Road advice

Hi Varmint,

we haven't done that road for over 12 months so my info isn't real up to date.
The road can be affected by rain and I know it was closed a bit last year.
Maybe give the Ivanhoe Pub a call, 02 6995 1102, and they'll know what's going on.
Not much traffis out there but it's a good drive. When we last drove it the road from Ivanhoe to Menindee was a bit rough but nothing too bad.

I hope that helps,

eighty matey

Any one have the winning lotto number for the 14th of April, what about interest rates for early 2013....... Varmint a lot can happen in 6 months.

Ask the same question 2 weeks before you leave and you will get the response you need.

If you asked for road conditions 3 weeks ago for Northern NSW you would of got "yeah no problems and the roads are good".... look what happened.

I haven't looked at the river height forecasts but it would not surprise me if parts of the Ivanhoe - Menindee Rd were under water between now and July. The flood is more likely closer to July and I would expect it to impact the Menindee end of the road.

Normally that is a reasonable run. Between Hillston and Ivanhoe look for alternative to driving down the middle of the road, the side tracks are often better.

Ivanhoe to Menindee is about 212km and if the road is good should take about 3 hours. If it's bad, who knows?

There will be patches of rough corrugations and bulldust and some of the cattle grids are a bit harsh. That said it is possible to travel at a reasonable speed safely and comfortably. From my experience it is better at the Ivanhoe end.

If it rains, forget it the council will close the road in heavy fog.

Duncs

The Menindee Lakes and the Darling River are pretty well full at present, though I know that a lot of water is currently being released out of the lakes.

The reason for this is the floods that are occurring and have occurred further north [upstream] will add to the water already retained. Also there's a good chance that the Tallywalka Annabranch will flood the country to the east of Menindee and probably inundate the road between Menindee & Ivanhoe. At a guess the road between Menindee & Pooncarie will also be inundated. It usually is when the Darling River floods, so the detour from Darnick to Pooncarie & on to Menindee may also be out.

As you are proposing to travel in July the waters may have abated, but that depends on further rainfall and how much water comes down in the next couple of weeks.

The Shire of Central Darling at beautiful down town Wilcannia will have a road condition report for that area, as it's theirs. You can contact them on 08-80838900 or their road information line on 08-80915155.

I'd be making a Plan B if I were you, which is 'going somewhere else'.

Hope this helps.