Towing From Canberra to the Coast and the Snowy Mountains

This guide is for Canberra and Queanbeyan drivers who tow a caravan, camper trailer, boat or box trailer to the South Coast or up to the Snowy Mountains. It covers the electrical side of those two trips: trailer brakes and the rules behind them, brake controller set-up for long descents, keeping the van's battery alive in alpine cold, and the checks worth doing before you leave.

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Two favourite trips, two different tests

Most Canberra towing trips head one of two ways. East to the coast, the Kings Highway runs from Queanbeyan past the Bungendore turn-off to Braidwood, then over Clyde Mountain and down to Nelligen and Batemans Bay. South to the snow, the Monaro Highway runs down the eastern side of the city past Hume and on to Cooma, then up to Jindabyne and into Kosciuszko National Park.

The Clyde is the big one for brakes. The road climbs to around 781 metres and then drops in a long, steep, winding descent towards the coast. Local road safety reporting has recorded a number of serious crashes on that descent in recent years. With a loaded van behind you, the trailer's brakes and the controller that runs them matter as much as the car's own brakes.

The Snowy trip tests a different part of the system: cold. Your car's starting battery and the van's house battery both have to work in freezing overnight temperatures, and the roads can be icy in the shade well into the morning.

The trailer brake rules, stated carefully

Trailer brake requirements across Australia come from the national vehicle standards (Australian Design Rule 38 for trailer brakes). The ACT and NSW apply the same national framework, and because both of these trips are mostly on NSW roads, Transport for NSW's page on towing a trailer or caravan is a good place to check the current detail. The limits are based on gross trailer mass (GTM), the weight the trailer's own axles carry when loaded.

In summary:

• Up to 750 kg GTM: brakes are not required, but any brakes fitted must work properly.
• Over 750 kg up to 2,000 kg GTM: brakes on both wheels of at least one axle. Mechanical override (overrun) brakes are allowed in this range.
• Over 2,000 kg up to 4,500 kg GTM: brakes on all wheels, able to be applied from the driver's seat, so override brakes are not enough. In practice this means electric or electric-over-hydraulic brakes and a controller.
• Over 2,000 kg GTM: an automatic breakaway system that applies the trailer brakes if the trailer separates from the car.

Setting up your brake controller for the Clyde

On a long descent you want the van to do its share of the braking without locking its wheels. Set the controller's gain with the van packed exactly as you will travel. Water tanks, gas bottles and gear in the boot all change how the van brakes. A short test on a quiet road before the trip is worth more than any setting in the manual.

Proportional controllers sense how hard the car is slowing and apply the van brakes to match, which usually feels smoother on a winding descent. Time-based controllers ramp up over a set delay and need more careful adjustment. Either way, learn where the manual override lever or button is so you can use it without looking. It lets you apply the van's brakes alone if the van starts to sway.

Brake fade on electric drums often traces back to the wiring rather than the brakes. A thin feed cable, a tired earth or a corroded plug pin all cut the current reaching the magnets. See our guide to installing an electric brake controller for the correct feed, fuse and earth.

Plugs and wiring that take a beating

The coast trip often means sand, salt air and boat ramps, and the snow trip means slush and road grime. Both are hard on trailer plugs. A green, crusty pin can cause flickering lights, an indicator that flashes fast, or brakes that work one day and not the next.

Before each trip, check the plug pins are clean and tight, the cable has enough slack for tight turns, and nothing drags on the road. A smear of dielectric grease on the pins helps keep moisture out. If a light is out, our guide to why trailer lights aren't working is a good place to start fault-finding.

Keeping the van battery alive in the cold

A night near Jindabyne in winter can be well below freezing, and that changes how your 12V system behaves. Lead-acid and AGM batteries lose usable capacity in the cold. Many lithium batteries have built-in protection that stops them accepting charge below about 0 °C, so check your battery's specifications. You might find it is not charging on a frosty morning even though the car is running.

At the same time, cold weather loads the system up. Diesel heaters draw power for their fans and pumps, and short winter days mean less solar. A DC-DC charger with correctly sized cable gives the van the best chance of charging while you drive. If your van battery isn't charging on the move, our guide on why your caravan battery isn't charging while towing covers the usual causes.

Don't forget the tow vehicle's own starting battery. A battery that is marginal in Canberra will struggle more on an alpine morning. Have it tested before a snow trip.

Snow trip rules and conditions

The NSW Government's driving in snow page says all two-wheel drive vehicles entering Kosciuszko National Park between the June and October long weekends must carry snow chains. This applies on Kosciuszko Road from the park boundary to Perisher Valley, the Alpine Way between Thredbo and Tom Groggin, and the Guthega Road. Chains are recommended on the Alpine Way between Jindabyne and Thredbo and on the Snowy Mountains Highway. Four-wheel drives are not required to carry them under park rules, but carrying them is still recommended.

The same page warns about black ice in shaded areas and recommends keeping headlights on at all times. Use your hazard lights when fitting chains on the roadside. Many people leave the van at a park in Jindabyne or further down the mountain and drive up to the resorts without it. Check the current road rules and conditions before you go.

Before you leave Canberra

Run through these the day before, while there is still time to fix a problem:

• Lights: tail, stop, indicators, clearance and number plate lights all working.
• Brakes: with the van hitched, roll slowly and use the controller's manual override. You should feel the van pull up.
• Breakaway: test the battery or indicator, and clip the lanyard to a solid point on the car, not the safety chains.
• Charging: with the engine running, check the van's battery monitor shows charge coming in.
• Safety chains: correctly rated, crossed if there are two, and attached.
• Conditions: check Live Traffic NSW for the Kings Highway and the Monaro, especially after storms or snow.

Getting work done before the trip

If you are fitting a brake controller, DC-DC charger or new plug, book it well ahead of a school holiday departure, when demand peaks. A short test run to Queanbeyan or out along the Monaro before the real trip shows up most problems. Find local help through our Queanbeyan and Tuggeranong pages, both on the way out of town.

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Get it done: get a quoteDo it yourself: shop 7-pin trailer plugs

Questions Canberra drivers ask

Do the ACT and NSW have different trailer brake rules?

Trailer brake requirements come from the national vehicle standards, so the core rules are the same: no brakes required up to 750 kg GTM, brakes on at least one axle up to 2,000 kg, and brakes on all wheels operable from the driver's seat plus a breakaway system above 2,000 kg. Other towing rules can vary, so check Access Canberra and Transport for NSW before a trip.

Do I need snow chains to tow to Jindabyne?

The NSW Government says two-wheel drive vehicles entering Kosciuszko National Park between the June and October long weekends must carry chains. Jindabyne itself sits outside the park, but chains are recommended on the Snowy Mountains Highway and the Alpine Way between Jindabyne and Thredbo. Check the current requirements and conditions before you leave, and make sure your tyres can take chains.

Why does my van's lithium battery stop charging on cold mornings?

Many lithium batteries have a battery management system that blocks charging when the cells are below about freezing, to protect them from damage. On an alpine morning that can mean no charge from solar or the car until the battery warms up. Some models have built-in heaters. Check your battery's specifications and your charger's settings for low-temperature behaviour.

How should I set my brake controller for Clyde Mountain?

Set the gain with the van fully loaded as you will travel, then test on a quiet road at around 30 to 40 km/h. Increase the gain until the van brakes firmly without its wheels locking. On the descent itself, use a lower gear so the engine helps, and keep the van's brakes from overheating with steady, early braking rather than hard stabs.

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