Stuart Highway
Encyclopedia
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 2834 kilometres (1,761 mi). The principal north-south route through the central interior of mainland Australia, the highway is often referred to simply as "The Track".
The highway is named after John McDouall Stuart
, who was the first European to cross Australia from south to north. The highway approximates the route that John McDouall Stuart took to get from north to south.
at Daly Street and continues as a dual-carriageway to the Arnhem Highway
in Howard Springs
. The highway continues 317 kilometres (197 mi) south passing the Kakadu Highway
to the Victoria Highway
at Katherine
. The route number changes from National 1 to National 87. The highway then continues 673 kilometres (418 mi) south passing the Roper Highway
, the Carpentaria Highway
and the Buchanan Highway
to the Barkly Highway
at Tennant Creek. The highway continues 508 kilometres (316 mi) south into Alice Springs passing the Plenty Highway
. It passes through the Macdonnell Ranges
and finally crosses the South Australia
/Northern Territory
border south of Kulgera
. The highway was only fully sealed in the mid-1980s as part of Australia's bicentenary roadworks programme. There are no police patrolling the majority of this remote highway and until the end of 2006 there was no speed limit outside towns and other built-up areas on the Northern Territory part. The bulk of the Northern Territory's population not living in Darwin lies along its track.
/South Australia
border the route number changes from National 87 to National A 87. The Stuart Highway passes through the Far North
region and continues to Adelaide
, but its proper routing is from Port Augusta
. The highway passes through the Woomera Prohibited Area where travellers may not leave the road. The highway continues south-east towards Adelaide.
There is petrol and other facilities (meals, toilets, etc) available at reasonable intervals (usually around 200 km (124.3 mi)) and more frequent rest stops. Some of the rest stops are located at scenic points with information boards, but others are little more than a picnic table and a rubbish bin in the middle of nowhere.
The South Australian Section is signposted as 110 km/h outside built-up regions, between Port Augusta and the Northern Territory border.
in Australia ran from Darwin to Yulara and back again. Based on similar events
in the United States, this event ended in tragedy when an out of control Ferrari F40
crashed into a checkpoint south of Alice Springs, resulting in the death of four people including the occupants. The remainder of the race had to have a 150 km/h (93 mph) speed limit imposed to prevent further accidents, and then had regular traffic overtake the competitors.
uses the highway as an emergency landing strip and sections of the highway are signed to that effect. These sections of highway have been specially selected and prepared for the landing of aircraft which only takes place after the piece of road has been closed by the police.
.
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...
's major highways. It is a segment of Australia's Highway 1
Highway 1 (Australia)
Australia's Highway 1 is a network of highways that circumnavigate the Australian continent, joining all mainland state capitals. At a total length of approximately it is the longest national highway in the world, longer than the Trans-Siberian Highway and the Trans-Canada Highway...
extending from Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, in the north, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta, South Australia
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
, in the south—a distance of 2834 kilometres (1,761 mi). The principal north-south route through the central interior of mainland Australia, the highway is often referred to simply as "The Track".
The highway is named after John McDouall Stuart
John McDouall Stuart
John McDouall Stuart was one of the most accomplished and famous of all Australia's inland explorers. Stuart led the first successful expedition to traverse the Australian mainland from south to north and return, and the first to do so from a starting point in South Australia, achieving this...
, who was the first European to cross Australia from south to north. The highway approximates the route that John McDouall Stuart took to get from north to south.
Route
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory section of the Stuart Highway starts from the edge of the Darwin Central Business DistrictDarwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
at Daly Street and continues as a dual-carriageway to the Arnhem Highway
Arnhem Highway
The Arnhem Highway is a 230 kilometre highway in the Northern Territory of Australia. It links the mining town of Jabiru, in Kakadu National Park, to the Stuart Highway 35 kilometres south of Darwin....
in Howard Springs
Howard Springs, Northern Territory
Howard Springs is an outer rural area of Darwin. It is 29km SE of the Darwin CBD. Its Local Government Area is the Litchfield Municipality. The suburb is mostly a rural area, but has been experiencing strong growth in population and development. Settlement of the suburb began in 1864. In 1939,...
. The highway continues 317 kilometres (197 mi) south passing the Kakadu Highway
Kakadu Highway
The Kakadu Highway is 209 kilometres long and extends from Pine Creek to Jabiru, entering Kakadu National Park as the highway crosses the Mary River.The highway is signed and mapped as State Route 21....
to the 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...
at Katherine
Katherine, Northern Territory
Katherine is a town situated southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs...
. The route number changes from National 1 to National 87. The highway then continues 673 kilometres (418 mi) south passing the Roper Highway
Roper Highway
Roper Highway is a 298 kilometre highway in the Northern Territory of Australia, which runs east from Mataranka on the Stuart Highway down the Roper River Valley via Roper Bar to Numbulwar Mission on the Gulf of Carpentaria via Numbulwar Road.-See also:...
, 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...
and the Buchanan Highway
Buchanan Highway
The Buchanan Highway, Northern Territory, Australia runs west from Dunmarra on the Stuart Highway crossing the Buntine Highway at Top Springs and eventually connecting with the Victoria Highway near Timber Creek...
to the Barkly Highway
Barkly Highway
The Barkly Highway is a national highway of both Queensland and the Northern Territory.-Description:It runs westward from Cloncurry and the junctions of the Flinders and Landsborough highways to the junction with the Stuart Highway north of Tennant Creek...
at Tennant Creek. The highway continues 508 kilometres (316 mi) south into Alice Springs passing the Plenty Highway
Plenty Highway
The Plenty Highway is a 498 kilometre outback mostly unsealed track cutting across to north-western Queensland from the Stuart Highway.The track leaves the Stuart Highway 68 kilometres north of Alice Springs, follows the Sandover Highway for the first 27 kilometres and finishes in Tobermorey...
. It passes through the Macdonnell Ranges
MacDonnell Ranges
The MacDonnell Ranges of the Northern Territory, are a long series of mountain ranges located in the centre of Australia , and consist of parallel ridges running to the east and west of Alice Springs...
and finally crosses the 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...
/Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
border south of Kulgera
Kulgera, Northern Territory
Kulgera is a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia.Kulgera is accessible by train. The Ghan, run by Great Southern Railway between Adelaide and Darwin arrives twice weekly in each direction. The post code of Kulgera is 0872....
. The highway was only fully sealed in the mid-1980s as part of Australia's bicentenary roadworks programme. There are no police patrolling the majority of this remote highway and until the end of 2006 there was no speed limit outside towns and other built-up areas on the Northern Territory part. The bulk of the Northern Territory's population not living in Darwin lies along its track.
South Australia
At the Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
/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...
border the route number changes from National 87 to National A 87. The Stuart Highway passes through the Far North
Far North, South Australia
The Far North is the region of South Australia that is close to the border with the Northern Territory. Colloquial usage in South Australia tends to use the term "Far North" as referring to that part of South Australia north of a line roughly from Ceduna through Port Augusta to Broken Hill.It is...
region and continues to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, but its proper routing is from Port Augusta
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...
. The highway passes through the Woomera Prohibited Area where travellers may not leave the road. The highway continues south-east towards Adelaide.
There is petrol and other facilities (meals, toilets, etc) available at reasonable intervals (usually around 200 km (124.3 mi)) and more frequent rest stops. Some of the rest stops are located at scenic points with information boards, but others are little more than a picnic table and a rubbish bin in the middle of nowhere.
Speed limits
There was no absolute speed limit in the Northern Territory before 1 January 2007 but maximum speed limits are now posted on some road sections. Drivers, previously, were simply required to drive at a safe speed to suit the conditions. Thus, the Northern Territory section of the Stuart Highway had no speed limits at all. The Northern Territory traffic laws were updated from 1 January 2007 to be similar to the rest of Australia. This included placing a speed limit on all roads (130 km/h (81 mph)) on major highways such as the Stuart Highway and significantly increasing penalties for speeding.The South Australian Section is signposted as 110 km/h outside built-up regions, between Port Augusta and the Northern Territory border.
Cannonball Run
In 1994 the first and only Cannonball RunCannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
The Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as the Cannonball Baker or Cannonball Run, was an unofficial, if not outlaw, automobile race run four times in the 1970s from New York City and Darien, CT, on the US Atlantic coast, to Redondo Beach, a Los Angeles...
in Australia ran from Darwin to Yulara and back again. Based on similar events
Open Road Racing
Open Road Racing is a form of regularity rally carried out at high speeds on closed public highways, most commonly in sparsely populated parts of the Southwestern United States. Competitors attempt to set specified average speeds which can range from or higher along courses ranging between in...
in the United States, this event ended in tragedy when an out of control Ferrari F40
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-door coupé sports car produced by Ferrari from 1987 to 1992 as the successor to the Ferrari 288 GTO. From 1987 to 1989 it was Ferrari's fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car...
crashed into a checkpoint south of Alice Springs, resulting in the death of four people including the occupants. The remainder of the race had to have a 150 km/h (93 mph) speed limit imposed to prevent further accidents, and then had regular traffic overtake the competitors.
Flying Doctors
The Royal Flying Doctor ServiceRoyal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
uses the highway as an emergency landing strip and sections of the highway are signed to that effect. These sections of highway have been specially selected and prepared for the landing of aircraft which only takes place after the piece of road has been closed by the police.
Disappearance
The highway became the centre of media attention during 2001 after the disappearance and suspected murder of English tourist, Peter Falconio while travelling on the road.World Solar Challenge
Stuart Highway is the highway taken in the World Solar ChallengeWorld Solar Challenge
The World Solar Challenge is a solar-powered car race which covers through the Australian Outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations although some are fielded by high schools...
.
See also
- Highways in AustraliaHighways in AustraliaThis 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:...
- List of highways in the Northern Territory
- List of highways in South Australia
External links
- Driving Guide by Roderick Eime
- Explorers Way Drive from Adelaide to Darwin