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Portals → Technology → Transport → Roads

The Australian Roads Portal

File:Road train on the Stuart Highway.jpg

Road train on the Stuart Highway,
through the centre of Australia

Australia's earliest needs for trade and travel were met by narrow bush tracks, used by tribes of Indigenous Australians prior to European settlement. The formal construction of roads began in 1788 in the newly formed colony of New South Wales. Road construction programs in the early 19th century were generally underfunded, as they were dependent on government budgets, loans, and tolls, while there was a huge increase in road usage, due to the Australian gold rushes. Local government authorities, often known as Road Boards, were therefore established to be primarily responsible for funding and undertaking road construction and maintenance. The early 1900s saw both the increasingly widespread use of motorised transportation, and the creation of state road authorities in each state, between 1913 and 1926, to manage each state's arterial road network. The federal government became involved in road funding in the 1920s, distributing funding to the states. The depression of the 1930s slowed the funding and development of the major road network until the onset of World War II. Supply roads leading to the north of the country were considered vital, resulting in the construction of Barkly, Stuart, and Eyre highways.

The decades following the war saw substantial improvements to the network, with freeways established in cities, many major highways sealed, development of rural roads in northern Queensland and Western Australia, and interstate routes upgraded. In 1974, the federal government assumed responsibility for funding the nations most important road links, between state and territory capitals cities, which were declared National Highways. Those roads were gradually improved, and by 1989, all gravel road sections had been sealed. In the following decades, the National Highway system was amended through legislation, and was eventually superseded in 2005 by the broader National Land Transport Network, which includes connections to major commercial centres, and intermodal freight transport facilities.

The first route marking system was introduced to Australia in the 1950s. National Routes were assigned to significant interstate routes – the most important road links in the country. National Route 1 was designated to a circular route around the Australian coastline. A state route marking system was designed to supplement the national system, for inter-regional and urban routes within states. When the National Highway system was introduced, National Routes along it became National Highway routes with the same numbers, but with distinctive green and gold route markers. During the late 1970s, planning began for a new alphanumeric route system in the state of Tasmania. Alphanumeric routes have since been introduced in most states and territories in Australia, partially or completely replacing the previous systems.

More about roads and highways in Australia...

The Monaro Highway is a highway that is located in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia. The 285-kilometre-long (177 mi) roadway links Cann River in Victoria to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) via the Monaro region. From its southern terminus, it follows the nearby Cann River upstream towards the New South Wales border through heavily forested terrain. Within New South Wales (NSW), it makes its way through further forest before reaching the pastures typical of the Monaro. There are multiple towns and villages along the highway, including Bombala, Nimmitabel, and Cooma. The terrain within the Monaro is largely hilly, and there are numerous crossings. The road also parallels the former Bombala railway line in several locations. Within the ACT, the road becomes a high volume roadway and serves the southern suburbs of Canberra. Originally known as Cann Valley Road, the Victorian section was designated as a highway in 1960, and received the name Cann Valley Highway. The Monaro Highway name was applied to the road within Victoria in 1996. Within NSW, the highway was created in 1938 and designated as State Highway 19 within the Department of Main Roads. In 1958, It was named the Monaro Highway in both NSW and the ACT, though the same name had been in use by the Snowy Mountains Highway up until 1955. The Monaro Highway has more recently had a grade-separated dual carriageway extension constructed within Canberra, as part of the Eastern Parkway construction project.

300px

Graham Farmer Freeway tunnel eastbound, prior being reconfigured to three lanes

Wikinews Roads portal

• November 25: Canadian politician Manmeet Bhullar dies aged 35 after traffic collision
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• September 9: Actor Ryan Thomas involved in car crash in Manchester, England

300px

The Gunbarrel Highway, as straight as a gun barrel

• ... that a committee in the 1920s raised the funds to turn a collection of tracks into Anzac Avenue, the longest World War I memorial road in Queensland?
• ... that local Aboriginal activist Michael Mansell called for the Brighton Bypass to be scrapped, stating that to continue construction "would be cultural vandalism, on an extreme scale"?
• ... that grader which broke down during construction of Gary Junction Road had to be towed over 800 kilometres (500 mi), travelling at just 3 kilometres per hour (1.9 mph)?

▼ Roads in Australia

► Australian freeways

► Toll roads in Australia

► Highways and freeways in Perth, Western Australia

► Roads in Perth, Western Australia

► Roads in Western Australia

► Streets in Perth central business district, Western Australia

National topics:

• Highways in Australia
• Freeways in Australia
• The National Highway
• Highway 1 (Australia)

Lists of highways by state/territory:

• ACT
• NSW
• NT
• QLD
• SA
• TAS
• VIC
• WA

Road infrastructure: Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

Tasmania

South Australia

Victoria

Western Australia

Main project:
WikiProject Australian Roads

Related projects:

• Australia
  • and -1 sub-projects
• Highways
  • Canada Roads
  • UK Roads
  • U.S. Roads
  • Hong Kong Roads
  • Indian roads

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