Advice on driving from Melbourne to Lostock IISAC '15

[stephenb]

Tentatively looking at Lostaock for 2015 and I'd like to hear from IIS members who have attended in the past from Melbourne or even Victoria. It will be a fair drive for myself but if things fall into place around that time I might make the trip.

Definately want to fit Parkes Radio Telescope into the trip.

Day 1: Up the Hume to Albury - Wagga - Young - Cowra - Forbes - Parkes. Stay in Parkes overnight

(Would I be better going: Albury - Wagga - Temora - West Wyalong - Forbes - Parkes ??)

Day 2: Visit Dish the next day, then continue onto Dubbo - Dunedoo - Denman - Singleton - Lostock.

I'm open to suggestions on this route or any improvements. Any opinions on the road quality?

Anyone made the trip from Parkes - Lostock? How long does it take? Mr. Google says about 6 hours! I'd like to get to Lostock before dusk but fit in the Dish before I leave the Parkes.

Cheers,

Stephen

[CapturingTheNight]

Being from the Wagga area I can only advise on Day 1 of your planned trip. Not really familiar with the Singleton - Lostock area but have traveled extensively over the other areas. Of the two routes you have suggested, I would personally Go via Temora and West Wyalong (although you don't actually need to go into West W as the Temora road hits the Newell Hwy the Forbes side of town). This route is flatter and has less hills and bends as apposed to going through Young and Cowra. Roughest roads of those two routes that I know of would be the Olympic Hwy Between Henty and Wagga. A third option you should consider is going up the Hume until Seymour and then turning onto the Goulburn Valley Hwy. This is dual carriage way all the way until nearly Shepparton. Follow it and cross over the Murray at Tocumwal and then it's the Newell Hwy and mostly 110km/h all the way up to Parkes

[stephenb]

Greg, thanks for the local information. So the Newell Hwy from Tocumwal to Parkes is a good road? Seymour - Shep - Tocumwal - Parkes sounds like a better option. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I drove to Young about 3 years ago and remember a bad stretch of road somewhere out of Wagga so that may be the area you are referring to.

Trying to look for any other astro related sites to visit on the way. Siding Spring would be an option on the return trip also.

Still early days in the planning but chances are good! This will be the first big trip for SDM #059 ;)

[CapturingTheNight]

Like all country highways there will be the odd little rough section and you will inevitably come across roadworks at some point (probably more than once) but yeah it is a perfectly good road and sealed all the way (apart from maybe at said roadworks). It is the main truck route between Melbourne and Queensland. There are some overtaking lanes but for the most part the section between Parkes and Tocumwal is fairly flat and open with lots of straight stretches of road so even if there is no overtaking lane and you want to get past someone it can be done pretty easily. Apart from peak holiday times there would be little traffic.

[stephenb]

Thanks again Greg,
Actually I don't know why I didn't think of the Goulburn Valley Hwy. Travelled it more than the Hume. No I need some advice in the best way to go from Parkes - Lostock. Also anyone been to Parkes RT can give me an idea how long you would need to spend at the Dish? 2 hours?

[jamespierce]

The last time we trekked up to Lostock we did a bit of an astro circuit...

Melbourne --> Canbera (via Thredbo) to see the Deep Space Tracking Station.
Canbera --> Sydney --> Lostock (ISSC)
Lostock --> Coona (AAT + Compact Array)
Coona --> Parkes (Dish)
Home !

Good 10-14 day trip with IISC thrown in the middle.

[stephenb]

Thanks James, I was checking Coona last night on the interwebs. Might have to include that on the itenerary for the trip home :thumbsup: I did consider driving straight through Sydney via the Hume and doing Parkes and Coona on the way home.

p.s looking after my 16" SDM I hope?

[jamespierce]

The hume is a very easy drive, but it's a damn long way to do in a day. Figure out your trip based on dark nights ... Stay at the Warrumbungles Motel and observe there too.

SDM 38 is well loved (and a bit different to the last time you saw it)