GRRRRRRRR Google maps!

[LewisM]

Had to do a rush trip to QLD on Saturday afternoon, to be back in Canberra before Monday work/school... so, trusting in Google maps to find me the best and fastest, off I went...

Told me after Wellington to take the Cobbora road so as to shave 1hr 03min off the trip (I always go Dubbo-Gilgandra-Coonabarabran)... that seemed OK, well cared for country road that becomes a NEW country road after a little ways. Then it tells me to take a detour left to continue onto Cobborra Rd (I guess I was actually on the Cobbora-Dunedoo road previously) instead of going to Dunedoo - apparently 21 minutes longer. Cobbora Rd turns into a small country lane - yeah, not too bad, for now...

Then I see the sign I was dreading, especially considering it was now night - GRAVEL. Still, Googel said I was saving time on my trip instead of the Dubbo route. The gravel starts off well graded, and maintaining 80km/hr at least was OK.

Then the ruts. They start shallow. Then the pointy sharp rocks. It was becoming evident a grader had not been down this track in years. I am down to 40 to avoid the rocks and not shake the snot out of the car. Then the ruts become mini-gullies...I mean easily 8 to 10" deep, and closely spaced. Plus the mini-boulders and more sharp and jagged rocks. And potholes (probably wombat burrows). Now doing 20km/hr....and not a single house light or sign of civilisation (nice sky at least!)

Finally break onto some crappy sealed road and onto Castlereagh Highway. Total time saved? NEGATIVE 8 minutes - yes, it cost me all the time saving PLUS some extra.

Looked in the settings in Google maps and there is NO option (at least on iPoo) to avoid unpaved roads (read - goat tracks).They need to add this!!!

Then of course I had the dreaded Pilliga Nature Reserve between Coonabarabran and Narrabri with it's incumbent road trains and only ONE over-taking lane for 1hr 20 mins, but that is another story...

Oh, and best night skies? Nope, not Coona. Not Coolah. Not Narrabri. The best BY FAR was outside Moree. I was able to watch M42 naked eye, while driving with the sun roof open. No problem seeing it. No problem seeing the LMC with structure detail when taking a wizz...not to mention other deep sky stuff...just eye popping wow sky. Coona was OK, but not as good as the stretch Moree to Goondiwindi.

[SkyWatch]

That's why I always check with one of those funny things that are bits of paper stapled together and with lines printed on them. Now what are they called? Ah yes: a Road Map! ;)

Good to hear you managed some nice skies.

- Dean

[Octane]

I was in Moree back in 2000 and I can still remember the incredible sky out that way. :O

H

[The_bluester]

We recently had a little GPS adventure not even an hour out of Melbourne. We were headed for the Yarra Valley from the Kilmore side of the world and decided to sneak around back ways into Kangaroo Ground and Warrandyte to get there rather than the GPS's original intent of having us pretty much cross Melbourne twice!

Seems it decided we should have a little outing for our disobedience. We were reasonably sure where we were going and only had the GPS running for the final address, and at one point it is telling us to turn left where we thought right would be the go. Plenty of time so we turned left anyway.

Then a right, and the road got skinny.

Then the road went to gravel, then to dirt, and then it is trying to take us through a farm fence up what might have been a fire trail once though it looked more like a gully.

Then it finally wanted a right turn up a track that actually existed, 4WD low range no higher than second gear (But without the diff lock) and up we went. We figured the worst we had to do was turn around at the top and backtrack.

Top of the hill, turn left onto the bitumen road the GPS had us go the other way on in the first place, practically within sight of the wrong turn.

The rest of the trip was jokes about "I am sorry Dave, I can't do that" and noises of airlocks opening. And we still had time for a snooze before dinner.

[LewisM]

On the way back yesterday, I inserted Dubbo as a way-point so that it would avoid the Ruts of Hades. Seemed to calculate it OK, then it told me to turn off at Mendooran and through Goonoo forest...instead of continuing to Gilgandra. I ignored it, it recalced to Gilgandra and told me the time was the same...just laughed.

On the straight bit between Moree and Narrabri, it got to a point and told me "in 600 metres at the roundabout, take the second exit and continue on Newell Highway"....errr....sure...roundabout....no t! (there was a farmer's access lane off to the left, but there sure was not some roundabout).

To anyone on this forum that lives at Cobbora, no offence, but your road sucks :)

[AstralTraveller]

On the other hand, I bet they have better skies from their backyards than we do.

[Kunama]

Sounds like you had a great adventure Lewis.....

I usually take the Mendooran Road via Goonoo Forest on my way back from Qld. It's a nice daytime drive with very little to no traffic but a few too many of Skippy relos at dawn and dusk....

[multiweb]

I had a similar trip on gravel roads between Sofala and Hill end on my first trip to Wiruna following a googlemap print out. Overshot the left turn by approx. 60km.

[theodog]

We usually go through Mendooran and Goonoo when travelling to Dubbo. Although the interstaters (truckies) are starting to use it more.



Maybe a word to those that work in the "big house" near you about the conditions of our country major roads might help :rofl::rofl:

Explain to them that even Goggles won't help...

[LewisM]

After I got back on Castlereagh Highway after Cobbora "Road", of course ended up at Mendooran - the road up to the join with the Newell was un-populated and very good. I was however surprised how many trucks on Castlereagh! YIKES! The trucks all turned left for Dubbo.

I love going through Wellington - there is something about that town I love. It'd have to probably be my favourite town in NSW (though, I must say the drive from Coona to Gilgandra along the Warrumbungles is jaw-dropping - that carved countryside is glorious!)

[Wavytone]

Haze cum thin cloud above 10000m altitude with large holes affected most of nsw and vic for much of the weekend. You simply got a hole outside Moree.

[skysurfer]

I never use Google maps, these spies.

I use the Sygic app, I think about $20, freely updatable downloadable maps (550MB for the whole of Australia), further no internet needed.
I saw one glitch: the upgraded road Parkes - Peak Hill is not listed when we drove to Peak Hill abandoned gold mine.

[LewisM]

Second time Moree has impressed me - must have been haze both times :)