The good news - Parks have re-surfaced the road into WWW, done a great job but... the bad news is that they have constructed seriously deep/high drainage channels across the road in many places, so big that even 4 wheel drives with high clearance are bottoming out. They will, I guess, become smaller with time as vehicles compact the gravel, erosion reduces height etc but at the moment, access by cars, vans etc is REALLY difficult if not impossible. The CCT and I think TCIA will take it up with Parks - would have been good to have been at least consulted or warned so we could spread the word!

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11 Comments

  1. Jed Parkes

    That's not good at all! is that the entrance to the road? is there more like that all the way down the road now?

  2. Phil Robinson

    Brilliant, the road now looks closed to 90% (+?) of regular users unless one wants to risk serious car damage. Will the college minibuses get in safely loaded down with a bunch of students? It is not unusual for visiting climbers to take in small hire cars. ----.   Maybe we can put together a list of disadvantaged users for Parks. It might not take much to lower the humps, perhaps push the excess dirt into the ditches?

  3. Danger Darren

    What about the road from the quarry? That is normally passable in 2wd if dry. 

    1. Jed Parkes

      That roads pretty steep from memory.

      From what I've heard there is about 20 of these bumps along the road now and they get worse after the intersection with the quarry rd

  4. Mike Hitchcock

    Yup, I got a Corolla up and over a fair few (grimacing with each scrap). Got to the intersection and they keep going (if not get worse). 

     

    The road from the quarry has not yet been 'upgraded', but there are still new drains before the campsite.

  5. Doug Bruce

    Storm in a Chai Latte mug. We drove in today and found the campsite full of people. Some of the vehicles are not even 4wd's! As one might have predicted the humps have packed down considerably. In fact I'd have to say that climbers and other users of this site should be very grateful to Parks for the great job they've done in improving access. There is a lot of new gravel where the road was at its worst. Many of the humps - and wide ditches - seem to have been strategically placed to divert water away from the track. This work should keep the road in good nick for a considerable time into the future. 

  6. Roger Parkyn

    Thanks for the update Doug. 

  7. Phil Robinson

    Now Doug you are keen 4WD enthusiast and have a big 4-wheel drive with high clearance so "some vehicles not even 4-wheel drive are in there" does not sound that convincing.I am sure the road is marvellous but I wonder if ordinary 2-wheel drive cars can negotiate the so called 24 humps without damage as they have always done in the past.

  8. Doug Bruce

    Phil, if you don't trust my word about the non 4X4 vehicles in at WWW I guess the only way you will know for sure is to drive up there yourself. I suspect that if you take things very slowly - and carefully - over the humps you should be able to get in and out unscathed. That was the impression I got from Tim Meech when I was talking to him. 

    If you think back to 25 or so years ago, before Parks did the last major upgrade to the road, there were times after rain when it was impassible, and a number of diversions around deep puddles resulted. The new work should avoid that happening again, at least for some time to come.

    1. Phil Robinson

      Doug, Nothing to do with trusting your word, I just wanted to know if we can get the car in without damage.Phil

  9. John Fischer

    Been in there dozens of times before the upgrade in low clearance vehicles with no dramas. Went in a couple days ago with our nissan nomad through the long way via rangers creek fire trail and it was fine. Went out the usual way and had 2 minor scrapes due probably to driver error but one of the scrapes cut the fuel line! Unlucky but it was the only damage I remember ever doing to a vehicle on this road when I was sober. Im not sure how much thanks needs to be doled out to anyone for the " road repairs"  but I bet those humps will be passable by most cars next summer.