During snow season ensure you are prepared & informed!
Before heading up Thunderbolts Way or to Barrington Tops to see the snow, make sure you have all the information you need. #staysnowsafe
- Before you leave home check the weather forecast with the Bureau of Meteorology.
- Before you leave home check whether the road is open.
- And again before you leave Gloucester always check the weather & road conditions. ( Gloucester Visitor Information Centre 6538 5252)
- NSW Police can close the road at short notice or during your visit. Access to snow covered areas can be closed or you may have to turn back after a long journey.
- Delay non-essential travel in extreme weather and poor road conditions.
- Be prepared! Snow = very cold. Overnight temps drop below zero.
- Wear warm clothes & enclosed shoes. Pack extra warm clothes, blankets, extra food & water. Especially if you are travelling with children.
- Large parts of Thunderbolts Way is in remote locations & Barrington Tops too. Mobile phone reception is limited, confined to a few small sites & even where present, only available to limited service providers. Reception may be possible on ridge lines.
- GPS devices are inaccurate in Barrington Tops – best to turn off.
- Maps can be picked up at the Gloucester Visitor Information Centre.
- Beyond Barrington village there are no shops or service stations with limited visitor facilities and shelter. Be prepared for rapidly changing extreme weather including rain, wind, and sub-zero temperatures.
- Drive to the conditions, for your safety & others on the road
- Thunderbolts Way is fully sealed but you should drive cautiously, especially on the many steep & winding sections. Black ice is an especially dangerous hazard on the many shaded sections of the road.
- Barrington Tops Forest Road (Scone Road) is a steep, narrow, winding & unsealed road in variable condition. It can be corrugated with pot holes.
- Ice and snow can make driving on Barrington Tops roads extremely dangerous, even for 4WDs. 4WDs are better suited for driving in snow and ice conditions but leave the two-wheel drive at home.
- The distance from Gloucester to Polblue is 70km, 25km of which is unsealed road. Travel time is up to one and a half hours depending on conditions.
(Photo by Mitchell Wilkinson)