Recently we travelled the Hume Freeway by car (mum's funeral
in Sydney). A distance of some 800 Km between the outer suburbs
of both cities. Just right for one tank full for freeway
driving. Our car (Holden Statesman) uses far more petrol in town.

The road surface in Victoria was relatively good but in New South
Wales consisted of variable surfaces of asphalt and concrete,
frequently rough. The left lane more uneven due to truck use.

Now trucks are quite an experience. Some are big long and slow.
In N.S.W. large signs warn of major accidents caused by trucks.

The freeway speed is 110 km per hour and 100 km per hour for
trucks. Trucks go up hill 80 - 90 kmph and down hill 110-120.
Beware of trucks racing to pass each other - then the entire
freeway is blocked for many kilometers. Once five trucks and one
car trapped in-between doing 80 for about 5 kms distance. Another
time four trucks racing to finish only to be trapped behind a local
farmer in no hurry to get home.

Animals are quite a sight. Sheep, cows, horses, some in the shade
under trees all grazing in the paddocks. But on the freeway
in Victoria - rabbits, foxes, wombats, by the side of the road
or squashed into the pavement. While in N.S.W. kangaroos - big
and small, black, grey, brown, by the side of the road or splattered
all over the road surface. We counted at least 20.

So if you want a different experience drive the Hume Freeway.
There are many roadside Service Centres - mostly serviced by
MacDonalds and Coles (not the best food). The most contrived
service centre access off the freeway at Yass-to be avoided next time.

But when reaching Melbourne and Sydney one can enjoy the peak time traffic - even if it is in the middle of the day.

Has anyone else had any similar experiences while driving
between cities?

It would be great to hear.

Did you get to see this sign, Foxy?

http://i.redd.it/kxu63lik09ny.jpg

Dear Toni,

Unfortunately No.

I certainly could have used the laugh.

Thanks for making my day.

Foxy, my condolences on the loss of your mother. I hope she went easily.

I saw a post somewhere describing the younger generation as the snowflake generation. It does seem rather apt, when they need everything laid on for them, but I'm afraid some of us oldies just might fit the same description.

Where were you in the 60s sweetie? That is when the trucks were really scary. For some years I was doing the Sydney/Melbourne, & the Sydney/Brisbane trip a number of times a year, to motor racing meetings. This meant usually, but not always, towing a large caravan like trailer, with my Lotus, or Brabham in it.

In those days of no sponsorship, funding the racing car meant little left to fund a tow car. I mostly used a Humber Snipe, then a Chrysler Royal. The speed limit then was 60 miles/hour, or any speed you deemed safe. You could go as fast as you liked.

Having very carefully set up the suspension of my car & trailer, on those long Victorian straights south of Albury, with very little traffic at 3.00 AM or so, I would be cruising at around 80 MILES per hour, quite safely. The trucks would overtake me, doing around 100 MPH.

This was not much of a problem, truck drivers were very good, & careful back then. No, the problem was when those going the other way passed you. I became very good at recognising big semis at a distance, as you wanted to be slowed to under 50 MPH, when the wind of their passing hit you.

Your observation on the quality of the road surface shows things have not changed. Victoria being smaller could always spend more on each road than NSW. However you had to try the Queensland roads north of about Bundaberg, where the highway was no better than a Victorian back road to find the bad stuff

What clever people live in Yass.

Speaking of signs Toni reminds me of one of those trips to Melbourne. There were 4 of us, this time in a Holden Monaro, what luxury.

Not too far out of Liverpool we passed a very large bill board for Aeroplane jelly. Some one sang their song, "I like aeroplane jelly, aeroplane jelly for me".

For the next 405 miles that damn thing kept repeating on different ones of us, who would burst into song. Much as we all got to hate the thing, we couldn't stop singing it.

Dear Hassie,

Thanks for your interesting (as always) coverage.
I can't speak for what it was like travelling in
the 1960s (too young to travel anywhere). So I'll take your
word for it that the drivers were better then. They're really
quite a worry currently - and there's signs all over the place
warning people to watch out for trucks - due to the heavy road
crashes currently caused by trucks.

As for singing while driving. Tell me about it.
I got several songs stuck in my mind that are still in my head.
My husband simply loves - "Boney M," and "Abba," need I say more?
I went to sleep with the songs still in my head.