Landsborough Highway

Landsborough Highway
Queensland
General information
Type Highway
Length 1,028 km (639 mi)
Route number(s) National Highway A2
Former
route number		 National Highway 66
National Highway 71
Major junctions
NW end Barkly Highway, Cloncurry, Queensland
  Flinders Highway
Kennedy Developmental Road
Capricorn Highway
Mitchell Highway
SE end Warrego Highway, Morven, Queensland
Location(s)
Major settlements Winton, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackall, Augathella
Highway system
Highways in Australia
National Highway • Freeways in Australia
Highways in Queensland

Landsborough Highway is a western Queensland highway running in the northwest-southeast direction from Morven to Cloncurry.[1] The Landsborough Highway runs through vast tracts of land that was once occupied by William Landsborough, an Australian explorer of the 19th century. It is also the central part of the tourist route known as the Matilda Highway after the popular Australian song Waltzing Matilda, which extends from Bourke in central northern New South Wales to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria.[2]

The entire highway is an important part of the National Highway system linking Darwin and Brisbane: formerly National Route 66 (Cloncurry to Barcaldine) and National Route 71 (Barcaldine to Augathella), Queensland began to convert to the alphanumeric system much of Australia had adopted in the early-2000s and is now designated as National Route A2.[3] Its importance also stems from the fact that it is the only sealed link between Flinders Highway and Capricorn Highway apart from Gregory Development Road between Emerald and Charters Towers.

The highway services an important sheep and cattle grazing region, tourist traffic and local properties. The highway is fully sealed but with many sections of substandard width and quality. It is also flood-prone with lengthy closures during floods.

Towns

Towns along the highway are listed below:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Queensland Government - Department of Transport and Main Roads - Maps
  2. ↑ "Queensland's Outback - Matilda Highway". outbackholidays.info. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  3. ↑ Hema, Maps (2007). Australia Road and 4WD Atlas (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. pp. 8–16/17. ISBN 978-1-86500-456-3.