp within the grounds of the pub - nice & quiet after everone's been fed) we stayed at
Isisford and ambled on to
Longreach afterwards. Two good day's drive (8/9 hrs max) will see you there. We went far beyond
Longreach in 17 days but should've really taken longer. Not that we raced around but probably didn't relax enough in between. Such are the demands on our time. 14 days is not unreasonable for
Longreach but more time is always nicer.
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Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 21:54
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 at 21:54
Fred,
Agree that it would take about 2 days to
Longreach, the short way.
Another option is to continue west, at either
Cunnamulla, or
Charleville, and go across to
Quilpie, then onto
Windorah. From
Windorah you follow the
Thomson River up to
Longreach, via
Jundah &
Stonehenge. This is all bitumen, through some different terrain. Does get a bit boring once you're near
Longreach, with the open downs.
Also it's only an hour & half across to
Winton, where there's
Waltzing Matilda centre & museum and the newly opened truck museum.
Winton is the friendliest town in the west!!! Meals @ Matilda centre are tops!
From
Longreach, on way back, you could go down to
Tambo, turn off the Landsborough H'way, and head across to
Springsure. Some really picturesque scenery through parts of this road, and as it's gravel, in parts, you can poke along and smell the roses. From
Springsure, it's not too far across to
Rolleston, and then down to
Injune,
Roma & into NSW. Another good road is from around
Theodore, south to
Miles, then to
Goondiwindi?? Or
Toowoomba.
Hooroo...
Bob
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Follow Up By: furph - Monday, Nov 12, 2007 at 07:46
Monday, Nov 12, 2007 at 07:46
If you decide to include Quilpie/
Windorah (highly recommended) go straight ahead Qu. to
Eromanga (furthest town from the sea) then north from the pub via Kyabra waterholes. This is a top
camp spot.
The road continues to meet the Wind. rd. at
Thylungra, original location of the Duracks.
Really love that outback country.
There is another way through Keeroongooloo station, but can be a bit washed out and dusty.
If you see Scott at the Er. pub, he could tell you about the opal fields out there.
furph
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