Driving from Sydney to Alice Springs for GTG 09

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

I thought I would write up a blurb for those thinking of driving via the Barrier HWY to get to the GTG in July 2009, I will do it in two parts. Basically the first part covers Sydney to Port Augusta. The sond part will be Port Augusta to Ross River via Alice Springs.

So for Part 1:

Well I drive return trips regularly from Alice Springs to Newcastle and Sydney, it usually takes me two days to do the trip one way.
As for the best route, well imo, I find the much better route is to go via the Barrier HWY. From Sydney up to Dubbo, then Nyngan, across to Cobar, Broken Hill to Pt Augusta.

Remember if you are thinking of taking fruit, just make sure you consume it before the inspection stations, there is a random inspection station on the eastern side of Broken Hill. But there is a mandatory inspection station at Oodla Wirra in S.A.

Be wary of the wildlife on the road in the early mornings and late afternoons, usually roos and emus on the Barrier HWY. You will see lots of goats especially around the McCullochs Range before Wilcannia. Actually from Cobar through to Wilcannia has heaps of goats and some sheep. However the goats are pretty road savvy so you don't normally have to worry about hitting them.

No need to overload the car with food etc as there are plenty of places along the way to stop and get stuff to eat. I do recommend a portable drink cooler.

I find the most boring part of the trip is the section between Dubbo and Nyngan, but that is just me.

If you were looking for places to stay the night instead of trying to rough it in the car then I can recommend a couple of places that I stay in. In Cobar there is the Town & Country Motor Inn, they have a reasonable restaurant as well. In Broken Hill I recommend the Outback Villas their website is http://www.outbackvillas.com.au/ and they have two bedroom villas that are quite comfy with AUSTAR and Maccas is just down the road there is also a servo next to Maccas. In Port Augusta I recommend the Standpipe Motor Inn http://www.standpipe.com.au/page.asp?pa ... rent2id=35 ( now part of the Best Western chain). If you plan on being there on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday they have a reduced room rate which was always known as the Gold Card rate, it is still available but now known as the weekend getaway and is still 33% off but to get this rate yu need to ring the motel direct and ask for it. They also have a fantastic Indian restaurant there and you get a free drink voucher from reception when staying the night and eating at the restaurant. I generally see what time it is when I get to Broken Hill if I have not prebooked anywhere. If it is Xmas time you will have useable light up till 8:30pm and don't forget that you set your time back 30 mins at Broken Hill. It will take you about 3.5 hours to get from Broken Hill to Port Augusta.

Back to the route, from Broken Hill you head to Peterborough, the turn off to Peterborough is about 7km after Oodla Wirra. From Peterborough you head for Wilmington then you jump over the range through horrocks pass and drop down into Port Augusta.

Remember to give Roadtrains some notice of your intent to pass them, they will try harder to keep their rigs from swaying if you turn your lights on when approaching and hang back to get a good view of the road ahead, remember these rigs are up to 57.5 metres long so you need a good overtaking distance.

As for fixed speed cameras the only fixed speed cameras between Dubbo And Port Augusta are located at the southern approach to Nyngan, eastern approach at Broken Hill and the western side of Yunta in S.A. Once in Port Augusta there are red light cameras at the lights west of Maccas and speed cameras on the bridge. However it is always advisable to stick to the speed limits especially 100 k's either side of Manna Hill in SA.

The cameras at Nyngan & Broken Hill are the heavey vehicle cameras but I am not sure if these can also be used as fixed speed cameras now as well which is why I mentioned them.

Things to include in your car besides your comfort items I believe you should have a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. Hopefully you will not need them for yourself but I have had to use mine on occasions at accidents I have come upon. Also the standard recovery gear always comes in handy for pulling tourists out of trouble. :lol:

Oh and don't swerve to save a lizard or some other little critter on the road, I know it sounds crass but better to take them out then take yourself out. I have repeatedly come across single vehicle roll overs that ended up this way cause the driver swerved violently to miss a lizard or some such critter.

Toilet Facilities are always the things that are the great unknowns when traveling, some can be nightmares especially in the outback. So allow me to give you some of the better ones along the route from Dubbo to Port Augusta:

1. Nyngan main street http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=e ... 3&t=h&z=19
2. Cobar Shell Servo ( Hit and miss with this one, sometimes very good and sometimes not so good. Has been recently renovated.)
3. Emmdale – Basically a thunderbox but usually clean and useable http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=e ... 6&t=h&z=16
4. Spring Hill – another thunderbox but basically clean and useable google map location http://maps.google.com.au/?ie=UTF8&ll=- ... 6&t=h&z=18
5. Broken Hill – Maccas or the shopping centre across from Maccas are the picks.
6. Cockburn – NSW SA Border – the pub/roadhouse toilets are okay http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=e ... 6&t=h&z=18
7. Manna Hill – Public toilets are usually well maintained.
8. Yunta – The roadhouse toilets are usually clean
9. Peterborough – the toilets in the centre of town on the main street are kept clean but are locked after a certain time on dusk http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=e ... 3&t=h&z=17 If needed there are another set of public toilets on the northern end of the main street which are usually in good condition. http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=e ... 6&t=h&z=18 the green area is the park with the toilet block. To get to Pt Augusta you take the Ooroo Rd just past this park.

You should be good to get to Port Augusta Maccas from there or the motel in Port Augusta.

More info to come in this thread.

Cheers

Mav

[dirttracker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dirttracker]

Re: Driving from Sydney to Alice Springs for GTG 09

Thanks Mav,
I look forward to the second half.

Could you also add some realistic time estimates as well. I am looking to get to the turn off to the Simpson by driving 4.00 pm Sydney on a Friday. I hope to get to meet others for the crossing west to east on Sunday. Any suggestions for timing and meeting place?

Thanks again for all your hard work on the GTG it is most impressive. Could use it for promotion at work!!!!!

Martin

ps: Delivered the camper to the shipping company to go the Darwin today. The guy will pick it up and take it to Groote Island after that! It has been a long process, but my end is all finished and the money is in the bank.

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

Re: Driving from Sydney to Alice Springs for GTG 09

Martin, I am not sure as to where you are intending to meet up with the folks coming back from the GTG to do the Simpson crossing so you will have to give me a point and I can give you reasonably accurate times.

From Sydney it is a slow journey to Dubbo due to the 80 km/hr zones and traffic etc. Reckon on 5 hours, my recommendations for accommodation in Dubbo is definitely the Cattlemans Motor Inn. They have just opened their latest appartments, I was their first to stay in one of them and it was just superb in fact you would not find a better appartment in the heart of Sydney. I usually eat at the Dubbo RSL club as they do a good cheap meal.

If you leave at sun up the next day then it will be nearly 7am due to the time of year. It will take you 2.75 hours to get to Cobar from Dubbo, highly recommend that you take the time to take a break at Cobar to refresh etc. It is then 4 hours to Broken Hill from Cobar. The place in the middle is Wilcannia but my advice would be to plan not to stop in Wilcannia. That is the reason I have given the toilet rest stops in the first post so there would be no need to stop in Wilcannia. On the approach to Wilcannia you will travel over the Darling flood plain for about for about 6 km. It is impressive if you ever get to see this in flood as we have done.

Broken Hill is good for lunch even though it will be after midday when you arrive, follow the road signs to Adelaide then when you get to the Silverton roundabout, which is the last roundabout on the western side of BH make a left turn off the roundabout and head down that road about 2 km and you will see Maccas and a largish shopping mall. There is a servo and tyre place there as well.

When you leave BH it will be a quick 30min drive to reach the NSW/SA border at Cockburn. Not much there except a roadhouse but I have stopped there on a few occasions to get drinks etc and use the toilets. Not a bad roadhouse. From Cockburn the next stop if needed is Manna Hill for toilet break it will take about an hour to reach Manna Hill. Then comes Yunta and Oodla Wirra before turning off to Peterborough. From BH to Port Augusta you are looking at 3.5 to 4 hours depending on how long you stop at different places.

Cheers

Mav

[dirttracker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dirttracker]

Re: Driving from Sydney to Alice Springs for GTG 09

Thanks Mav,
It looks like it is going to be a stiff trip. We have not decided where the muster point will be but from your estimates I would think that it will be possible to get somewhere there for Sunday.
Martin

[Big Fella Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Fella]

Re: Driving from Sydney to Alice Springs for GTG 09

Thanks for that Mav. I have been trying to do my own research on the Sydney to Alice trip for the PP GTG. It would be great to meet up with a few other PP'ers from NSW and do it all together. Looking forward to more information.

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

Re: Driving from Sydney to Alice Springs for GTG 09

Sorry for the late update for this thread but my family seems to be plagued with sickness of one kind or another. Anyway I will cover the stretch from Port Augusta up to Alice in this part.

So you are leaving Pt Augusta at sunrise, I highly recommend not starting out before sunrise as there can be a lot of animal life on the stretch of road from P.A. to Pimba, Lots of chances for photo stops along this stretch of road but it will take you about 1.5 hours to reach Spuds Roadhouse at Pimba. Spuds has grown over the years and there are now good public toilets in the dirt compound. Usually you will find a good number of vans etc there up till about 8 am. You can get basic supplies at Spuds and it is a Shell roadhouse, they do meals and have a bar etc. I know Spud as a friend even though he is not assosciated with the roadhouse now but works as a bus driver where I work.

Okay enough time spent at Spuds, now you will be heading the 113 km's to Glendambo. Again a good place to stop for a self made cuppa is Lake Hart which will be on your right hand side. Quite a scenic spot and good photo opportunities. Once you reach Glendambo you will have the choice of the BP or Mobile servos and there is accommodation facilities at the Glendambo hotel/tourist centre. For toilet facilities the Mobile servo wins hands down the BP ones are attrocious. There are toilets in the hotel/pub that are good too however they are not always open in the early mornings. Both the BP and Mobile servos do food and drinks.

Okay now it is on to Coober Pedy, personally I do not like this stretch of road as I find it extremely boring mainly due to doing it so many times. The distance between Glendambo and C.P. is 254km and there is bugger all in between. There is a wayside stop at Bon Bon which is 77 km north of Glendambo but it is just a rest area with a thunderbox toilet. On this stretch of road you will find yourself driving on an RFDS emergency airstrip. You will know when you are on it as the road becomes really wide and it has the usual markings associated with a runway.

Be aware that the Stuart HWY is a roadtrain route and some of them can be monsters such as the Linfox petrol roadtrains, when overtaking these goliaths just be sure to give the drivers notice of you being there by turning on your lights and staying far enough back from them so they can see youare there. Most drivers will try extra hard to manage the swaying of the rear trailers which can be dificult if there is a strong cross wind. Give yourself plenty of clear road ahead to overtake as roadtrains can be 54.5 metres in length.

Okay Coober Pedy is an interesting town and you may want to make this an overnight stop depending on how you are travelling. Personally we like to stay at the Mud Hut as they have the best apartment accommodation in town and a nice restaurant as well. It is definitely better quality than the Desert Cave, which I will no longer recommend to people, and it is superior to the Opal Inn. There are of course cheaper underground motels in Coober Pedy so these may be more to your liking. The caravan park on the way into the CBD just after you pull off the Stuart HWY is pretty good and has its own pizzaria.

The Ampol servo across the road from the Opal Inn is very good as far as servos go, I recommend using the actual servo toilets inside rather than the ones associated with the adjoining restaurant as they are shared with the Greyhound bus terminal and can often be in a poor state of cleanliness.

Next stop up the road depends on how far you want to drive without a break. You have the choice of either stopping at Cadney Park Roadhouse or going on to Marla. We never stop at Cadney as we find it is just to close to Marla for us to worry about stopping there. However Cadney does have a basic campground etc for those that want to or need to stay overnight. Marla is 77 km further on from Cadney Park, here you will find a supermarket, post office, tavern, restaurant, accommodation and cafe as well as a Mobile servo. It is all one big complex, the best toilets are inside not the ones marked as public toilets outside. Go in through the doors to the cafe and just keping waling as if to go behind the cafe, you will see a hallway and the toilets are down it.

Okay, well now you are going to head north again to cross the S.A./N.T. border which is 150kms north of Marla. Not much of note here except a roadside rest area where you can take the obligitory border photo. :lol: 20 km up the road is the Kulgera roadhouse where you will find a servo, pub and cafe eats. There is a toilet block there but it can be a hit & miss affair ( Literally ) if you find them okay to use. A better option if you can hold out long enough is to head for Erldunda Roadhouse which again is 77 kms up the road. Here you will find a caravan park, cafe, tavern, servo and some interesting things like a big Echidna and emus to keep the kids amused.

Once you have reached Erldunda you can do one of two things, you can either keep heading up the Stuart HWY to Alice Springs which is 199kms north or you can take the Lassetter HWY out to Ayers Rock or Kings Canyon. For this exercise I am surmising that you are coming to the GTG so I will continue with the journey north to Alice.

So after leaving Erldunda you continue heading north and approximately 80 kms from Alice Springs you will come upon Stuarts Well Roadhouse, I highly recommend a stop at this roadhouse. Here you will find a caravan park, restaurant, pool, toilets, animal compound, camel farm and of course home to Dinky the singing Dingo, http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=LpO5yZ71BNE , always goes down well with the kids.

Now it is the final run into Alice Springs for those who wish to stock up before heading out to the GTG at Ross River Resort. Alice is really just another big town these days so you will find that there is a Woolies mall and a Coles complex to shop at depending on who you favour.

Once you have completed the shopping you will have to head back through the Gap which you came through to enter Alice Springs and take the second turning to the left, turn right at the roundabout over the bridge and head out on the Ross HWY to the resort. Oh you will know when you have reached the resort as the road stops at it :lol: .

Once you are at the resort just ask the reception for the way to the Pradopoint camping area and they will provide you with directions.

Cheers

Mav