| Victor Harbor Road | |
| Length | 50 km (31 mi) |
| Direction | Northwest-Southeast |
| From | South Road, Old Noarlunga, South Australia |
| via | Willunga, Mount Compass, Hindmarsh Valley |
| To | Port Elliot Road, Victor Harbor, South Australia |
The Victor Harbor Road (A13) is on the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. It runs from Main South Road at Old Noarlunga south to Victor Harbor, bypassing the towns of McLaren Vale and Willunga, and passing through Mount Compass.
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From Old Noarlunga the road originally ran southeast to McLaren Vale then straight south to Willunga, before climbing the Willunga Escarpment with a steep, winding narrow section called 'Willunga Hill'. In the 1970's a diversion was constructed, bypassing McLaren Vale and Willunga to the west through the McLaren Vale vineyards, and including a new 4-lane section climbing the Willunga Escarpment of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The steep winding ascent of the old road (now known as 'Old Willunga Hill' to differentiate it from the newer road) is regularly featured as part of cycling events such as the Tour Down Under due to its challenging climb. After ascending the new 'Willunga Hill', the road levels and rejoins its old route, gently descending to the town of Mount Compass. Three kilometres further is the turnoff to the Mount Compass-Goolwa road. It is then 15 mins through hilly terrain and across a short coastal plain to Victor Harbor.
Traffic on the road has increased in recent years due to the rapidly increasing population of the coastal towns between Victor Harbor and Hindmarsh Island, and an expanding local tourism industry. Because of this the road has had high numbers of fatalities; 14 people lost their lives and 163 people were injured during 2000-2004. Due to its local notoriety the road has had significant works since early 2004 with resurfacing, overtaking lanes, increased police attention and the reduction of speed limits.
The Royal Automobile Association (RAA) rated the highway at a 4.5/10 (which means it failed to pass certain benchmarks). RAA believes that if the road is duplicated will improve safety on the road remarkably.[1]
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