18 May 2012

Goulburn - Oberon road?

| joingler
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Hey all,

I’m doing a trip to the Blue Mountains next weekend and am planning to go up via Oberon (google maps says it is slightly quicker to go to Katoomba that way than going up the Hume). Wikipedia says the road is fully sealed and the maps I’ve looked at seem to suggest it is a fairly safe road but I am wondering if any rioters have done the road before and can confirm that it is safe and give me any suggestions on good places to stop (any good eateries in Taralga or Oberon?).

Cheers

JohnH

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Further to John Moulis’s query, No, that road hasn’t improved much. I used to ‘do’ the Canberra to Jervis Bay run every weekend until very recently, and by far the better run, well worth the dog leg, is the route via Tarago, on the Braidwood to Gouldburn road. From Tarago to Nerriga, there is but 3Kms dirt (not aggressive). Heading towards the coast, follow the signs to Nowra, until JB starts appearing on the sign posts. Nerriga to JB (and Nowra) is now fully sealed ..

bigred said :

Re eating, I avoid the deliverance attitude of Oberon.

Duelling banjos?

Did the road a few weeks ago. Had lunch at Tarana pub, then drove home. Nice drive.

Traversed it a few times recently. Leave Katoomba around 12 ish on public holiday Monday and have a seamless trip back to Canberra. Takes around 3hours 20 minutes. A bit more if one stops for food. Road seems to keep improving.

Re eating, I avoid the deliverance attitude of Oberon.

Slightly OT, but on the subject of roads in country NSW does anybody know if anything has been done about the direct route from Braidwood to Jervis Bay? I remember 30 years ago I saw that road on a map and thought “Beauty! Don’t have to go via Batemans Bay and Ulladulla”. I travelled a few km from Braidwood on sealed road when the road suddenly turned into a dangerous dirt goat track. Not only that, there were sharp rocks sticking up in the road meaning it was impossible to drive on without causing serious damage to your car and wheels. I’d like to think money has been spent on it since then to seal it completely and provide a quick, safe drive to JB, but considering how the Kings Highway has remained a dangerous, mostly single lane road for many years I’m not betting on it.

I drove from Canberra to Blackheath via Taralga & Oberon last week. I had always assumed there were parts unsealed but this is no longer the case. Previously we did Boorowa/Cowra/Blayney/Bathurst to get to the upper Blue Mtns but I will be taking this new route from now on. Taralga was a good stop point. Didnt bypass Oberon this time but will be more alert to save more next trip. Extra caution when driving at night as noticed a few more wombat carcasses than what i’ve seen on kings hwy

I thought I’d post this in case anyone else was wondering.

I did the road yesterday and it was excellent. A little bit narrow and windy on either side of the Abercrombie River but apart from that it was great. It took 1hour 45 minutes from Goulburn to Oberon (plus a short break in Black Springs). The road from Oberon to Mt Victoria was shocking (much worse than when I did it when I was 16). This wasn’t helped due to an L plater in front of us the whole way with no overtaking lanes.

I can see it would get very frosty and icy in winter so would never do it then and would never do it at night.

Madam Cholet5:09 pm 20 May 12

dvaey said :

Madam Cholet said :

So, whilst it is a fab drive through the countryside, drive safely.

From your story, it sounds like you started a 4hr drive 5hrs before the wedding? One important thing about these roads, is if you have a very important event to be at, dont cut yourself short on these roads.

Apart from the story you provide about any problems along the road completely disrupting your plans, it also leads to people speeding to make a deadline. Leave a day earlier, dont rush the trip and ‘dont die for a deadline’. If you allow an extra day and your way is blocked, youve got plenty of time to find an alternative route.

No, we came upon the accident at midday and the wedding was due to kick off at 6pm. We had barely an hour to go on our trip – very disappointing, but like I said we had a vomity one year old in the back, no confirmation of a way through for sure and no real desire to set off up the Hume. Understand your point, but can’t really allow for fatals all the time.

Madam Cholet said :

So, whilst it is a fab drive through the countryside, drive safely.

From your story, it sounds like you started a 4hr drive 5hrs before the wedding? One important thing about these roads, is if you have a very important event to be at, dont cut yourself short on these roads.

Apart from the story you provide about any problems along the road completely disrupting your plans, it also leads to people speeding to make a deadline. Leave a day earlier, dont rush the trip and ‘dont die for a deadline’. If you allow an extra day and your way is blocked, youve got plenty of time to find an alternative route.

We went via Oberon to a wedding in Lithgow last year. It’s a beautiful drive, although my wife didn’t like it much because the road can be a bit twisty and narrow in places, and I can understand that there might be a bit of a “Deliverance” feel about being in such remote places if you’ve a city dweller like her. I’m from a rural family and I loved every second of it and would happily do it again.

Watch out for farm driveways though. I was motoring along at about 100 on one of the nicer stretches, and a cocky towing a trailer zoomed down his driveway and pulled out only meters in front of us as though we didn’t exist. I don’t know how he didn’t see us and there wasn’t time to brake, so we had a few interesting seconds as I swerved off into the weeds and roared past him in a cloud of dust and gravel.

I find for destinations west of Katoomba, go via Oberon. To the east, go via Hume. Katoomba it is line ball based on mood and time of travel. The other thing with via Oberon is how dark and lonely it gets – had both headlight bulbs fail out there one night and got home on fogs (and high beam when I could).

Make sure you fill up well. A mate and I ran out of petrol out there once after sundown. Very scary.

It truly is Deliverance country. I swear I heard duelling banjos playing as we hiked through scrub to a distant, run-down farmhouse for help and a local version of Bubba opened the door

Just to further scare you off – there are some still unexplained murders that took place out there years ago. Some suspect Ivan Milat and an unknown accomplice were responsible as Milat was working on road gangs in the Oberon area at the time

But dangers and off-topic scaremongering aside, i reckon it’s still faster than going via the Hume Hwy and Blue Mts

Very Busy said :

I’m not understanding how people can say that the Oberon Road would be a quicker route to Katoomba than the Hume Hwy. It would have to be at least an hour longer in driving time.

The quickest way would be to use the Hume Hwy to the Narellan turnoff and then The Northern Rd up to the M4. You could use the M7 but it would take the same time and you’d need to pay the toll.

By all means the Oberon Rd is a very nice drive but it’s not quicker.

He said he was considering going to the Blue Mountains via Oberon. He didn’t mention Katoomba specifically. Talk about mass confusion!

joingler said :

Very Busy said :

I’m not understanding how people can say that the Oberon Road would be a quicker route to Katoomba than the Hume Hwy. It would have to be at least an hour longer in driving time.

The quickest way would be to use the Hume Hwy to the Narellan turnoff and then The Northern Rd up to the M4. You could use the M7 but it would take the same time and you’d need to pay the toll.

By all means the Oberon Rd is a very nice drive but it’s not quicker.

Just googled it. Going via Oberon is 18km shorter but 38 min longer. The main reason I want to go this way is to visit friends who live at Tarana and I can probably meet them in Oberon.

I do regularly travel to the Penrith area and always use the Northern Road for that.

Every time I have used The Northern Road it is gridlocked and average speed is about 60 km per hour; it’s not quicker than the Taralga way.

Very Busy said :

I’m not understanding how people can say that the Oberon Road would be a quicker route to Katoomba than the Hume Hwy. It would have to be at least an hour longer in driving time.

The quickest way would be to use the Hume Hwy to the Narellan turnoff and then The Northern Rd up to the M4. You could use the M7 but it would take the same time and you’d need to pay the toll.

By all means the Oberon Rd is a very nice drive but it’s not quicker.

I regularly use this road to get to Lithgow, Katoomba and even Mt Wilson. I have largely given up on the Hume Hwy/M7 (or Bringelly Rd)/Great Western Hwy via Lower Blue Mts option – invariably I hit traffic congestion once I get into western Sydney – even if using the M7. The back way is far more pleasant and scenic, but you need to take care at night because of the fog and wombats. If you’re using the road for the first time, go through Oberon and Black Springs, but for future reference be aware there are opportunities to take short cuts once you get over the Abercrombie River (I take the Shooters Hill route).The road via Oberon is fully sealed. Taralga is a nice stop-over for dinner on the way back from the Mts when you’ve got through the fog and wombats. The pub of choice is on the Goulburn side of the town. The Abercrombie River and surrounding area is also super scenic.

misspris said :

Hi JohnH,

I travel this road quite frequently. The road has been sealed all the way through to Oberon and it’s a great drive (it’s pretty popular with motorcyclists). In Taralga either the Taralga Hotel or Melinda’s Cafe are great places to stop for a meal. There are a few nice cafes in Oberon too (there’s a Thai restaurant I’m keen to try) and a wood fired pizza place. If you wanted to pack a picnic you could stop at the Abercrombie River (there are picnic spots either side).

+1

If you are not in a rush, the Taralga-Oberon route is certainly my choice, far less traffic and plenty to see. Don’t forget to stop at the Monkey Bean cafe on the main street of Oberon, serves good food and great coffee.

Very Busy said :

I’m not understanding how people can say that the Oberon Road would be a quicker route to Katoomba than the Hume Hwy. It would have to be at least an hour longer in driving time.

The quickest way would be to use the Hume Hwy to the Narellan turnoff and then The Northern Rd up to the M4. You could use the M7 but it would take the same time and you’d need to pay the toll.

By all means the Oberon Rd is a very nice drive but it’s not quicker.

Just googled it. Going via Oberon is 18km shorter but 38 min longer. The main reason I want to go this way is to visit friends who live at Tarana and I can probably meet them in Oberon.

I do regularly travel to the Penrith area and always use the Northern Road for that.

joingler said :

Thanks guys.
How steep is it compared other roads (Clyde Mtn, Brown Mtn, Macquarie Pass)? Also is the road ridiculously narrow likely Macquarie Pass or is it a proper road?

I’ve done Jenolan Caves before and plan to do it again sometime soon but don’t have time on this trip.

You are not actually crossing a mountain range; rather traversing one. It has steep pinches occassionally but nothing like Brown of Clyde. If you go on to Bathurst there is a steep descent onto the Georges Plains near O’Connell. It is a proper road overall; very enjoyable drive and there is a lovely picnic spot at Black Springs.

If you’re travelling via Taralga-Black Springs-Oberon the only really steep/winding section is the Abercrombie River crossing. The rest is like most country back roads. Some stretches are narrow and without a paved shoulder or marked centre line, but they aren’t what I would call treacherous.

Madam Cholet12:52 pm 18 May 12

We attempted this trip a couple of years ago on our way to a family wedding. Didn’t make it to Jenolan in the end as we happened upon a fatal accident – they literally had just closed the road as we swept around the bend. No way they were going to let us through obviously. We drove 50k’s (or thereabouts) back to Taralga and asked around about other ways to get through. That was the hardest bit as the locals seemed to have barely been to the end of the road! Finally got a suggestion from a local farmer although we couldn’t be sure of the quality of the road and with a one year old in the back who had already vomited I wasn’t game – so missed the wedding. Was not about to trek up to Sydney and then on to Blue Mountains via the Hume at that stage.

So, whilst it is a fab drive through the countryside, drive safely.

I’m not understanding how people can say that the Oberon Road would be a quicker route to Katoomba than the Hume Hwy. It would have to be at least an hour longer in driving time.

The quickest way would be to use the Hume Hwy to the Narellan turnoff and then The Northern Rd up to the M4. You could use the M7 but it would take the same time and you’d need to pay the toll.

By all means the Oberon Rd is a very nice drive but it’s not quicker.

Thanks guys.
How steep is it compared other roads (Clyde Mtn, Brown Mtn, Macquarie Pass)? Also is the road ridiculously narrow likely Macquarie Pass or is it a proper road?

I’ve done Jenolan Caves before and plan to do it again sometime soon but don’t have time on this trip.

I went this way last year in a family sedan – road is sealed all the way except around the Abercrombie River crossing (probably fixed by now). It’s a lot quicker and direct than going via Katoomba but I wouldn’t do it at night. Expect only takeaway and pub food along the way.

There used to be a few kms of unsealed road north of the Abercrobmie River crossing, but that has been sealed in the past couple of years.

If you’re interested in speed and ease of journey, the freeway is the better choice. If you’re looking for a slower scenic drive then take the back road, bearing in mind that it is quite narrow in places. If you have the time I’d recommend bypassing Oberon and going via Jenolan Caves. A lovely drive, but very slow and twisty in places.

It’s a nice road but it is not a quicker way to Katoomba than the Hume Highway. At least, it shouldn’t be – if it is, you’re driving too fast on a windy road!

Hi JohnH,

I travel this road quite frequently. The road has been sealed all the way through to Oberon and it’s a great drive (it’s pretty popular with motorcyclists). In Taralga either the Taralga Hotel or Melinda’s Cafe are great places to stop for a meal. There are a few nice cafes in Oberon too (there’s a Thai restaurant I’m keen to try) and a wood fired pizza place. If you wanted to pack a picnic you could stop at the Abercrombie River (there are picnic spots either side).

We go that way to the Blue Mountains quite regularly. The road is fully sealed and is quicker than the Hume, although windy and quite picturesque in places. We’ve rarely encounter much traffic on the road. You can also save a little bit more time and bypass Oberon by going down (or up – as it’s rather high altitude) Shooters Hill Road which is also fully sealed. But be careful when you exit Shooters Hill Road. It can be a bit confusing and you can end up in Oberon, or worse, Jenolan Caves.

I was in a toyota four runner that rolled on (off…) that road just outside Taralga many years ago.

last time I did that road a few years ago it only had a small amount of unsealed surface left, and that was quickly being finished so I expect it is all done now. Take it easy on the tight windy bits at the rivers, and watch out for ‘roos and wombats and you should have a blast.

I don’t know if it will actually be quicker though. That would be somewhat dependant on traffic.

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