Horrocks Highway is a major north–south arterial route through regional South Australia, between Quorn in the Flinders Ranges, and Gawler, on the north-eastern fringe of suburban Adelaide.[3]
Horrocks Highway | |
|---|---|
  North end South end | |
| Coordinates | |
| General information | |
| Type | Highway |
| Length | 283 km (176 mi)[1] |
| Route number(s) |  B82 (1998–present)Entire route |
| Former route number |
|
| Major junctions | |
| North end |  Flinders Ranges WayQuorn, South Australia |
| South end | Main North Road Gawler, South Australia |
| Location(s) | |
| Region | Yorke and Mid North, Barossa Light and Lower North[2] |
| Major settlements | Wilmington, Gladstone, Clare, Giles Corner |
| Highway system | |
Route
editHorrocks Highway commences at the intersection with Flinders Ranges Way in Quorn and heads in a southerly direction as a single carriageway, two-lane road, through the grain fields around the regional towns of Wilmingon at the eastern side of Horrocks Pass, continuing south to cross the Broughton River near Yacka. It leaves the southern Flinders Ranges, crosses the Hutt River and enters the northern end of the Clare Valley, with the dominant scenery changes from grain crops to grapevines from Clare to Auburn. Over the next ridge, it crosses the Wakefield River and returns to undulating land cleared for grain cropping then follows the Gilbert River to Giles Corner where Barrier Highway branches northeast towards Riverton and Burra. It crosses the Light River and the environment changes again, grain storage bunkers and silos to urban build-up, before eventually terminating at the interchange with Sturt Highway, and continues south into central Gawler and into suburban Adelaide as the remaining alignment of Main North Road.
As Horrocks Highway is in the valley between the southern Flinders Ranges and northern Mount Lofty Ranges, it is in the relatively wetter climate south of Goyder's Line.
History
editThe highway follows the route established in the early years of the colony by explorer John Horrocks and was a major route for farmers and graziers to reach the capital, passing through rich farmland and the Clare Valley wine region.
Horrocks Highway was previously declared as part of Main North Road, from Wilmington to Gawler Belt; this section was renamed in 2011 to honour John Horrocks, an early explorer and pioneer in the region.[4] Main North Road originally turned west in Wilmington through Horrocks Pass to join Augusta Highway in Winninowie; this has been separately declared as Horrocks Pass Road as part of route B56, while Horrocks Highway continues north beyond Wilmington as part of route B82 to Quorn.[5]
Major intersections
edit| LGA[6] | Location[1][3] | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flinders Ranges | Quorn | 0.0 | 0.0 | Flinders Ranges Way (B83) – Stirling North, Hawker | Northern terminus of highway and route B82 |
| Mount Remarkable | Wilmington | 39.0 | 24.2 |  Horrocks Pass Road (B56 west) – Winninowie | Concurrency with route B56 |
| 41.6 | 25.8 | Willowie Road (B56 east) – Orroroo, Peterborough | |||
| Melrose | 68.3 | 42.4 | White Wells Road – Booleroo Centre | ||
| Murray Town | 77.7 | 48.3 | Nukunu Yarta Way – Booleroo Centre | ||
| 80.7 | 50.1 | Germein Gorge Road – Port Germein | |||
| Northern Areas | Laura | 108.3 | 67.3 | Possum Park Road – Crystal Brook | |
| Gladstone | 118.3 | 73.5 |  Wilkins Highway (B79) – Crystal Brook, Jamestown, Hallett | ||
| 119.9 | 74.5 | Crystal Brook–Broken Hill railway line | |||
| Gulnare | 140.2 | 87.1 |  Goyder Highway (B64 west) – Crystal Brook | Concurrency with route B64 | |
| 142.3 | 88.4 | Goyder Highway (B64 east) – Spalding, Burra, Renmark | |||
| Wakefield | Brinkworth | 168.3 | 104.6 | Condowie Plain Road – Snowtown | |
| Clare and Gilbert Valleys | Bungaree | 178.1 | 110.7 | Bungaree Road (north) – Bungaree | |
| 180.9 | 112.4 |  RM Williams Way (B80) – Spalding, Jamestown | |||
| 186.6 | 115.9 | Bungaree Road (south) – Bungaree | |||
| Clare | 193.1 | 120.0 | Blyth Road – Blyth, Lochiel | ||
| 194.0 | 120.5 | Farrell Flat Road – Hanson, Burra | |||
| Auburn | 218.3 | 135.6 |  Balaklava Road (B84 west) – Balaklava, Port Wakefield | Concurrency with route B84 | |
| 218.5 | 135.8 | Saddleworth Road (B84 east) – Saddleworth | |||
| Wakefield River | 223.2 | 138.7 | Bridge over the river (bridge name unknown) | ||
| Clare and Gilbert Valleys | Giles Corner | 242.8 | 150.9 |  Barrier Highway (A32) – Burra, Hallett, Broken Hill | Northbound entrance to and southbound exit from Barrier Highway only |
| Tarlee | 248.3 | 154.3 | Tarlee Road – Kapunda | ||
| Light River | 258.1 | 160.4 | Linwood Bridge | ||
| Light | Templers | 271.4 | 168.6 | Owen Road (northwest) – Hamley Bridge, Owen, Balaklava Templers Road (east) – Freeling | |
| Gawler Belt | 282.4 | 175.5 |  Thiele Highway (B81) – Freeling, Kapunda, Eudunda, Morgan | ||
| 283.0 | 175.8 |  Sturt Highway (A20) – Adelaide, Nuriootpa, Renmark | |||
| Main North Road – Gawler, Salisbury, Gepps Cross, North Adelaide | Southern terminus of highway and route B82, continues south as Main North Road | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c "Horrocks Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Location SA Map viewer with regional layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Location SA Map viewer with suburb layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Highways renamed" (PDF). The Flinders News. Rural Press. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ^ "Highway One gets a change of name". Plains Producer. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
- ^ "Location SA Map viewer with LGA layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.