tactile
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Post by tactile on Nov 16, 2022 13:36:54 GMT 10
I think most people expect the Newell to be a bit ordinary...it gets washed away every couple of years and NSW don't want to fund major upgrades because it's main beneficiaries are Qld & VIC! I find it interesting that the roads north & south of NSW (connecting the Newell) are pretty good but NSW is pretty second rate.
On my way back from Coonabarabran I headed more towards the divide - turned off at Dubbo and went via Wellington, Cowra, Wagga, Aubury etc. The roads were better but it made you complacent because the potholes in the good roads were usually doosies and you aren't ready for them. In some ways it was worse than the Newell. At least on that road there's nothing to look at and you can focus on the roads! Lots of nice scenery and properties on the trip home.
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bug
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Post by bug on Nov 20, 2022 8:59:18 GMT 10
The Victorian govt has had a roads boner for quite some time, whilst allowing freight rail to rust. All it would take is an economic downturn with reduced roads maintenance and they'd quickly get torn to shreds by trucks just like in NSW.
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malewithatail
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Post by malewithatail on Nov 20, 2022 10:36:08 GMT 10
The Bonalbo Road even as Council signs in place stating there are bad potholes, slow down ! And they are bad, u could lose a small car in some of hem.
Meditation is not what you think.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud on Aug 27, 2023 17:17:52 GMT 10
Oct 7, 2022 8:40:45 GMT 10.5 tactile said: I went for a flying trip to mid-central NSW over last weekend (Coonabarabran), and from the state of the roads there I'd be stocking up on wheel rims for your vehicles! They say it's worse in QLD. I spent most of my time dodging potholes, closed or heavily damaged roads and really poor road repairs. Is this the new normal?Two weeks ago I travelled back to SA from NSW. If you thought the roads were bad before the rain and floods, they are much worse now. On my way across to NSW, 2 weeks previously, I travelled the Murray Valley HWY until I got to Rutherglen, where all roads were closed on Oct 14th. I waited till the next morning and was able to continue my journey by heading south to meet the Hume Hwy at Springhurst, then north to Albury and on to my destination, north of Canberra. All the way across I was listening to the radio for flood updates and hearing that places like Shepparton and Charlton were flooded and impassable. Lots of water over the roads and hidden potholes. Saw a 5-ton van nearly come to grief when it hit a series of potholes hidden under water. On the way home, on the Murrumbateman Rd, I came across a 4wd and caravan which had been washed up against the side of a bridge. No signs to say that the road was closed. Police tape around it and seemed to have happened the previous night or day. The water had gone down but was still flowing over the crash barriers on one side, so I had to turn around and detour down the Federal Hwy to North Canberra to get onto Barton Hwy to get back up to the Hume. The first of many flood-induced detours. Waterways were overflowing everywhere. It was very difficult to see where banks of streams and rivers were, even shoulders of the road were sometimes hidden by water. I decided to pull into Little Billabong Rest Stop, about 3/4 hour before Albury. As I was pulling off the hwy, I hit a deep pothole and blew my front left tyre. I grabbed the first likely man I saw and asked him to change it, which he very kindly did and wouldn't take any payment. (I'm too old to change tyres safely.) I went to 3 tyre suppliers in Albury before I found one with my size tyre. While I was having it fitted, I was talking to another lady who was also having a tyre replaced. She said that she blew her tyre in the same pothole, as did at least 2 other cars and a truck. Spent the night in Albury and planned the rest of my route across flooded Victoria. (BTW, talking to a man at church who said a lot of modern cars don't have a proper spare tyre or even tools to replace a tyre!) There was no way I could go home via the Murray Valley Hwy. Echuca and Swan Hill, which I'd come through on my way to NSW, were cut off by flood waters. I was using Vic Roads info, but even that was changing quickly, so I stopped at every major town to check conditions ahead. So I ended up going through Shepparton, Bendigo and Charlton, all of which were flooded with closed roads when I came across, then straight up to Mildura. You could see where the roads had previously been covered in a metre or more of floodwater. I have never experienced as many potholes as I did on that trip. A lot were hidden by water, but at least the roads were open again. I followed a B-double for quite a while, because he was a good indicator of road conditions ahead. I could see when he swerved, slowed or hit a pothole. Another truck came towards us flashing his lights, so we both slowed down. There was a very wet kangaroo hopping along in the water on the other side of the road. As I slowed down, he turned across in front of me and fell over about 2m in front of my car. He looked half drowned. Got himself up, continued on into the water, at least a foot deep on the other side of the road. Poor thing! The roads were in a very poor state with numerous potholes and washaways. You could see many spots where the floodwater had underwashed the bitumen. In some places there were signs to say "Water over the Road", but mostly you had to guess. It's going to take an enormous amount of time and money to get these roads repaired, not to mention the flood damage to homes, businesses and farmland. It's one thing to see the effects of floods on the news, but it's completely different to see it first hand. Even more so if it affects your own property. I got off lightly. It only cost me a blown tyre, and extra money for fuel, accommodation etc. It was a very challenging trip, but I was glad of the experience and happy that I was able to manage it as an older woman confidently travelling alone. So, Tactile, this could very well be the new normal for quite some time! I'm doing the same trip again from SA along the Murray to a town just north of Canberra to see my daughter and family. I'm leaving on Wed 30th Aug, arrive at my daughter's Friday 1st Sept, leave Mon 4th Sept. Get home by Thurs or Friday, depending on what I decide to do on the way home. If anyone would like to meet up, let me know. I can change my route within reason :-) It'll be a good chance to see how the road repairs are progressing.
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malewithatail
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Post by malewithatail on Aug 28, 2023 8:44:58 GMT 10
Having just been on a road trip 1,000 km to the South Coast and back, I was surprised at the condition of the coast road. Almost continuous phone coverage and I was able to watch u-tubes all the way down and up and catch up on some cropping ideas.
No, I wasn't driving as I'm not allowed to drive any more than 10 km from home and then must have a licensed driver with me, due to health issues.
Interestingly, they haven't put any conditions on my HC, rider, unrestricted fork lift and crane drivers licenses.
Cant stop me from driving headers, etc on private property.
Boom, Boom! Tikka, Tikka, Boom! Shoot first, video later.
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tactile
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Post by tactile on Aug 29, 2023 8:59:55 GMT 10
I recently did the trip to Brisbane and followed the coast from Sydney up. Double lane free-way from Melbourne all the way to my digs in Brisbane. Beats the Newell that's for sure. Impressive roads from Sydney up (bit rough between Sydney & Newcastle but no potholes). $25 in tolls each way to get through Sydney might turn some people off but that new tunnel is impressive.
I dont get the new bypass around Toowoomba...what do the locals think of it? I get that it gets the trucks out of the centre of town but I dont see how its safer for them. Some of the declines seem as bad as the old one coming down from the city. And to add insult to injury they smother the place in tolls & speed cameras! A very Victorian upgrade!
The repairs to the roads in the Goulburn Valley area are band-aid at best and hopeless at worst. Some haven't even been patched yet, still plenty of pot-holes around.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud on Aug 30, 2023 18:57:51 GMT 10
I've arrived in Mildura and roads through SA up to here don't seem much different to back in November. The worst should be ahead of me. Tomorrow, I'll take the Murray Valley Hwy to Albury. I expect more roadworks tomorrow.
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tactile
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Post by tactile on Aug 31, 2023 10:06:02 GMT 10
I would be particularly careful on the stretch from Echuca to Albury Rosebud. The Moira shire has been notoriously busted-arse for years...so I would guess the roads around that area are still pretty bad. I'm not sure if they are responsible for the Hwy maintenance within their shire?
Ive noticed that if the road surface isn't broken they leave it alone which means there may be no big wheel destroying potholes but there is nearly as dangerous deformities in the road which are hard to see.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud on Sept 2, 2023 15:47:55 GMT 10
The stretch from Yarrawonga to Barnwartha was the worst part. There were many sections warning to slow down because of rough road surfaces, and they were very rough. Other places where deep potholes had formed or bitumen had been forced to the shoulder forming a type of eruption on the edge of the road. Other places where the road appeared to have been repaired, but was now breaking down.
However, after what I saw during the floods of Oct/Nov last year, I'm surprised that as much work has been done on the roads. There still seemed to be more standing water in patches than there normally would have been. Overall, the trip east was much easier than last year.
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Post by spinifex on Sept 11, 2023 16:05:26 GMT 10
Oct 7, 2022 8:40:45 GMT 10.5 tactile said: I went for a flying trip to mid-central NSW over last weekend (Coonabarabran), and from the state of the roads there I'd be stocking up on wheel rims for your vehicles! They say it's worse in QLD. I spent most of my time dodging potholes, closed or heavily damaged roads and really poor road repairs. Is this the new normal?Two weeks ago I travelled back to SA from NSW. If you thought the roads were bad before the rain and floods, they are much worse now. On my way across to NSW, 2 weeks previously, I travelled the Murray Valley HWY until I got to Rutherglen, where all roads were closed on Oct 14th. I waited till the next morning and was able to continue my journey by heading south to meet the Hume Hwy at Springhurst, then north to Albury and on to my destination, north of Canberra. All the way across I was listening to the radio for flood updates and hearing that places like Shepparton and Charlton were flooded and impassable. Lots of water over the roads and hidden potholes. Saw a 5-ton van nearly come to grief when it hit a series of potholes hidden under water. On the way home, on the Murrumbateman Rd, I came across a 4wd and caravan which had been washed up against the side of a bridge. No signs to say that the road was closed. Police tape around it and seemed to have happened the previous night or day. The water had gone down but was still flowing over the crash barriers on one side, so I had to turn around and detour down the Federal Hwy to North Canberra to get onto Barton Hwy to get back up to the Hume. The first of many flood-induced detours. Waterways were overflowing everywhere. It was very difficult to see where banks of streams and rivers were, even shoulders of the road were sometimes hidden by water. I decided to pull into Little Billabong Rest Stop, about 3/4 hour before Albury. As I was pulling off the hwy, I hit a deep pothole and blew my front left tyre. I grabbed the first likely man I saw and asked him to change it, which he very kindly did and wouldn't take any payment. (I'm too old to change tyres safely.) I went to 3 tyre suppliers in Albury before I found one with my size tyre. While I was having it fitted, I was talking to another lady who was also having a tyre replaced. She said that she blew her tyre in the same pothole, as did at least 2 other cars and a truck. Spent the night in Albury and planned the rest of my route across flooded Victoria. (BTW, talking to a man at church who said a lot of modern cars don't have a proper spare tyre or even tools to replace a tyre!) There was no way I could go home via the Murray Valley Hwy. Echuca and Swan Hill, which I'd come through on my way to NSW, were cut off by flood waters. I was using Vic Roads info, but even that was changing quickly, so I stopped at every major town to check conditions ahead. So I ended up going through Shepparton, Bendigo and Charlton, all of which were flooded with closed roads when I came across, then straight up to Mildura. You could see where the roads had previously been covered in a metre or more of floodwater. I have never experienced as many potholes as I did on that trip. A lot were hidden by water, but at least the roads were open again. I followed a B-double for quite a while, because he was a good indicator of road conditions ahead. I could see when he swerved, slowed or hit a pothole. Another truck came towards us flashing his lights, so we both slowed down. There was a very wet kangaroo hopping along in the water on the other side of the road. As I slowed down, he turned across in front of me and fell over about 2m in front of my car. He looked half drowned. Got himself up, continued on into the water, at least a foot deep on the other side of the road. Poor thing! The roads were in a very poor state with numerous potholes and washaways. You could see many spots where the floodwater had underwashed the bitumen. In some places there were signs to say "Water over the Road", but mostly you had to guess. It's going to take an enormous amount of time and money to get these roads repaired, not to mention the flood damage to homes, businesses and farmland. It's one thing to see the effects of floods on the news, but it's completely different to see it first hand. Even more so if it affects your own property. I got off lightly. It only cost me a blown tyre, and extra money for fuel, accommodation etc. It was a very challenging trip, but I was glad of the experience and happy that I was able to manage it as an older woman confidently travelling alone. So, Tactile, this could very well be the new normal for quite some time! I'm doing the same trip again from SA along the Murray to a town just north of Canberra to see my daughter and family. I'm leaving on Wed 30th Aug, arrive at my daughter's Friday 1st Sept, leave Mon 4th Sept. Get home by Thurs or Friday, depending on what I decide to do on the way home. If anyone would like to meet up, let me know. I can change my route within reason :-) It'll be a good chance to see how the road repairs are progressing. Just got back to SA after a visit to Toowoomba. Went via Mildura, Hay, West wyalong, Parkes, Gilgandra, Moree etc. I'm never complaining about SA roads again. The roads through NSW were dismal - resurfacing required for much of the way as repairs not sufficient. Southern Qld better but still worse than SA and Vic.
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malewithatail
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Post by malewithatail on Sept 11, 2023 16:25:12 GMT 10
"I spent most of my time dodging potholes, closed or heavily damaged roads and really poor road repairs. Is this the new normal?" Yes !!
"lot of modern cars don't have a proper spare tyre or even tools to replace a tyre!"
Only ether a space-saver spare, which has a limited range at slower speeds, or no spare and tires that are designed to "run flat" for a short distance, totally unsuited to Australian conditions.
No tools or spare tire saves weight, giving the illusion of more miles per gallon.
Those with a newer car should check what sort of spare arrangement it has and perhaps invest in some tools and a proper spare tire.
Just remember, the secret is to bang the rocks together guys.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud on Sept 11, 2023 17:22:24 GMT 10
I got back from my trip to NSW on Friday. Overall, I was surprised that the roads were in as good a condition as they were. I was surprised that all the damage I saw in November last year had been "fixed". However, it was obvious that in a lot of places the repairs were falling apart and potholes were forming again. There were many places which warned of rough surface and slow to 40kph.
My car has a full sized spare and all the tools to change the tyre, which was very handy when I blew a tyre in a pothole out of Albury last year.
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captain
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Post by captain on Sept 11, 2023 20:14:05 GMT 10
Just got back to SA after a visit to Toowoomba. Went via Mildura, Hay, West wyalong, Parkes, Gilgandra, Moree etc. I'm never complaining about SA roads again. The roads through NSW were dismal - resurfacing required for much of the way as repairs not sufficient. Southern Qld better but still worse than SA and Vic. Give us a yell next time you are in Toowoomba - my home turf. Happy to meet up with any preppers passing through town. plus it is always good to have known physical contacts in other areas - just in case one has to travel through an area in times of need.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud on Sept 12, 2023 8:02:48 GMT 10
Captain said, " it is always good to have known physical contacts in other areas." That was what I was hoping for the last two times I travelled to NSW. Maybe next time. For anyone travelling through the Barossa region in SA, I'm happy to arrange a meetup.
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Post by spinifex on Sept 14, 2023 19:41:18 GMT 10
Captain said, " it is always good to have known physical contacts in other areas." That was what I was hoping for the last two times I travelled to NSW. Maybe next time. For anyone travelling through the Barossa region in SA, I'm happy to arrange a meetup. Thats me! I go through that way regularly since moving to the Riverland. (I used to be over on Eyre peninsula with SA Hunter) Please tell me you're close to the Rockfords cellar door.
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Post by spinifex on Sept 14, 2023 19:42:38 GMT 10
Just got back to SA after a visit to Toowoomba. Went via Mildura, Hay, West wyalong, Parkes, Gilgandra, Moree etc. I'm never complaining about SA roads again. The roads through NSW were dismal - resurfacing required for much of the way as repairs not sufficient. Southern Qld better but still worse than SA and Vic. Give us a yell next time you are in Toowoomba - my home turf. Happy to meet up with any preppers passing through town. plus it is always good to have known physical contacts in other areas - just in case one has to travel through an area in times of need. Will do. It'll probably be early next year.
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rosebud
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Post by rosebud on Sept 16, 2023 16:38:44 GMT 10
Captain said, " it is always good to have known physical contacts in other areas." That was what I was hoping for the last two times I travelled to NSW. Maybe next time. For anyone travelling through the Barossa region in SA, I'm happy to arrange a meetup. Thats me! I go through that way regularly since moving to the Riverland. (I used to be over on Eyre peninsula with SA Hunter) Please tell me you're close to the Rockfords cellar door. 12 km and 15 minutes from me! Let me know when you want to meet. I'm fairly flexible. Rockford wines also available from United Cellars in Murray St, Tanunda, even closer to me.
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