| Eyre Highway | |
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| Length | 1675 km (1,041 mi) |
| General direction | West-East |
| From |   Coolgardie-Esperance Highway, Norseman, Western Australia |
| via | Balladonia, Cocklebiddy, Eucla, Ceduna, Kimba |
| To | Princes Highway, Port Augusta, South Australia |
| Allocation | Norseman - SA/WA Border:
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| Major junctions |  Flinders HighwayStreaky Bay Highway  Tod Highway Lincoln Highway Stuart Highway |
Contents |
Location
Named after Edward John Eyre the Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia. It forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. Its route number is National Highway 1 in Western Australia and National Highway A1 in South Australia.
Westwards, the Eyre Highway starts at Port Augusta, South Australia and ends in Norseman, Western Australia and the National Route 94 continues to the gold town of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and then as Great Eastern Highway to Perth, Western Australia. The highway between Adelaide and Port Augusta is Port Wakefield Road (National Highway 1).
History
There are two parts of the Nullarbor crossing that are now distinct and separate routes to the current Eyre Highway - on the Western Australian side there is a mapped Old Coach Road that is further north towards the Trans Australia Railway line, and on the South Australian side the older highway route runs from Border Village to the Nullarbor Roadhouse - well away from the coast and running through the centre of the Nullarbor National Park.
Construction on the Eyre Highway first started in July 1941, and was completed six months later. First known as the Forrest Highway (named after John Forrest) Originally the roads that followed closely to the route were very rough in condition, and during the round-Australia road trials in the 1950s, movie newsreels would show cars on very sandy tracks. The current route of the highway has not been deviated from significantly during various upgrades to the highway. The differences between the condition of the road on either side of Eucla were notable as late as the mid-1980s - the last section was finally sealed on the South Australian section in 1976.[1]
Conditions
Eyre highway in the past was considered to be a highway with extreme conditions; however, many other Australian highways are now considerably more dangerous and remote. The improved current conditions of the highway are illustrated by the type of traffic utilising the highway and the facilities that are available at the localities on the highway. However as with all country driving in Australia awareness of basic preparation and equipment requirements are essential for care free driving.
Notably, water is not freely obtainable over the section bridging Norseman, WA and Ceduna, SA., a distance of over 1200 kilometres. Only bottled water (at exorbitant prices) is available for purchase from roadhouses.
South Australian section
Some towns/settlements and features along the way (westwards from Adelaide):
Flinders Ranges. Stretching from South of Crystal Brook to north of Port Augusta. Spectacular scenery and plenty of picnic places.
Port Augusta. One of South Australia's busiest towns. It is the highway and railway crossroads for Australia. Once considered as being the site for a national capital instead of Canberra.
Eyre Peninsula. A vast region of South Australia with national parks, historic buildings, spectacular coastline and beaches. An alternative way via Lincoln Highway and Flinders Highway (both are formerly National Alternative Route 1 now B100) to reach Ceduna before the Nullarbor Crossing.
Poochera. A small, yet not unpleasant town, the entrance of which is distinguished by spectacular native pines. Poochera is the home of the dinosaur ant, the most primitive surviving ant species. Poochera should be considered if needing a rest before moving onto Ceduna and the Nullarbor.
Ceduna . Westernmost big town in South Australia, located near the Great Australian Bight. Offers fishing and whale watching between May and September.
Nullarbor Plain . The long, flat Nullarbor gets its name from Latin for 'no trees'. It is a long and arduous trip across the Nullarbor Plain (a desert). The typical view is an endless long straight monotonous drive with practically unchanging flat saltbush covered terrain. Petrol is expensive and as scarce as fresh water in these parts. Road hazards include fatigue and at nighttime, kangaroos darting across the highway.
Western Australian section
Spectacular coastline of Great Australian Bight is just a short detour south of the highway in many places. On the average the settlements are 200 km (124 miles) to 300 km (186 miles) apart.
Eucla. Situated just over the W.A. border. This roadhouse is situated close to the Bight. An historic telegraph station, half buried in sand dunes, can also be viewed nearby.
Madura Pass. Once a homestead where horses were bred for use in the British Cavalry and for polo. This is now a peaceful roadhouse and hotel located on the pass through Hampton Tablelands. A lookout over the pass is located nearby.
Cocklebiddy. South of Cocklebiddy is the Eyre Bird Observatory, located in a restored telegraph station. Many caves are also located in this area - they are popular among cave divers and fossil hunters.
Norseman. Officially the end of the Eyre Highway, it is a small town and a junction of the Eyre Highway and the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway. Northwards to Perth via Kalgoorlie and southwards to Albany via Esperance.
Because of its remoteness, some sections of the Highway serve as emergency airstrips for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. These airstrips are signposted, have runway "piano keys" painted on the road, and turnaround bays for small aircraft.
This section of the highway also includes what is regarded as the longest straight stretch of road in Australia, and probably the world, between Balladonia and Caiguna; the road stretches for 146.6km without a turn.
Localities
Port Augusta Iron Knob, off road Kimba Kyancutta Wudinna Minnipa Poochera Cungena Wirrulla Ceduna Nundroo Yalata Nullarbor Eucla Mundrabilla Madura Cocklebiddy Caiguna Balladonia Norseman
See also
- Highways in Australia
- List of highways in South Australia
- List of highways in Western Australia
- List of roadhouses in Western Australia
External links
- Across the Nullarbor Driving Guide by Roderick Eime
Notes
- ^ "Road links to the East". State Library of Western Australia. http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au/federation/iss/078_road.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
Further reading
- Main Roads, Western Australia (2006) Distance book: distances to towns and localities in Western Australia East Perth, W.A. Main Roads ISBN 0730976688
- Western Australia. Dept. of Tourism. (1978) Eyre highway traveller survey, 1978 : a study of travellers prior and subsequent to sealing of the highway Perth: Western Australian Dept. of Tourism. ISBN 0724478000 (Roads. Use. Australia. Eyre Highway. Reports, surveys (ANB/PRECIS SIN 0061603)
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