Kidman Way
| Kidman Way New South Wales | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Road sign north of Jerilderie at the southern terminus of the Kidman Way | |
| General information | |
| Type | Rural road |
| Length | 644 km (400 mi) |
| Route number(s) |
 B87 |
| Former route number |
 State Route 87 (?? - 2013) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end |
 Mitchell Highway (B71) / Kamilaroi Highway (B76), Bourke, New South Wales |
 Barrier Highway (A32) Lachlan Valley Way Mid-Western Highway (B64) Burley Griffin Way (B94) Sturt Highway (A20) | |
| South end |
 Newell Highway (A39), 16 km (9.9 mi) north of Jerilderie, New South Wales |
| Location(s) | |
| Major settlements | Cobar, Mount Hope, Hillston, Goorawin, Merriwagga, Goolgowi, Griffith, Willbriggie, Darlington Point, Waddi, Coleambally |
The Kidman Way is a state rural road in the western Riverina and western region of New South Wales, Australia. The 644-kilometre (400 mi) highway services the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and outback communities and links the Newell Highway with the Sturt, Mid-Western, Barrier, Mitchell and Kamilaroi highways. The road carries the State Route B87 shield for its entire route, with its northern terminus at Bourke and its southern terminus at a junction with the Newell Highway, situated 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Jerilderie. The Kidman Way is fully sealed and is accessible by two or four-wheel drive.
The Kidman Way draws its history from the stock routes that linked cattle stations in the region, many of which were owned by Sir Sidney Kidman, an Australian pastoralist and philanthropist.[1]
Route
The Kidman Way runs generally north-south, roughly aligned to the state border between New South Wales and South Australia,[2] approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) west of the geographic centre of New South Wales.[3]
The southern junction of the Kidman Way is located at a road junction with the Newell Highway, located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north of Jerilderie. From this point the Kidman Way heads north, its only major intersection being with the Sturt Highway at Waddi, as it moves north through the lush Riverina area towards Griffith, passing through the small towns of Coleambally and Darlington Point. Here the Kidman Way crosses the Murrumbidgee River. Griffith is a large regional centre, in the heart of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, surrounded by vineyards, orchards and ricefields. From Griffith, the Kidman Way heads north through the vast, open western plains to Cobar where it meets the Barrier Highway, running east-west. This is where the outback begins, with plenty of kangaroos and emus and giant tumbleweeds roll across the roads. The first 100 kilometres (62 mi) or more from that point are still fairly green passing through towns such as Goolgowi where a roundabout marks its junction with the Mid-Western Highway; as it continues north to Merriwagga and then Hillston. The Kidman Way shares a concurrency with the Lachlan Valley Way for approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi), before that road heads east to Lake Cargelligo and the Kidman Way heads north to Cobar via long, straight, unbroken stretches of road, except for the village of Mount Hope. This section of road does not support any fuel stations. The Kidman Way continues 160 kilometres (99 mi) through mallee and semi-arid woodlands on to Cobar, once famous for copper. From there the road leads to Bourke, where it meets the Mitchell Highway at its northern terminus; and connects to the Kamilaroi Highway.
Additional stock routes, not officially designated as part of the Kidman Way, provide access to south western and central western Queensland and ultimately, via various roads, to Normanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Major intersections
| LGA | Location | km[4] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourke | Bourke | 0 | 0 | Kamilaroi Highway (B76 east) – Brewarrina, Walgett, Narrabri, Gunnedah | Route transition via |
| 0 | 0 | Mitchell Highway (B71 north) – Cunnamulla, Charleville Mitchell Highway (B71 south) – Nyngan, Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst | Northern highway terminus | ||
| Cobar | Cobar | 160– 161 | 99– 100 | Barrier Highway (A32 east) – Nyngan Barrier Highway (A32 west) – Wilcannia, Broken Hill, South Australia | Pair of closely spaced intersections |
| Carrathool | Hillston | 381 | 237 | Lachlan Valley Way (east) – Lake Cargelligo | Northern concurrency terminus with the Lachlan Valley Way |
| 415 | 258 | Lachlan Valley Way (southwest) – Booligal and to the  Cobb Highway | Southern concurrency terminus with the Lachlan Valley Way | ||
| 416 | 258 | Rankins Springs Road (southeast) – Rankins Springs | |||
| Goolgowi | 476 | 296 | Mid-Western Highway (A32 northeast) – West Wyalong, Cowra, Bathurst Mid-Western Highway (A32 southwest) – Hay | Roundabout | |
| Griffith | Griffith | 526 | 327 | Burley Griffin Way (B94 northeast) – Yenda, Barellan, Temora | B94 western terminus |
| Murrumbidgee | Darlington Point | 559 | 347 | Darlington Point-Whitton Road (east) – Whitton | |
| Murrumbidgee River | 560 | 348 | Darlington Point Bridge | ||
| Murrumbidgee | Waddi | 563– 564 | 350– 350 | Sturt Highway (A20 east) – Narrandera, Wagga Wagga Sturt Highway (A20 west) – Hay, Mildura, Adelaide | Pair of closely spaced intersections |
| Jerilderie | Jerilderie Junction | 644 | 400 | Newell Highway (A39 south) – Jerilderie, Finley, Melbourne | Southern highway terminus |
| 644 | 400 | Newell Highway (A39 north) – Narrandera, Dubbo, Goondiwindi, Brisbane | Southern highway terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
See also
References
- ↑ "Where the legend begins". Kidman Way. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
- ↑ Kidman Way map (Map). Kidman Way. 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ↑ Google (4 April 2015). "Kidman Way". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ↑ Google (4 April 2015). "Kidman Way". Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kidman Way. |
- Serle, Percival (1949). "Kidman, Sidney". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
- "Website". S. Kidman & Co Limited. 2015.
