Epic Road Trip - Sydney To Mount Buller And Back - Twice

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 7:56 am

NOT HAVE AFTER WORK DRINKS AND THEN DRIVE! (yes this was in caps)

Is there an option to fly instead of drive as your daughter would probably prefer her dad to be awake and not dead tired. Again after all that driving are you going to benefit from the work conference?

Wednesday 12am Sydney to Mount Buller. 800km. Assuming 100 kmh this will still take a min of 8 hours excluding stops. I once did SYD to BNE, leaving Potts Point at 1600 on a Friday (1,027 km via the New England) in 10.5 hours on a KR250 and I arrived at BNE wired, but brain dead and a speeding ticket. On the trip back on the Sunday (arrived in SYD at 0600) it took 13 hours and I arrived very refresed and able to work a full day. Riding at speed takes very large amounts of concentration do not underestimate the effects.

It is your life but please do not do what you plan in the region I live in as I would not want to be on the road at the same time as you.

Apu · Postby **Apu** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:18 am

I agree with Magpie. There's no other way to say it but what you are planning is...stupid.

A day at work, followed by drinks, then an 8hr drive starting at 11pm? You're then going to go through a repeated sequence without really having a good chance to rest.

I'd skip the conference or the prize giving. I'm sure your family would rather have you around in the long term than not miss either of those events...which in the whole scheme of things...are pretty minor.

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:57 am

I do long trips on the Hume and in the winding roads of those wilderness areas between the mountains and the south coast all the time. You're mad.

I would never, ever set out from Sydney at 11:00pm. I'd fall asleep on the Hume.

I would never take an MX5 in or near the high country in the dark, especially after 6 hours driving. It's thick with roos, wallabies and wombats travelling for food. The green pick on the sides of the roads are especially attractive to the wombats and wallabies. The wombats use the road bridges to avoid creeks. Picture yourself coming around a narrow sweeper with a rock bank on one side and a drop-off into trees on the other. You're feeling a bit tired, perceptions and reactions are slow. A mountain wombat strolls out in front of you. You'd get off lightly if you only slammed into him and totalled the car.

smy0003 · Postby **smy0003** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:02 am

The only way to do it would be to take the Friday off.

It's cold down here in vic, there's snow as far south as Healsville. All the twisties are icy and wet.

I have lots of friends going to and from Bulla at the moment, so I would ask you to please not make such a difficult trip whilst being so fatigued.
It's a risk to yourself, but more importantly to other road users.

KRM · Postby **KRM** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:36 am

It’s a great road up the mountain when you are very fresh, relaxed and the conditions are good.

In the middle of winter on snow chains at night is only for the people who are experienced in doing that. There would be a high probability of black ice and a sudden trip off the mountain.

Fly out of Albury

aka_juffa · Postby **aka_juffa** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 11:01 am

I'm with the others, not a good idea. THERE will be ice (and probably) snow on the roads. You could fly into Melb and get a bus to Mt Buller, but the bus trip would take hours. There is probably some smaller airports nearby, but transport to Mt Buller may not be easy.

J.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 11:15 am

Approx 3 hours by bus from Melbourne.

http://www.mtbuller.com.au/Listings/Winter/Mountain/Getting-Here/Coach

http://www.mtbuller.com.au/Winter/Mountain/Getting-Here/Driving
* Please be aware that wildlife is often seen on the Mt Buller Road, mostly around the Merrijig, Sawmill Settlement and Mirimbah areas. Kangaroos, wallabies, deer, wombats and other animals can be on and around the road. Drive with care, especially during dusk, nighttime and early morning.

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 11:29 am

It got posted and it got roasted. I would even wonder why a responsible co would choose this location for a conference- it beggars belief- its not sensible and hardly a duty of care. Night driving and poor conditions is the norm for this time of the year. Incidentally whilst everyone has given excellent advice take a look at Mangas remarks - he is spot on. And another thing- forget breakdown services at night in these areas.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 11:48 am

Mr Morlock I doubt the Company hosting the conference thought that attendees would decide to do 3,200km whilst attending. No risk analysis would consider such a thing. I also doubt that the company hosting the conference is aware of the OP's intentions.

I recently left Blackwater at 0500, drove to Emerald to catch a plane to Brisbane then drove back from Brisbane airport to Blackwater. My employee was aware of what the plan was. We arrived back at 1815 and I notified my boss that we were back safe. Further my boss advised me to make sure I did not come back to work the next day fatigued.

kalt · Postby **kalt** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 1:32 pm

Dupain wrote: need to get back to Sydney as my daughter is getting a prize for Visual Arts in Y12

Without knowing you and at the risk of potentially offending yourself and your daughter I apologise in advance... but in the grand scheme of things.. in my opinion, it's not that big a deal, Nobel Peace Prize on the other hand yes! Sorry to all the artists I've offended out here

.... if you can afford it, save yourself the effort and fly the trips out and back and leave your miata up the mountain. Sure it would be an EPIC road trip, but as others have said it's bloody cold at the moment and black ice is prevalent up in the alps. Would you have a co-pilot if things get hairy?

If I were you and I had committed to your original plans, I can only imagine myself snoozing at the award ceremony anyway, dead tired from all those kms (have experience) :wink:

Your username would then be accurate indeed!

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 1:53 pm

Magpie- A Sydney based co decides to have a conference in a snow resort area in another State in winter and presumably makes no arrangements for proper transport. There are no direct flights, no trains, its expensive for accommodation etc and its wet, cold and impractical. There would be far better locations around Sydney which would be far more suitable for a work conference. Anyone reading the schedule can see its foolhardy.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 2:19 pm

Mr Morlock we have not been provided with any of the conferences metrics so therefore it is open to opinion. Has the company arranged transport but the OP decided to make his own way there?

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 5:07 pm

obviously most of us wasted out time in posting replies and we have seen photos of MX5s in the snow as well.

Odd · Postby **Odd** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 6:35 pm

I'm of the older generation.....the only way I'd even contemplate a trip like that is to share the driving....even then it's quite a task!

All the Best!

Suspense · Postby **Suspense** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:06 pm

Most of the negative responses in this thread have come from the 'older' generation. It's a not a great idea, putting it charitably, no matter how old you are or what generation you identify with. The time you're planning to drive, the length of the journeys and the terrain you're driving through are a bad combination.

If it means so much to you to attend both functions, plan out some alternatives that are more manageable and won't have you sleep deprived when you're actually there. Fly, bus, stopovers along the way, plan your journey to travel at different times, they're all reasonable suggestions.