5 February 2013

Route to Batemans via Araluen?

5 February 2013 | By Merle

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I hear tell there is a way down to Batemans that avoids the Clyde by going through Araluen?

Is this true, and where can I find directions? Google Maps is being unhelpful as well as possibly probably wrong.

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EvanJames4:48 pm 06 Feb 13

m00nee said :

EvanJames said :

Pork Hunt said :

dtc said :

If you are heading north of BB then via Tarago/Nerriga is probably quicker. But the Clyde is still the fastest, no matter how annoying it is to see the ‘BB 60km’ sign at Braidwood and know its still an hour away…

The road from Tarago to Nerriga has on the occasions I have used it, been the worst road this side of Kampala, Uganda.

Yep. Bloody shocking, dreadful, do not on any accounts use it! There be dragons. It’s really horrible.

And pirates, don’t forget about the pirates

Crap. forgot the pirates, yes there’s pirates. It’s REALLY BAD so do not ever take that road!

Pork Hunt4:23 pm 06 Feb 13

Conan of Cooma said :

Has anyone heard anything about the back road between Bodalla and Numeralla?

The locals down there have advised that it can halve the trip time from Batemans to the Snowies, running through Belowra.

I once drove from Cobargo to the back of Nimmitabel. Tiger country.

dtc12:27 pm 06 Feb 13

I think most of you missed the point of the complaints about the Nerriga/Tarago road…which is ‘dont use it because then it will become busier’. Indeed, from Nerriga to Nowra its now a road showing what the Clyde should look like. Smooth and high risk areas have dividing wires between the lanes.

However, between Bungendore and Nerriga there are some slightly hairy spots and a river crossing. If that part of it gets fixed up, plus the Turpentine road, then it will be a good competitor to the clyde.

Leon12:11 pm 06 Feb 13

Pork Hunt said :

The road from Tarago to Nerriga has on the occasions I have used it, been the worst road this side of Kampala, Uganda.

You must be talking about driving a Tarago to Nerriga in Uganda.

Tarago to Nerriga (NSW) is a doddle. I rode it a few years ago on a 2-speed bicycle with 17″ wheels. There are sections where I wouldn’t recommend 100 km/h, and the river crossing can get a little damp.

MsCheeky10:59 am 06 Feb 13

Conan of Cooma said :

Has anyone heard anything about the back road between Bodalla and Numeralla?

The locals down there have advised that it can halve the trip time from Batemans to the Snowies, running through Belowra.

I travel to Belowra a few times a year. The road down to the valley is passable by 2WD most of the time, but I don’t think I’d recommend it. At the moment, there is a diversion because some of the road fell away, and the diversion is a very rough forest track. It’s a steep drop so it’s slow going. Once you cross the creek at the bottom of the valley, the road is good all the way to the coast.

Watson10:50 am 06 Feb 13

Agree with others. Not a shortcut because of the twists and turns, the exposure, it being pretty narrow in spots and having to be prepared for locals with massive wheels on their utes driving like we drive on the highway. I’ve done it a couple of times in my little sedan and loved it, but 60kph was definitely my max speed and I went slower for most of the way and pulled over for everyone else on the road (including two massive truck ones!).

But a very beautiful road if you like that kind of driving and are not in a hurry.

mossrocket9:50 am 06 Feb 13

farnarkler said :

BB 60km isn’t an hour away in one of these: http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/caterham-7-2009-13648507?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=3&eapi=2&__N=1216%201246%201252%201247%201282%204294966911&num=15&silo=Stock&sort=default

No, it’d be several hours before the tow truck gets to you…

Meconium9:41 am 06 Feb 13

grunge_hippy said :

We took the nerriga/tarago road to nowra over Aust day weekend and it was fine. dirt for about 5 minutes and thats it. That was even after the huge storms.

sooks the lot of ya.

We took the araluen rd coming from moruya once, not knowing what to expect but wanting to avoid a dead standstill in traffic one Easter and that was way scarier than the nerriga/tarago rd. We even stopped for lunch at the pub and STILL beat our friends who stayed in the traffic back to Braidwood. (well arrived at the same time…. if we hadn’t stopped for lunch we would have beat them by a country mile)

So if you are looking for a shortcut, then no. If you are looking to avoid massive traffic jams at peak periods, then yes, take the araluen rd.

Same, I drove back that way on the Monday of the long weekend, through the rain. The road was completely fine and only unsealed in a couple of places. The worst part was the shortcut south of Nowra on Turpentine Rd, but you can avoid that by going through the town. They resealed this road a couple of years ago, and it’s a really nice drive past Tarago and Lake Bathurst and some awesome rock formations in Bungonia. Worth a try, and not much slower than the Clyde either, in fact it was quicker on Monday night as my friend went the other way and got stuck near Braidwood.

Conan of Cooma9:04 am 06 Feb 13

Has anyone heard anything about the back road between Bodalla and Numeralla?

The locals down there have advised that it can halve the trip time from Batemans to the Snowies, running through Belowra.

grunge_hippy9:27 pm 05 Feb 13

We took the nerriga/tarago road to nowra over Aust day weekend and it was fine. dirt for about 5 minutes and thats it. That was even after the huge storms.

sooks the lot of ya.

We took the araluen rd coming from moruya once, not knowing what to expect but wanting to avoid a dead standstill in traffic one Easter and that was way scarier than the nerriga/tarago rd. We even stopped for lunch at the pub and STILL beat our friends who stayed in the traffic back to Braidwood. (well arrived at the same time…. if we hadn’t stopped for lunch we would have beat them by a country mile)

So if you are looking for a shortcut, then no. If you are looking to avoid massive traffic jams at peak periods, then yes, take the araluen rd.