Highway 1 (Australia) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

Highway 1 is a network of highways that circumnavigate the Australian continent, joining all mainland state capitals. At a total length of approximately 14500 km (9,009.9 mi) it is the longest national highway in the world, longer than the Trans-Siberian Highway

Trans-Siberian Highway

The Trans-Siberian Highway is the unofficial name for a network of federal highways that span the width of Russia from the Baltic Sea of the Atlantic Ocean to the Japan Sea of the Pacific Ocean. In the Asian Highway Network, the route is known as AH6. It stretches over from St. Petersburg to...

(over 11000 km (6,835.1 mi)) and the Trans-Canada Highway

Trans-Canada Highway

The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...

(8030 km (4,989.6 mi)). Every day more than a million people travel on some part of it.

History

When the National Route Numbering system

Highways in Australia

This is a list of highways in Australia, listed alphabetically along with each highway's route number and location. Note that some highways service more than one state or territory.-Route numbering systems:...

was adopted in 1955, Highway 1 was the only true national highway. Many of the other national routes are tributaries of Highway 1.

With the introduction of the National Highway

National Highway (Australia)

thumb|right|150px|The National Highway Shield in NSW, QLD, WA, NT & TAS.The National Highway is a system of roads connecting all the States and Territories of Australia, and is the major network of highways connecting Australia's largest and most important cities.The National Highway was...

system in 1974, the significance of Highway 1 diminished, as large sections were not included in the new system. In the 1990s, Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

and South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

adopted alphanumeric route numbering, but retained the number 1 along the length of the highway in both states, with the letters M, A or B denoting the grade of the road.

Under the original Highway 1 scheme, certain major traffic routes that ran parallel to the main route were designated National Route Alternative 1. Most of these route designations have been replaced by either a state route designation, or an alpha-numeric route designation, depending on which state the section is in. An example of the Alternative 1 designation remaining is on the old Princes Highway route from Dandenong to South Melbourne in Victoria.

Track

From Sydney, it heads southwards to Melbourne and then on to Adelaide via Princes Highway

Princes Highway

The Princes Highway extends from Sydney to Port Augusta via the coast through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, a distance of 1941 km or 1898 km via the former alignments of the highway ....

. From then on to Perth via Port Wakefield Road

Port Wakefield Road

Port Wakefield Road is an important Australian highway. It connects Adelaide, the South Australian capital, to the Yorke Peninsula, Port Augusta, northern and western South Australia, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is designated National Highway A1 and a part of the National Highway...

and the Eyre Highway

Eyre Highway

The Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highway 1/A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, who was the first to...

, Coolgardie-Esperance Highway

Coolgardie-Esperance Highway

The Coolgardie–Esperance Highway is a 368 km Western Australian highway between Coolgardie and Esperance. It runs in a north-south direction linking the WA's Eastern Goldfields to the coast....

, South Coast Highway

South Coast Highway

South Coast Highway is a Western Australia highway. It is a part of the Highway 1 network.With a length of , it runs from Esperance to Walpole roughly in parallel to the Western Australia's south coast...

, South Western Highway

South Western Highway

South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth's southeast with Walpole. It is a part of the National Highway 1 network for most of its length...

. It then heads to Darwin via Brand Highway

Brand Highway

Brand Highway is a 362 kilometre main highway linking the northern outskirts of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, to the port city of Geraldton in Western Australia's Mid West region. Together with North West Coastal Highway, it forms part of the Western Australian coastal link to the...

, North West Coastal Highway

North West Coastal Highway

North West Coastal Highway in Western Australia is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the fishing town of Geraldton with the iron ore port of Port Hedland. It is long, and constructed as a sealed 2-lane single carriageway with overtaking lanes in some parts. It was...

, Great Northern Highway

Great Northern Highway

The Great Northern Highway is a generally north-south Western Australian highway which links the state's capital Perth with its most northern port, Wyndham. It is in length, with being National Highway...

, Victoria Highway

Victoria Highway

The Victoria Highway is a 524 kilometre highway linking the Great Northern Highway in Western Australia with the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. It is a part of the Perth - Darwin National Highway link. It is signed as National Highway 1 and is also a part of the Highway 1 network. It is...

and Stuart Highway

Stuart Highway

The Stuart Highway is one of Australia's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 extending from Darwin, Northern Territory, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia, in the south—a distance of...

.

From Darwin, Highway 1 follows the Stuart Highway

Stuart Highway

to Daly Waters, and thereafter the Carpentaria Highway

Carpentaria Highway

The Carpentaria Highway is a 381 kilometre highway, which runs from near Daly Waters to Borroloola in the Northern Territory Australia. It is a sealed road and is part of National Highway 1.-See also:*Highways in Australia...

to Borroloola

Borroloola, Northern Territory

Borroloola is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located on the McArthur River, about 50 km upstream from the Gulf of Carpentaria. At the 2006 census, Borroloola had a population of 773, of whom 579 declared themselves indigenous....

. There is no signposted route for Highway 1 between the QLD/NT Border, east of Borroloola, and Normanton, Queensland.

From there, it follows the Gulf Developmental Road

Gulf Developmental Road

The Gulf Developmental Road links the Cairns and Normanton regions in northern Queensland, Australia. It is the only sealed road linking these two regions....

to Cairns

Cairns, Queensland

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...

and southwards via Bruce Highway

Bruce Highway

The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is a part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1...

to Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

and thereon back to Sydney by Pacific Highway

Pacific Highway (Australia)

The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...

.

In Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

it starts at the Brooker Highway

Brooker Highway

The Brooker Highway is a highway in the State of Tasmania, Australia. Also known as the Northern Outlet, the highway is the major arterial route through Hobart's northern suburbs and is Hobart's major road connection to the cities and towns of Northern Tasmania...

in Hobart

Hobart

Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...

and heads towards Launceston

Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

via the Midland Highway. At Launceston it becomes the Bass Highway to Burnie

Burnie, Tasmania

- Sport :Australian rules football is popular in Burnie. The city's team is the Burnie Dockers Football Club in the Tasmanian State League.Rugby union is also played in Burnie. The local club is the Burnie Rugby Union Club. They are the current Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide Division Two Premiers...

. Highway 1 ends at Burnie; the Bass Highway continues to Marrawah

Marrawah, Tasmania

Marrawah is a small town on the northern part of the West Coast of Tasmania, Australia. marrawah is located in the former shire of Wellington. At the 2006 census, Marrawah had a population of 407....

on the west coast as Highway A2.

Large sections of Highway 1 are shared with the Australian National Highway

National Highway (Australia)

, though the two are not synonymous. For instance, the Princes Highway

Princes Highway

from Sydney to Melbourne is part of Highway 1, but is not part of the National Highway, which follows the Hume Highway and Freeway

Hume Highway

The Hume Highway/Hume Freeway is one of Australia's major inter-city highways, running for 880 km between Sydney and Melbourne. It is part of the Auslink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities as well as serving Albury-Wodonga and...

Road conditions

With such a vast and incomparable length, road conditions vary greatly; from multi-lane freeways in populous urban and rural areas, to sealed two-laners in remote areas, such as the Nullarbor Plain

Nullarbor Plain

The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...

, to single lane roads, such as in northern Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

.

Some stretches are very isolated, such as the Eyre Highway, which crosses the Nullarbor Plain, and the Great Northern Highway, which runs close to the north-western coastline. Isolated roadhouses

Roadhouse (facility)

A roadhouse is a commercial establishment typically built on a major road or highway, to service passing travellers. Its meaning varies slightly by country.-USA:...

serving the small amount of passing traffic are often the only signs of human activity for hundreds of kilometres.

Sights

Highway 1 covers practically every major inhabited part of Australia. Large capital cities, busy holiday resorts, dramatic coastlines, forests ranging from tropical through to temperate gum forests and giant karri

Karri

Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as the Karri, is a eucalypt which is native to the wetter regions of south west of Western Australia.-Description:...

stands, scrubland, deserts and huge tropical swamps are some of the variety of landscapes that can be found along en route.

Stretches of Highway 1 are very popular with interstate and overseas tourists. A drive around Highway 1 with a major detour to Uluru

Uluru

Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....

and back again practically covers most of Australia. The number 1 shield became part of the bush landscape to many travellers, truckers and country people.