NSW Waterfall Way

[mikerezny]

Hi,
I would like to do this trip along Waterfall Way some time in the future. Before I get too excited, I need to find out if it is feasible to take our Falcon and touring Penguin along the route.
I did a search and seems like a few members have done it. Am I dreaming or should we be ok if I take it carefully? Penguin weighs about 1,200kg?

cheers
Mike

 

[Drover]

Its a beautiful drive @mikerezny , if coming from the coast the climb is only about 6km I think, it is quite steep and windy but great views, I dragged my 14.44 up and down a few times without any major dramas, if coming from inland it has 2 or 3 stop signs on the way down at some narrow points but they may have sorted a couple of them out now after the last big rains a few years ago, they did some major roadworks on it, all in all I don't think you will have any problem.

 

[Smergen]

It's a beautiful drive and we thought about taking the Big Green Lizard up that way when heading back inland. However we decided not to and day trip it and very glad we did. It's quite tight in spots and limited visibility too. Having said that it's well signed and a good surface. It's a long slog up (and just as taxing on brakes on the way down) but if your vehicle is strong and capable then I can't see why not. Just be mindful to let others pass when you can as it's not a place to have impatient people trying stupid overtaking moves just to get around.

 

[mikerezny]

Hi,
Thanks for the replies.

Looks like some great camps around that area.

How does this climb compare to going up Cunningham's gap, Toowoomba Range, or the D'Aguilar Highway from Beerwah to Yarraman? Just the actual climb, not the road condition. I have driven cars and vans up and down all three of these many times over the past 40 odd years, but towed the Penguin only up and down through Yarraman. The Falcon handled that ascent and descent easily. Locked in a low gear all the way down to save the brakes and used a low gear on the way up and kept the revs between 2000 and 2500. Max torque is 3,000 on the Falcon. Is that the right way to do it?

If it is much harder, I will probably opt for going down rather than climbing up. Brakes are less expensive than an Auto transmission or replacing the Falcon with a Navara.
I would consider a Toyota, but I can't bear the thought of having to wash the wheels all the time.

cheers
Mike

 

[Smergen]

For me, it wasn't so much about the gradient on Waterfall Way but the narrowness of roads and blind corners. Cunninghams Gap is quite wide and open in a lot of parts giving chance for overtaking. Waterfall Way is definitely more narrow and restricted and my redeeming thought of it is "geez I'm glad I didn't tow through this"! Having said that, the Big Green Lizard and Penguin aren't really comparable in towing experiences so it might be more than fine.

Have a stroll through sections on Streetview and have a look if you haven't already. It's what I do when traversing new roads which I think might throw me some curveballs.

 

[Drover]

Can't compare to Cunninghams or TWB Range or even Black Butt Range, Beewah range comes close but its very short while The Way is 6 or 7 Kms, as smergs said narrow and winding but it was okay with a 14 towed by the Jeep as @Smergen said . I was mostly watching temps and the rock cutting so I didn't leave my awning on it.....14 okay but no way I'm dragging Big Mal up it, nearly 15 mts of rig.

Could compare to some of those narrow, steep, bendy roads around Cockatoo way.

Could camp at Belligen and have a solo look and then decide, Belligen is a lovely place, grass you could eat.....Not many places to cross the Great Divide after Newcastle and they are all big climbs with hundreds of bends.

 

[mikerezny]

Have a stroll through sections on Streetview and have a look if you haven't already. It's what I do when traversing new roads which I think might throw me some curveballs.

Yep. Ran Street View all the way from Bellingen to Dorrigo. It was taken quite a few years ago but I think I counted 4 short one-way sections. There were two well-defined rest stops / viewpoints where I can pull over and give the car a chance to cool down. I'll go over again specifically looking for places to pull over.

cheers
Mike

 

[mikerezny]

Could camp at Belligen and have a solo look and then decide, Belligen is a lovely place, grass you could eat.

Yep, that sounds like a good idea. There are a couple free camps around there.

cheers
Mike

 

[Drover]

I have actually found that stopping and allowing things to cool down doesn't achieve much mostly with trucks on big hills, gear selection and not lumbering the engine does a better job, when Ive had to stop it usually a crappy radiator or pump causing it to boil otherwise if you stop be prepared for an hour or so to get the temp down....... In the RAAF we had this old ACCO tanker we would leave it at the bottom of the Toowomba Range and go back around 2200 at night when the day has cooled and bring it up the hill to base..............should have used a match i reckon.

 

[mikerezny]

I have actually found that stopping and allowing things to cool down doesn't achieve much mostly with trucks on big hills, gear selection and not lumbering the engine does a better job, when Ive had to stop it usually a crappy radiator or pump causing it to boil otherwise if you stop be prepared for an hour or so to get the temp down....... In the RAAF we had this old ACCO tanker we would leave it at the bottom of the Toowoomba Range and go back around 2200 at night when the day has cooled and bring it up the hill to base..............should have used a match i reckon.

Thanks for that. Combining some suggestions, I could camp overnight in Bellingen, and then head off first thing in the morning when it is cool. Also plan to arrive early enough in the afternoon, I can take the car up to Dorrigo to take a look at the road.
There are two rest areas / lookouts on the way up so it wouldn't be hard to spend an hour having a look around and make a coffee.

cheers
Mike

 

[mikerezny]

Hi,
Now, ain't the internet wonderful, Google in particular.
Go to Google maps, Get directions to travel from Thora, NSW to Dorrigo, NSW.
When the directions come up, select Walk or Cycle. It doesn't show up for car directions.
Up comes a graph of the elevation.
Thora is at 34m, Dorrigo is somewhere around 789m. The route has 789m of ascent and 79m of descent.
Put your mouse anywhere on the elevation graph and it shows its location on the map. Also, the other way around. So you can easily see the start of the climb and the top.

Newell Falls has parking and a rest area and, at 500m, is a bit over halfway up the climb.

I'm excited.

Now looking for an app that will tell me what gear I should be using and an estimate of my automatic transmission temperature going up on any particular day.

cheers
Mike

 

[Drover]

Bound to be an App for all that stuff, I might need another drive along it as I only recall a lay by right at the top, with dunny but nothing on the way up that one could pull off onto...........but then watching the temp gauge and tacho I may have missed it.............I don't think it will pose you any problems really..........if it does just burn the Ford and Pengy, should get a good Colorado and Coromal for sure in Coffs.

 

[mikerezny]

Yeah, I am getting less worried with all the discussion and research. As it turns out, the climb out from Beerwah to Hampton (not Yarraman, as I stated earlier) is a total of over 1,200m. Done that twice up and down and didn't give it a thought.
With a stop at Newell Falls, I am now reasonably confident. The Penguin is small enough that it doesn't really present any problems on narrow winding roads as long as I don't have to reverse too far.

cheers
Mike

 

[Drover]

Exactly, you could easily just push it by hand.....lol,lol,lol......

 

[Bluey]

Just the name of that rd is enough to keep me away van or no van ive been to our highest waterfall and seen a few others they all do same thing don't they ???? Lol
I don't think i need to up there i did drive past the turn off to that rd one time.... as close as i will get i like the flat

 

[Smergen]

There you go @mikerezny, @Bluey is staying off the road and out of your way. No big cruiser and van to worry about there. To be honest the biggest thing I take out of this is that you are thinking and looking into it. That says to me you've got a bucketload of common sense and will do it easily. When the car tells you "no" or "time to rest" you will and won't become one of "those people" that will stop and cause a major delay.

I commend you for your forethought!

 

[Crusty181]

If it is much harder, I will probably opt for going down rather than climbing up. Brakes are less expensive than an Auto transmission or replacing the Falcon with a Navara.
I would consider a Toyota, but I can't bear the thought of having to wash the wheels all the time.

cheers
Mike

High quality decision on the vehicle upgrade options Mike, remember Navara's are awesome and will also enhance your coolness and your spirituality ... Toyota's on the other hand are just $hit and washing them only loosens the cheap glue they use and makes them fall apart faster

 

[Drover]

Well that's the end of that ......... He drives a Ford, no need to change..........