We're driving to the lake this year from Sydney instead of the fly / drive package out of Adelaide.
Looking at the map the best way is down the Hume to Wagga and then across to Mildura and then secondary roads to Port Augusta. Anyone else going this way or advice on alternate or quicker routes?
Lynchy
Driving down to the lake from Sydney
Moderator: DLRA
Paul,
I just checked Google maps (Bringelly to Port Augusta), it won't navigate to the lake.
Looks like that way (Sturt Highway) is about 30 minutes shorter (and 14km further) than via Bathurst/West Wyalong etc (Midwestern Highway). I know that's the way Kevin Saville goes so you could give him a ring.
Fom my place West Wyalong is about an hour and a half shorter than Wagga which seems odd to me, given it doesn't take anywhere near that from here to Bringelly.
Even stranger, if you choose to walk it's 12 days, 5 hours but 100km shorter
Cheers,
Rob
I just checked Google maps (Bringelly to Port Augusta), it won't navigate to the lake.
Looks like that way (Sturt Highway) is about 30 minutes shorter (and 14km further) than via Bathurst/West Wyalong etc (Midwestern Highway). I know that's the way Kevin Saville goes so you could give him a ring.
Fom my place West Wyalong is about an hour and a half shorter than Wagga which seems odd to me, given it doesn't take anywhere near that from here to Bringelly.
Even stranger, if you choose to walk it's 12 days, 5 hours but 100km shorter
Cheers,
Rob
I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.
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David Leikvold
- Posts: 981
- Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:57 pm
- Location: Brisbane
yep
Paul, that's how we did it last year. Try not to take fruit with you after lunch on the first day, fruit fly free zones are everywhere in SA and you'll be chucking away perfectly good fruit if you buy more than you can eat straight away. The first checkpoint you'll find on the way is at Yamba, just over the border in SA. Pack the car so it's easy to show the inspector what you have on board, they will not take your word for it. Stopped the first night in Renmark, about 30km past Yamba, because it was an hour closer to the lake than Mildura, although driving into the setting sun was no fun at all. Make sure you have good quality, scratch-free sunnies for the drive. If you get a really early start it might not be so bad. We left Sydney about 0700. And if you try to pass the time out that way by playing "I spy" the only letters you can use for hours and hours on end are T for truck and N for nothing!
The next morning we headed west via Waikerie, where we took a wrong turn and finished up going on a very slow and winding minor road through the tiny hamlets of Ramco, Qualco and Cadell and then having to take a car ferry across the river into Morgan. The road was OK, it just wasn't the easy way. From Morgan we went through Burra then Spalding and Crystal Brook and then into Port Pirie to get supplies at the excellent Woolworths. Made it to the lake late that afternoon (another drive into the afternoon sun but not as bad) but still had a few hours to set up camp and wander around before it got dark.
Get onto the petrol company websites, they have free excellent trip planners for everyone, especially those with fuel cards, we had Caltex and had fuel almost everywhere we needed it. Shell also has a great network. Last fuel stop in and first stop on the way home was Port Augusta, where we were noticed by Don Noble and Rob in a rent a car. Don was very excited (as were we), Rob looked like the music was starting to get to him! We took a full 20l jerry can just in case the Territory was too thirsty to get us back but it had plenty left over. Stayed the night on the way home in Mildura, plenty of cheap motels there and another hour closer to Sydney.
Just looking at the map again now, it must be nice for the SA members, I'm thinking outbacktrev at Whyalla especially and Old Timer at Clare, having the lake just a short/ish drive from home. Queensland needs a salt lake!
The next morning we headed west via Waikerie, where we took a wrong turn and finished up going on a very slow and winding minor road through the tiny hamlets of Ramco, Qualco and Cadell and then having to take a car ferry across the river into Morgan. The road was OK, it just wasn't the easy way. From Morgan we went through Burra then Spalding and Crystal Brook and then into Port Pirie to get supplies at the excellent Woolworths. Made it to the lake late that afternoon (another drive into the afternoon sun but not as bad) but still had a few hours to set up camp and wander around before it got dark.
Get onto the petrol company websites, they have free excellent trip planners for everyone, especially those with fuel cards, we had Caltex and had fuel almost everywhere we needed it. Shell also has a great network. Last fuel stop in and first stop on the way home was Port Augusta, where we were noticed by Don Noble and Rob in a rent a car. Don was very excited (as were we), Rob looked like the music was starting to get to him! We took a full 20l jerry can just in case the Territory was too thirsty to get us back but it had plenty left over. Stayed the night on the way home in Mildura, plenty of cheap motels there and another hour closer to Sydney.
Just looking at the map again now, it must be nice for the SA members, I'm thinking outbacktrev at Whyalla especially and Old Timer at Clare, having the lake just a short/ish drive from home. Queensland needs a salt lake!
Good, Fast, Cheap, pick any two!
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Pt. Augusta Speed Seekers
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 4:02 pm
- Location: port augusta
Food & Grog
Hi all
When you all get to Port Augusta get your food from the Foodland and your grog from Ians Western Hotel on the westside just over the bridge, tell em Doc sent you and you might get some discount, they sponsor DLRA so lets give em something back
C U all at the salt
Doc Murdock
When you all get to Port Augusta get your food from the Foodland and your grog from Ians Western Hotel on the westside just over the bridge, tell em Doc sent you and you might get some discount, they sponsor DLRA so lets give em something back
C U all at the salt
Doc Murdock
Port Augusta Speed Seekers 1997 Ford EL Falcon
I'd forgotten about Fruit Fly, when I lived in Ceduna we used to ride our bikes down to the fruit fly station and eat our fill of whatever they had "in stock". As kids it was a great lurk.
The first FF stop is actually an honesty bin between Wagga and Narrandera, it's a bin in a parking bay off to the left, well signposted prior. They do random stops of vehicles to check though I've never been stopped to date.
When I drove to Narrandera via Cootamundra, there were no bins, go figure.
Rob
The first FF stop is actually an honesty bin between Wagga and Narrandera, it's a bin in a parking bay off to the left, well signposted prior. They do random stops of vehicles to check though I've never been stopped to date.
When I drove to Narrandera via Cootamundra, there were no bins, go figure.
Rob
I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.
Most likely we'll be leaving Friday the 5th in the early morning or sometime in the morning. We'll drive till we're sick of it and stay in a motel for the night. It would be good to be at the camp either Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Gaz was wanting to help with the scrutineering on Sunday.
Thanks for the directions and pubs of interest. We'll also try to not smuggle any of that nasty fruit across jurisdictions as well. I imagine that it must play havoc with the yoof of South Australia all off their faces on vitamin C at their dance parties! Poor buggers. We never had that problem when I was a kid, my Dad was a Butcher!
Lynchy
Thanks for the directions and pubs of interest. We'll also try to not smuggle any of that nasty fruit across jurisdictions as well. I imagine that it must play havoc with the yoof of South Australia all off their faces on vitamin C at their dance parties! Poor buggers. We never had that problem when I was a kid, my Dad was a Butcher!
Lynchy