The Flinders Highway is a highway that crosses Queensland east to west, from Townsville on the Pacific coast to Cloncurry. The road continues as the Barkly Highway from Cloncurry to the Northern Territory border at Camooweal and beyond. The Flinders Highway passes a number of small outback towns and typical outback landscape predominates towards the inland. It was known as National Route 78 before Queensland began to convert to the alphanumeric system being adopted in Australia and is now designated as A6. The highway is also known as Overlanders Way.[1] Its entire length is part of the National Land Transport Network (formerly Auslink).[2]
Flinders Highway | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Flinders Highway (green on black) | |
General information | |
Type | Highway |
Length | 775 km (482 mi) |
Route number(s) | ![]() |
Former route number | ![]() |
Major junctions | |
West end | ![]() |
| |
East end | ![]() |
Location(s) | |
Major settlements | Julia Creek, Richmond, Hughenden, Charters Towers |
Highway system | |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Flinders_Hwy_going_south_on_the_way_to_Charters_Towers_%285930251068%29.jpg/220px-Flinders_Hwy_going_south_on_the_way_to_Charters_Towers_%285930251068%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Flinders_Hwy%2C_on_the_way_to_Charters_Towers_%285929694603%29.jpg/220px-Flinders_Hwy%2C_on_the_way_to_Charters_Towers_%285929694603%29.jpg)
State-controlled road
editFlinders Highway is a state-controlled national road. It is defined in five sections, as follows:
History
editAs at 1957, only the Townsville to Charters Towers section was sealed. The rest of the highway was progressively sealed with the last section completed in November 1976.[6]
In the 1980s, the second stage of the Ross River Dam necessitated a deviation of the Flinders Highway and Mount Isa railway line (which previously ran straight north-south) to be further east. This was completed by 1986 and resulted in the closure of Toonpan and Barringha railway stations on the removed route; they were not re-established on new route.[7][8][9][10]
Northern Australia Roads Program upgrades
editThe Northern Australia Roads Program announced in 2016 included two projects for the Flinders Highway.
Pavement strengthening
editThe project for pavement strengthening and rehabilitation between Townsville and Torrens Creek was expected to finish in late 2021 at a total cost of $22.2 million.[11]
Replacement of culverts
editThe project for replacement of culverts between Charters Towers and Richmond was completed in late 2018 at a total cost of $15.1 million.[12]
Roads of Strategic Importance upgrades
editThe Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, last updated in March 2022, includes the following projects for the Flinders Highway.
Corridor upgrade
editA lead project to upgrade the Queensland section of the Tennant Creek to Townsville corridor, including sections of the Barkly and Flinders Highways, the Kennedy Developmental Road and surrounding state and council roads, at an estimated cost of $250 million, was in the planning stage in 2020.[13]
Overtaking lanes
editA project to construct overtaking lanes between Townsville and Charters Towers at a cost of $33.4 million is planned to be completed by mid-2023.[14] This project is targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government, and has been split into two packages.[15]
Pavement strengthening and widening
editA project to strengthen and widen the pavement at Scrubby Creek, between Julia Creek and Cloncurry, at a cost of $32.6 million is due for completion in early 2024.[16] This project is targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government.[15]
Wide centre line treatment
editA project to deliver wide centre lines on a section of road between Townsville and Charters Towers at a cost of $9.7 million was due for completion in early 2022.[17] This project was targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government, and was split into two packages.[15]
Other upgrades
editConstruct acceleration lane
editA project to construct an acceleration lane at Woodstock, at a cost of $5 million, was completed in December 2020.[18]
Towns
editCharters Towers
editCharters Towers, 133 km to the south west from Townsville. A former gold rush town with a population of 30 000 in 1890. At that time it was known as "The World" because it seemed to be the centre of everything. Presently it is a centre for cattle grazing, with gold mining continuing to be an important industry. Much of the elegant gold rush architecture of the nineteenth century remains in place and is a tourist attraction.
Pentland
editPentland is located between Charters Towers and Hughenden. Pentland is about 140 kilometres (87 mi) away from the town of Hughenden and 240 kilometres (150 mi) from the North Queensland city of Townsville. Hughenden has about 2000 people and Charters Towers has about 9000. Pentland's population is estimated to be 250 people.[19]
Hughenden
editLocated 243 km further on, Hughenden, the administrative centre of Flinders shire is in the heart of sheep and cattle country.
Richmond
editRichmond, a former gold rush town located 112 km further west. Currently a pastoral centre.
Julia Creek
editJulia Creek, 147 km further west, another pastoral settlement
Cloncurry
editCloncurry, former copper-mining town located 139 km west from Julia Creek. The first regular Qantas flights started between here and Charleville in 1922 and Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia service started here in 1928. Nowadays it is an important road and rail junction. Flinders Highway ends here.
Major intersections
editLGA | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Townsville | Stuart | 0 | 0.0 | Bruce Highway (Queensland Highway A1) – north–west – Townsville / south–east – Ayr / Southern Port Road – north–east – Port of Townsville | Eastern end of Flinders Highway (National Route A6) |
1.9 | 1.2 | Stuart Drive – north – Townsville | Flinders Highway continues south on Stuart Drive | ||
Burdekin River | 105 | 65 | Macrossan Bridge (see also Great Northern Railway) | ||
Charters Towers | Charters Towers | 122 | 76 | Gregory Highway (State Route 63) – west – Greenvale | Northern concurrency terminus with Gregory Highway / Flinders Highway continues southwest through Charters Towers |
Black Jack | 130 | 81 | Gregory Highway (State Route A7) – south – Clermont | Southern concurrency terminus with Gregory Highway | |
Flinders | Torrens Creek | 284 | 176 | Torrens Creek Aramac Road (State Route 18) – south – Aramac | |
Hughenden | 371 | 231 | Hughenden Muttaburra Road (State Route 19) – south – Muttaburra | ||
373.0 | 231.8 | Kennedy Developmental Road (State Route 62) – west – Winton | Southern concurrency terminus with Kennedy Developmental Road | ||
373.1 | 231.8 | Kennedy Developmental Road (State Route 62) – north – Mount Garnet | Northern concurrency terminus with Kennedy Developmental Road | ||
McKinlay | Julia Creek | 637 | 396 | Julia Creek Kynuna Road (State Route 84) – south – Kynuna | |
640 | 400 | Wills Developmental Road (State Route 84) – north–west – Burketown | |||
Cloncurry | Cloncurry | 759 | 472 | Landsborough Highway (National Route A2) – south–east – Kynuna | Eastern concurrency terminus with Landsborough Highway |
Cloncurry River | 775.0 | 481.6 | Ernest Henry Bridge | ||
Cloncurry | Cloncurry | 775.2 | 481.7 | Burke Developmental Road (National Route 83) – north – Normanton / Barkly Highway (National Route A2) – west – Mount Isa | Western concurrency terminus with Landsborough Highway. Western end of Flinders Highway |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Intersecting state-controlled roads
editIn addition to the Bruce, Landsborough and Barkly Highways, and the Gregory, Kennedy, Wills and Burke Developmental Roads, the following state-controlled roads, from east to west, intersect with the Flinders Highway:
- Townsville Port Road
- Townsville Connection Road
- Woodstock–Giru Road
- Burdekin Falls Dam Road
- Aramac–Torrens Creek Road
- Hughenden–Muttaburra Road
- Richmond–Winton Road
- Julia Creek–Kynuna Road[3][4][5]
Julia Creek–Kynuna Road
editJulia Creek–Kynuna Road | |
---|---|
Location | Flinders Highway, Julia Creek to Landsborough Highway, Kynuna |
Length | 112 km (70 mi) |
Julia Creek–Kynuna Road is a state-controlled district road (number 5807), rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS).[3][5] It runs from the Flinders Highway in Julia Creek to the Landsborough Highway in Kynuna, a distance of 112 kilometres (70 mi). It does not intersect with any other state-controlled roads.[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Outback Australia - Australian Outback". Outbacknow.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c The State Road Network of Queensland (PDF) (Map). Queensland Government ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Northern district map" (PDF). Department of Transport and Main Roads ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. November 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "North West district map" (PDF). Department of Transport and Main Roads ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. March 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Completion of Flinders Highway". Australian Transport: 16–17. August 1977.
- ^ "Ross River Dam". Townsville City Council. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Railway stations and sidings - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Mount Elliott (Special)" (Map). Queensland Government. 1942. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Flinders Highway (Townsville - Torrens Creek) Pavement Strengthening and Rehabilitation (Package 1)". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Flinders Highway (Charters Towers - Richmond) Culvert upgrades (Package 1)". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Tennant Creek to Townsville - Queensland". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 11 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Flinders Highway (Townsville - Charters Towers) Overtaking Lanes". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ a b c "ROSI early works package" (PDF). Queensland Government. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ "Flinders Highway (Julia Creek - Cloncurry) - Scrubby Creek Pavement Strengthening and Widening". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Flinders Highway (Townsville - Charters Towers) Wide Centre Line Treatment". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Flinders Highway (Glenn Road) acceleration lane project". Queensland Government. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ "Our Region – Pentland". Charters Towers Regional Council. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ "Julia Creek to Kynuna" (Map). Google Maps. Google. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
External links
edit- Overlander's Highway A driving guide by Roderick Eime