The Black Spur is a road between the towns of Healesville and Marysville in Victoria, Australia.
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The Black Spur is located about 60 km ENE from Melbourne on the Maroondah Hwy between Healesville and Marysville. To reach the Black Spur, travel along the Eastern Arterial to the end. Turn right at Springvale Road and then left onto the Maroondah Hwy (Whitehorse Road) and follow until you arrive at Healesville. Alternatively travel through Cardinia Reservoir - Emerald - Yarra Junction - Warburton.
The road, originally known as "The Blacks' Spur", gained its name from the route taken by displaced Aboriginal people from northern Victoria on their way to a mission settlement at Corranderrk near Healesville. [1]
See map of Black Spur at Google Maps.
The road surface is excellent after the recent (as of August 2006) resurfacing with smooth hot-mix and recent (as of 2006) widening. It is twisty with a series of hairpin turns punctuated by short straights. A few corners are prone to dampness due to the ferny rainforest surroundings. Scenery is beautiful tall trees and ferns typical of temperate rainforest. Two thirds of the Black Spur was burnt from the Black Saturday firestorm.
The Black Spur is a popular road for motorcyclists, it also has been reported to Victoria Police that the road attracts racers and as a result a number of incidents and deaths have been recorded.[2]
In March 2008, the Victorian state government has allocated $547,000 to improve motorcycle safety on the Black Spur. Stage 1 of the works has involved reducing the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h, effective Thursday 29 May 2008.[3]