First trip to the snow

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Originally Posted by worane

Is the Pacific Highway all duel carriage way now? (Syd/ Bris}

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A lot of it is, but the stretch from around Ballina to Corindi (South of Grafton) Still isn't, and it has got to be one of the worst major roads in the country.

There is a lot of road work going on there now.

Don't forget south of Coffs until the Oxley turnoff at Port Macquarie is mostly 80 kmh roadworks. There are only a few divided stretches, notably at Kempsey.
Be aware northbound at Kempsey where the divided highway ends the speed goes back to 70 kph and there will usually be a highway patrol car there!

I recently came back from the blues fest via Byron hinterland, waterfall/thunderbolts way, Armidale, Barrington tops, scone and then M7- Canberra.. Real zig zag but was home in 2 nights and some great out of the way places. I would highly recommend staying at willow vale north of Scone, the pub there has a great restaurant and very very good, affordable rooms.
As for alpine diesel, fill up in Canberra, it's about 15-20c a litre cheaper than jindy, Hume Caltex on the Monaro hwy is the last one on the way out and will obviously still have alpine diesel, your coolant will already be up to task.

Another cheaper alternative is to simply pour 500ml of Kerosene into your tank every time you fill up. It will do the same thing as the more expensive "winter diesel".....

Still a lot of roadworks in progress on the Pacific Hwy.

A very scenic alternative to part of the New England Hwy is Buckets Way and Thundeebolts Way - via Gloucester and Walcha. Shorter, much less traffic and a pleasant relaxing drive.

I generally do the Sydney to Brisbane segment in one day these days, but if you are looking for some places to stop then Girraween National Park near Stanthorpe is a nice spot with camping areas for tents and camper trailers/caravans. If you are looking for something slightly more challenging then Sundown National Park is also a good camping spot, you can get a good offroad camper trailer in there, I wouldn't take a caravan in though.

If you just want a bed for the night I like staying in Tenterfield and I stay at the Settlers Motor Inn, it is nothing flash, it is a good old fashioned basic motel, but very clean and comfortable and a great owner and just good basic value, he even washes your windscreen for you early in the morning before you get up if you don't leave too early. Also always have dinner at the Sing Wah Chinese restaurant on the Main Street. It is surprisingly good for country Chinese.

If you are heading South from Brisbane Tenterfield is the right distance if you are going to leave in the afternoon and just want a head start on the rest of the trip in the morning. On the way back if you are leaving from Sydney it is the right distance if you don't have the stamina for a full 12 hours on the road and prefer to stop a bit early, or if you are a bit late getting away from Sydney and don't want to drive into the evening leaving you an easy 3 or so hours left for the morning.

If you were leaving from Canberra it would be a good stopping point after a pretty long day of around 10-12 hours driving.

This thread is useful for me to plan my travels from Brisbane to the upcoming D3/D4 weekend. [emoji2]

Thanks,
Scott

I would definitely recommend you attend to your fuel if you are staying overnight or longer in the snowfield area. As a regular to the snowfields, diesel gelling is real and can certainly ruin your plans for departure when it occurs.


The easiest way is to buy Alpine Diesel at Jindabyne, the alternative is to carry some additive (commercial or kero) with you, but this is just another bit of stuff to carry on holidays.


My advice would be to buy a single tank full of Alpine diesel in Jindabyne and keep it all simple.


There will be support crews around to "warm" your engine/fuel system for you if you get stuck in a sudden cold snap - but they make a handsome income from this!

I have spent a fair bit of time up at the snow over the years.

At most servos in alpine areas you will be able to buy an actual additive for your diesel, rather than just buying "Alpine Diesel" from the pump. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you are parking up top overnight. there have been several instances of cheeky servos not putting the correct amount of additive in their diesel, and its a real inconvenience when it freezes. (Ask how i know.)

Also, if you get a chance, Have your glow plugs tested before you head off. On my TDV6, only 2 of them are working. it was very reluctant to start in -2 (-7 overnight) but got there thanks to a strong battery (another thing to consider, carry jump leads).

if your car is well maintained, you should be fine, just the extreme cold will exaggerate any problems you do have. I got quoted $700 to do all 6 glow plugs, still yet to do it.

Enjoy the good snow!!