The Oberon Colong Stock Route is a public road which goes through 3 Council areas.
Wollondilly Council has been doing a great job in the past few years of maintaining and repairing their section. This is the western 34 kilometres. Graceys Earthmoving are the contractors which Council engages to do this work and they do a very good job.
Lachlan Shire Council rarely does maintenance on their section (about 15 kilometres in the middle) so it is rocky and slow but being in the higher country this section doesn’t tend to suffer major washouts or damage after significant rain events. There are some large potholes.
Oberon Council looks after the western end and mostly does a fairly reasonable job.
The condition of the Oberon Colong Stock Route can vary considerably. We would recommend that you keep a close watch on the weather forecasts before your trip. Any significant rain, as with any dirt road, can make the Stock Route slippery and possibly boggy.
Watch the Weather! Keep an eye on the BOM Sydney rain radar and forecasts in the days leading up to your arrival. Also check NSW Live Traffic to check if there are any problems on the road.
There is 64 kilometres of dirt road and 3 significant creek crossings at the eastern end.
You must be 100% sure of your own driving skills and your vehicle’s capabilities. Recently, when the Stock Route has been dry and at it’s best, people have been arriving in Yerranderie with higher clearance 2WD vehicles. With any rain, however you will need at least an AWD vehicle. If there has been any significant weather (or it is predicted) only a 4WD is suitable.
If you have a reasonable 4WD vehicle with decent clearance and a bit of dirt road driving experience, the Oberon Colong Stock Route is usually not particularly challenging so long as you drive to the conditions and your skill level.
There are potholes which can be deep and when filled with water making it hard to tell how deep they are. Usually you can steer easily around them but on sunny days the potholes can hide in the tree shadows. Hit them at any speed and you will do some damage. After significant rains there can also be washouts across the road and if you don’t have high enough clearance you may need a shovel to fill in a track across them. If you don’t have high clearance make sure you keep at least one set of wheels on the highest part of the road. Plan ahead where your wheels will be tracking so there are not high spots between your wheels. If you are not experienced with the creek crossings you must not cross if you cannot see the bottom or the water is flowing fast.
Note that National Parks require an online booking. If the campgrounds and accommodation are full or closed, you may get turned around if you turn up without one!
FALLEN TREES
You will be driving through National Park bushland and particularly after very windy or stormy weather, you may be unlucky and encounter a tree down across the road. In these circumstances, If you have a chainsaw it is worth bringing it with you which will prevent you having to turn back. As well, just having some heavy duty rope or webbing can often get you through by dragging a fallen tree out of the way. You can sometimes be lucky and pick up tie down straps off the side of the road which have fallen off trucks. These work a treat for dragging trees!
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND BREAKDOWNS
NRMA roadside assistance in this region is done by Loaders Towing at Bathurst. Damian at Loaders has advised us that they will go to Yerranderie if the road is not closed. If however, you don’t have one of the NRMA top cover plans, it may cost you quite a lot.
Depending on where you are and how busy the towing company is, you may not get same day service so your best option maybe to hitch a lift back to Oberon and meet the tow truck there. Mobile phone coverage is not good in many spots along the way so you may need to walk up a hill to where you should at least get a text out to a family member or friend with your details
When you pass the entrance signs, zero your trip meter so you can quote your distance along the Stock Route.
Please be sure that your vehicle and your driving skills can handle these sort of conditions (which may change).
