Pacific Highway (Australia)
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| Pacific Highway | |
| Brisbane CBD-Eight Mile Plains (As Pacific Motorway): | |
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| Eight Mile Plains-Bilinga(As Pacific Motorway): | |
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| Bilinga-Hexham: | |
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| Hexham-Doyalson: | |
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| Doyalson-Wahroonga: | |
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| Wahroonga-Artarmon: | |
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| Artarmon-Crows Nest: | |
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| Crows Nest-North Sydney: | |
| Length | 1050 kilometres |
| General direction: | North-South |
| From: | Coolangatta, Queensland |
| To: | North Sydney, New South Wales |
| Towns along highway: | Ballina, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Taree, Newcastle, Gosford, Wahroonga |
- This article is about the Pacific Highway between the Queensland/New South Wales border and Sydney. For the Pacific Motorway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, see Pacific Motorway.
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route in eastern Australia and is part of Australia's Highway 1. It is 1050 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 Macquarie, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Ballina and the Gold Coast. It is known as a dangerous piece of road due to the higher-than-average death toll.
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[edit] History
Initially, the primary mode of transport of the North Coast, New South Wales towns was sea transport. The road linking Tweed Heads and Newcastle was only partly sealed, flood-prone and had many river crossings without bridges (using ferries). This was designated the North Coast Highway in 1928. It was renamed the Pacific Highway in 1931.
Most freight traffic between New South Wales and Queensland passed along the New England Highway instead, due to the easier topography of the Northern Tablelands it traverses. In the 1950s and 1960s, traffic quadrupled as the North Coast became an attractive retirement and tourist destination. The highway was subsequently improved, the last section to be sealed was in 1958 at Koorainghait south of Taree, and the last road ferry crossing was replaced by the Harwood Bridge over the South Channel of the Clarence River in 1966 (the north channel had been bridged in 1931).
However it is still hilly and winding in many stretches. With increases in traffic, towns and villages are gradually being bypassed. As late as in the 1970s, overtaking lanes or climbing lanes were rare, hence traffic slowed down in peak seasons. The increase in traffic during holidays combined with the dangerous stretches resulted in many fatalities.
Two major coach accidents on the Pacific Highway in 1989 near Grafton (in which 20 people died) and at Clybucca near Kempsey (in which 35 people died) resulted in a public outcry over the poor quality of the road and its high fatality rate [1]. It did not examine the question of why the North Coast railway had failed to be improved to handle increased economic development on the North Coast, and the consequent overloading of the road system with long distance freight and passenger traffic. It was clear that the road, built when the North Coast was merely an agricultural area, could not handle the amount of traffic in the rapidly growing region. The Pacific Highway was never part of the Federally funded system of National Highways. This appears to be because when the Commonwealth funding of the 'national highway' system began in 1974, the New England Highway was chosen rather than the Pacific Highway as the Sydney-Brisbane link due to its easier topography and consequent lower upgrade costs.
Yet the highway was undeniably heavily used by interstate traffic and its upgrade was beyond the resources of the New South Wales Government alone. The NSW Government and the Commonwealth Government argued for years about how the responsibility for funding the highway's upgrade should be divided between themselves, only coming up with a mutually acceptable upgrade package in the middle of the 1990s. The Highway is now part of the AusLink National Network and new projects are funded 50/50 by the Federal and State governments.
Since then much of the predominantly single carriageway section from Tweed Heads to Newcastle has been converted to motorway or dual carriageway standards, mostly by deviating the highway slightly. There have also been numerous upgradings of the single carriageway, with extensive overtaking lane construction and pavement widening. Many towns have been bypassed by motorway-standard stretches, though the highway still snakes through several large towns such as Coffs Harbour and Kempsey. Overall, the highway has become safer and travelling times have been substantially reduced, particularly during holiday periods. However, as of 2005 there are still vast stretches which have only two lanes and no controlled access. From time to time, there are proposals in the media for the private sector to build a fully controlled-access high-speed tollway between Newcastle and the Queensland border, possibly using the BOOT system of infrastructure provision. Nothing has eventuated of these proposals.
The Pacific Highway was replaced by the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway as the national route between Sydney and Hexham near Newcastle in sections between 1965 and 1992. Beyond the end of the freeway near Hexham dual carriageway continues north to north of Karuah. Apart from the section from north of Karuah to the Lakes Way (north of Bulahdelah) the highway is now dual carriageway as far north as Coopernook. Beyond this are dual carriageway sections from Herons Creek to Port Macquarie, Eungai-Warrell Creek, at Raleigh, through the Coffs Harbour urban area, at Harwood Island, Ewingsdale-Brunswick Heads and Yelgun (north of Brusnwick Heads)-Brisbane, with the section Bilinga(Gold Coast)-Brisbane being freeway.
Current major upgrading projects are (from north to south) the Bilinga-Chinderah freeway on the Gold Coast (the 'Tugun bypass'), the Yelgun-Brunswick Heads realignment and duplication, the Ballina bypass, the Coffs Harbour bypass (in planning), the Bonville deviation and duplication, and the Lakes Way-Karuah duplication (southern 15 km under construction). These will result in continuous dual carriageway from Sydney to Coopernook, Raleigh-Sapphire Beach and Ewingsdale-Brisbane, with other isolated sections of dual carriageway.
Current major investigations are for the Port Macquarie-Urunga and Bangalow-Ewingsdale realignments. Preferred routes have been identified for upgrading the sections Coopernook-Herons Creek and Port Macquarie-Kempsey.
These projects form part of a ten-year program by the Commonwealth and NSW governments to upgrade the Hexham-Gold Coast stretch of the Pacific Highway to motorway standard.
[edit] Track
From Sydney the Pacific Highway starts as the continuation of the Bradfield Highway at the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, immediately north of the Sydney Central Business District and is the main route as far as the suburb of Wahroonga. From the Harbour Bridge to the Gore Hill Freeway at Lane Cove it is designated as Sydney Metroad 10 and from the Gore Hill Freeway to Wahroonga it is designated as Metroad 1. From Wahroonga to Hexham near Newcastle the Pacific Highway has been superseded by the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway, known formerly and until today colloquially as the F3. The present designation of this road is National Highway 1. The freeway ends at the New England Highway (national highway 15) between Hexham and Maitland. Vehicles turn right onto a short section of the New England Highway towards Newcastle, to rejoin the Pacific Highway at Hexham interchange.
The Pacific Highway continues from Wahroonga to Doyalson as state route 83. The inital section follows a scenic winding route to Calga. Between this point and the junction with the Central Coast Highway at West Gosford where it recommences, the route has been decommissioned as part of the Pacific Highway, with the route between the F3 Freeway at Calga and Brian McGowan Bridge in Gosford CBD renamed as part of the Central Coast Highway although carrying the state route 83 designation.
Between 1925 and 1930 the then-Main Roads Board reconstructed a route between Hornsby and Calga that had been abandoned some forty years earlier, in order to provide a direct road link between Sydney and Newcastle. In addition an entirely new route from Calga into the gorge of Mooney Mooney Creek and up to the ridge at Kariong above Gosford, was also required. The new route via Calga and Gosford was some 80 km shorter than the previous Sydney-Newcastle route, which was via Parramatta, McGraths Hill, Maroota, Wisemans Ferry, Wollombi and Cessnock. At first Peats Ferry was reinstituted to cross the Hawkesbury River, with construction of the bridge not beginning until 1938, due to the Great Depression. Due to the onset of World War II, the bridge was not completed until May 1945.
The highway recommences as state route 83 in Gosford and continues north through the Central Coast towns of Ourimbah and Wyong as a regional route before meeting with a spur of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway near Doyalson numbered as state route 111. At this point the Pacific Highway becomes state route 111, and is a four-lane regional highway passing Lake Macquarie and on through the suburbs of Newcastle before rejoining national route 1 at Hexham.
From Bennetts Green to Sandgate it is supplemeted by state highway 13 (marked as state route 23), through New Lambton and Jesmond. Two lengths of this route have been replaced by freeway.
From Hexham, the Pacific Highway (now national route 1 again) passes along the NSW North Coast and across the state border into Queensland at Tweed Heads, on the southern fringe of the Gold Coast, Queensland. From here, the Highway is a divided four-lane urban arterial to Bilinga, where it becomes the Pacific Motorway, whilst the old route runs through Burleigh Heads, Surfers Paradise and Southport as the Gold Coast Highway.
[edit] Cities and towns
The Pacific Highway passes through some of Australia's fastest growing regions, the NSW's Central Coast and North Coast and also the Brisbane-Gold Coast corridor, with tourism and leisure being the primary economic activity. Hence the traffic is heavy, particularly during holiday seasons, resulting in major congestion. For direct Sydney-Brisbane travel, the New England Highway is preferred as it passes through fewer major towns and carries less local traffic.
Major cities and towns along the Pacific Highway include: Gosford, Wyong, Newcastle, Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Ballina and Byron Bay, all in New South Wales; Coolangatta and Gold Coast in Queensland.
[edit] Gosford
Gosford is the commerical centre of the Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia's ninth largest urban area at the 2001 census. Gosford is located on Brisbane Water which is a waterway that leads from Pittwater and the Hawkesbury. The Central Coast has a nice climate, good beaches and pretty bushland areas. It leads to lovely holiday parts of the Central Coast e.g. Terrigal, The Entrance and Ettalong Beach.
[edit] Newcastle
Newcastle is the second largest city in New South Wales and the fifth largest in Australia with a population of 450,000. It is the gateway to the Hunter Valley and is the commercial, administrative and industrial centre of the region. Once a major industrial city, now an elegant destination full of historic buildings, beaches, interesting sights and cultural activities.
The preferred method of reaching Newcastle from the freeway is to take the Newcastle Link Road (the Newcastle/Wallsend exit) from the Newcastle Freeway. Alternatively, Newcastle may be reached by taking the Doyalson exit from the Freeway and following the Pacific Highway (route 111), or by continuing to the end of the freeway and turning right on to the New England Highway, travelling through Hexham.
[edit] Taree
Taree is a major North Coast rural town. It is a major regional centre and stopover point rather than as an actual tourist destination. Among the attractions apart from forests and waterways is the 'Big Oyster'. The Highway now passes to theeast of the town, following the opening of a bypass in 1998.
[edit] Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is the major resort on the Mid North Coast. It is located slightly off the Pacific Highway via the Oxley Highway. It was first settled in 1821 and has historic buildings, a fine museum, superb nature reserves, good surfing beaches, good fishing locations and a good variety of accommodations.
[edit] Kempsey
Kempsey is a large town located on the beautiful Macleay River halfway between Sydney and the Gold Coast, making it a popular stopping point for people making the journey along the Pacific Highway. Akubra Hats are made in Kempsey and it was the home town of Slim Dusty.
[edit] Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour is the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid North Coast and is the major resort of the NSW North Coast. With subtropical climate, Coffs Harbour is popular with retirees and tourists. This is evident from its suburban development, more akin to big cities than North Coast towns. It is also famous for its banana plantations celebrated by 'The Big Banana' tourist destination. Apart from banana growing fishing is important here. The Jetty area of the city includes a marina, a large harbour with an accessible jetty, shops, restaurants and cafes, as well as the Muttonbird Island reserve, famous for its muttonbird population. South is Sawtell, which is a fast-developing coastal resort with attractive beaches and its famous main street with cafes, clubs and shops. To the north of Coffs Harbour is Woolgoolga, which has similar attractions, including a culture different to those on the North Coast.
[edit] Grafton
Grafton is a very beautiful and gracious city. It has wide streets, elegant Victorian buildings, a superb location on the banks of the wide Clarence River and many ornamental parks. The city is particularly proud of its jacarandas which are spectacular when in full bloom during November, when the Jacaranda Festival is held.
[edit] Ballina
Ballina is a major town, atracting large numbers of retirees. It is located among sugarcane plantations at the mouth of the Richmond River. It is also holiday destination . Another famous piece of kitsch, 'The Big Prawn' advertises Ballina as a desirable fishing spot.
[edit] Tweed Heads
Tweed Heads is the major commercial centre of the southern part of the Gold Coast, which extends as far south as Chinderah in NSW. It was known as a 'twin town' along with Coolangatta, Queensland before they coalesced with other towns to form the suburbia of the Gold Coast.
[edit] Gold Coast
Coolangatta to Helensvale is within the City of Gold Coast. The city has a population of 400,000 and is Australia's sixth-largest city. The oceanside parts of the Gold Coast are characterised by high-rises, waterfront developments, casino, theme parks, amusement parks and numerous tourist attractions, whilst its inland suburbs are leafy and well kept, looking much like the newer suburbia of other large Australian cities. The Gold Coast attracts tourists from around the world and is one of Australia's leading tourist destinations. It is bypassed by the Pacific Motorway (M1 Motorway) which continues to Logan City in Brisbane, where its designation becomes Metroad 3. From there, this section of the Pacific Motorway (known before 2003 as the South East Freeway) continues straight into Brisbane city centre.
The former route of the Pacific Highway through the Gold Coast has been renamed as the Gold Coast Highway, and the former route of the highway from Logan to Wooloongabba in Brisbane is now Logan Road, which was the name it had prior to becoming part of the Pacific Highway in 1931.
