Has anyone driven from Canberra to Selwyn via Boboyan Rd lately? Any ideas on what the conditions would be like after the recent snow, and whether I should go via Cooma instead? I have a Suzuki AWD but I’ll be by myself and I’m a bit of a cautious person so I’m probably leaning towards going via Cooma. Thanks in advance for any info available!
Mine says faster via the other way, given my home address, but the difference is only 11mins and not worth it if it’s muddy and hazardous I reckon. Keeeeeeen for my first runs of the year tomorrow!
Lower Tuggers? Still I couldn't imagine this way would be faster than the highway. I've only been as far as Orroal (spelling) but driving the whole way through to the Snowy is on my to-do list.
It is a pretty drive. I did it coming home from Selwyn about 2 years ago. Mid afternoon. Really enjoyed it. Roos at twilight would make it more hazardous.
Definitely slower via Boobyan. Great drive as a meander home. From memory I think section of road go to about 1300m. So best avoided in snow. As @Donzah said the wildlife is epic. Don't forget wombats. Deer. Pigs. Goats. Rabbits but they're not really a worry.
I use the Boboyan Rd quite regularly in my Forester and find it takes about 1 hour 15 minutes from Woden to Adaminaby which is the same time it takes to get from Woden to Cooma if you have a good run. Cooma - Adaminaby is 50km so 30 minutes saved. I would be less likely to take it at night or in bad weather. I have found Google's times are way out if it is routing over unsealed roads.
Took my daughter that way to Selwyn for her first ever ski day trip from Canberra in 2009. Just south of Mt Clear, we were stopped by a herd of cows for ages. Turned on the radio. A Michael Jackson song. Another one. Another one etc.It was the day Jacko died. Good day at Selwyn tho. Daughter snowplowed triple chair all arvo. Now she's 16 and skis anything. The road? Dunno sorry! Haven't driven for coupla years. Def recommend Yaouk detour for scenery. Prettiest little valley anywhere. Anyway just thought I'd share a story. Cheers!
Random update: recent work on this road between the border and Brayshaws Hut seems to be mostly complete. Most of the Namadgi section is pretty smooth at the moment, it seems like they've done some resurfacing recently? A good ride when dry but could get a bit slick after heavy rain or snow. My take on this road: you can generally expect to save 15-30 minutes over the route via Cooma, at the expense of a sometimes-bumpier ride. The worst section for wet conditions seems to be around Brayshaws Hut and Grassy Creek, where it can get a bit sloppy. The condition of the road comes and goes but they never let it get too bad before doing some work. At its worst it just gets a bit bumpy and starts developing potholes as the rocky undersurface shows more. In most conditions, no worries at all for a 2wd vehicle. It's occasionally soft-gated for non-4wd at the northern end. A sign at Tharwa indicates if this kind of closure is in place, but no such information from the south; you can arrive at the border from Shannon's Flat and find a road-closed sign, which I would probably ignore at that point unless it was wet or your car really urban. (They are slow to update signage at that location.) When there is snow on the road it's usually on the highest section, between the lookout and Shanahans Mountain carpark. There is one small, steep-ish dip part way along that would be a potential trouble spot in heavy snow, but otherwise the gradients are all very mild.
Great update, cheers!! If I get to Selwyn in august I'm already planning to go via Cooma and then return through the mountains.
