Murray Valley Highway is a 663-kilometre (412 mi)[3] rural highway located in Victoria (with a short western tail in New South Wales), Australia, between Euston, New South Wales and Corryong, Victoria.[6] The popular tourist route mostly follows the southern bank of the Murray River and effectively acts as the northernmost highway in Victoria. For all but the western end's last three kilometres, the highway is allocated route B400.
Murray Valley Highway –Victoria | |
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| Murray Valley Highway at Nathalia | |
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| Coordinates |
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| General information | |
| Type | Highway |
| Length | 663 km (412 mi)[3] |
| Gazetted | November 1914 (as Main Road)[1] September 1932 (as State Highway)[2] |
| Route number(s) |
|
| Former route number |  National Route 16 (1955–1997/2013) (VIC/NSW)Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| Northwest end |  Sturt HighwayEuston, New South Wales |
| Southeast end | Alpine Way VIC/NSW border |
| Location(s) | |
| Region | Loddon Mallee, Hume[4] |
| Major settlements | Robinvale, Swan Hill, Kerang, Echuca, Yarrawonga, Rutherglen, Wodonga, Tallangatta[5] |
| Highway system | |
Route
edit
Murray Valley Highway commences at the intersection with Sturt Highway just outside Euston, New South Wales and heads south to cross the Murray River over the Robinvale-Euston bridge at Robinvale and into Victoria; the western end of route B400 starts here. The highway continues in a south-easterly direction, tracking close to the southern bank of the Murray River for the majority of its length through the towns of Swan Hill, Kerang, Cohuna, Echuca, Nathalia, Strathmerton, Cobram, Yarrawonga and Rutherglen, until it reaches Wodonga, before heading in an easterly direction via Tallangatta until it eventually terminates at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range at Corryong; the road beyond crosses the border east into New South Wales as Alpine Way, to eventually reach Khancoban and Jindabyne.
Most of the highway is fairly straight and flat, much of it through irrigated farmland. It becomes hillier and more winding east of Wodonga, with a moderately steep mountain pass near Shelley, midway between Tallangatta and Corryong.
History
editWithin Victoria, the passing of the Country Roads Act of 1912[7] through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the establishment of the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads) and their ability to declare Main Roads, taking responsibility for the management, construction and care of the state's major roads from local municipalities. Murray (River) Valley Road was declared a Main Road on 30 November 1914,[1] from Bonegilla over Sandy Creek (later to become Lake Hume), through Bethanga and Granya, following the course of the Murray River, to Burrowye; Kyabram-Nathalia Road from Wyuna to Nathalia (and continuing south to Kyabram), (Lake Boga-) Swan Hill Road from Lake Boga to Swan Hill, (Swan Hill-) Euston Road from Swan Hill through Nyah and Piangil to the punt over the Murray River to Euston, Yarrawonga-Cobram Road from Yarrawonga to Cobram, Cobram-Strathmerton Road from Cobram to Strathmerton, and Wangaratta-Yarrawonga Road between Bundalong and Yarrawonga (and continuing south to Wangaratta), were declared Main Roads on 17 March 1915;[8] and Rutherglen-Wodonga Road between Yarrawonga and Wodonga) was declared a Main Road on 28 May 1915.[9] Further sections were declared or built in the late 1920s and early 1930s by the Country Roads Board as part of a program of rural roads to facilitate development of the more remote parts of the state and provide connections between communities in addition to the roads and railways radiating out from Melbourne. Parts of the Murray River Valley Road included a stretch of newly constructed road between Mildura and the South Australian border, opened in 1927.[10][11] The eastern end of the road was re-aligned to run from Bethangra and Talgarno to Tallangatta and Bullioh, to accommodate the opening of Hume Dam and the filling of Lake Hume.
The passing of the Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924[12] through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board. Murray Valley Highway was declared a State Highway in September 1932,[2] cobbled from a collection of existing and newly constructed roads running along the southern bank of the Murray River from Corryong through Walwa, Wodonga, Rutherglen, Yarrawonga, Cobram, Echuca, Swan Hill and Bannerton to the intersection with Calder Highway in Hattah, and again from Mildura to the state border with South Australian[13] (for a total of 513 miles), subsuming the original declarations of Murray River Valley Road, Ruthergen-Wodonga Road, Wangaratta-Yarrawonga Road (between Bundalong and Yarrawonga), Yarrawonga-Cobram Road, Cobram-Strathmerton Road, Kyabram-Nathalia Road (between Nathalia and Wyuna), Lake Boga-Swan Hill Road, and Swan Hill-Euston Road (between Swan Hill and Lake Powell) as Main Roads, and also a section of Omeo Highway between Tallangatta and Wodonga; the northern end of Omeo Highway was truncated to Tallangatta as a result.
Sturt Highway was rerouted to reach Renmark through Victoria instead of via Wentworth in 1939,[14] subsuming the alignment of the Murray Valley Highway between Mildura and the state border with South Australia; it was subsequently truncated to terminate at Calder Highway in Hattah. Robinvale Road, connecting the "irrigation settlement of Robinvale" to the highway, was declared a Main Road when it was surfaced for the first time in 1952,[15] and later declared a State Highway as Robinvale Highway on 9 May 1983, between Robinvale and Lake Powell.[16][17]
The alignment was further altered at both ends in 1990:
- its western end, running from Lake Powell via Bannerton to Hattah, was re-aligned to run through Robinvale along Robinvale Highway instead, subsuming it to terminate just outside Euston, New South Wales in May 1990; the former alignment is now known as Hattah-Robinvale Road (signed route C252 in 1998).[18]
- its eastern end, running through Thologolong, Walwa and Towong, was re-aligned to run along the more-direct, present-day route to Corryong (at the time named Tallangatta-Corryong Road) in June 1990; the former alignment is now known as Murray River Road (signed route C546 in 1998).[19]
The passing of the Road Management Act 2004[20] granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads: in 2004, VicRoads re-declared the road as Murray Valley Highway (Arterial #6570), beginning at the New South Wales border at Robinvale and ending at the New South Wales border in Towong Upper.[6]
The passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[21] (which amended the original Main Roads Act of 1924[22]) through the Parliament of New South Wales on 8 April 1929 provided for the declaration of State Highways, Trunk Roads and Main Roads, partially funded by the New South Wales' state government through the Main Roads Board (later Transport for NSW). Main Road 583 was declared on 17 June 1959, from the intersection with State Highway 14 (Sturt Highway) at Euston to the state border with Victoria north of Robinvale;[23] this declaration as a Main Road did not change when the road on the Victorian side of the bridge was declared a State Highway (as Robinvale Highway in 1983 and then Murray Valley Highway in 1990), despite adopting its name as Murray Valley Highway from the Victorian side of the road to remain contiguous. The road today, as Main Road 583, still retains this declaration.[24]
Murray Valley Highway was signed National Route 16 across its entire length in 1955. With Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s, its former route number was replaced by route B400 for the highway within Victoria; the New South Wales section was left signed as National Route 16 until switching to their alphanumeric system in 2013, after which it was left unallocated.[25]
Upgrades
editMajor roadworks have recently taken place around Echuca and Moama and are continuing. The project is being built in four stages:
- Stage 1: Upgrade of the Murray Valley Highway and Warren Street intersection, completed in mid-2018
- Stage 2: Warren Street upgrade, completed November 2019
- Stage 3: Construction of new bridges over the Campaspe and Murray Rivers, major works started in March 2020
- Stage 4: Intersection upgrades to the Cobb Highway, Meninya Street and Perricoota Road intersection (to be delivered by Transport for NSW), works started in March 2020.
The project is due for completion in mid-2022.[26]
Major intersections and towns
edit| State | LGA | Location[3][6] | km[3] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Balranald | Euston | 0.0 | 0.0 | Sturt Highway (A20) – Renmark, Mildura, Balranald, Hay | Western terminus of Murray Valley Highway at T-intersection |
| River Murray | 3 | 1.9 | Robinvale–Euston Bridge | |||
| State border | 4 | 2.5 | New South Wales – Victoria state border | |||
| Victoria | Swan Hill | Robinvale |  Murray Valley Highway | Western terminus of route B400 | ||
| 6 | 3.7 |  Robinvale–Sea Lake Road (C251) – Manangatang, Sea Lake | ||||
| Tol Tol | 25 | 16 |  Hattah–Robinvale Road (C252) – Hattah | T-intersection | ||
| Piangil | 93 | 58 |  Tooleybuc Road (Mallee Highway) (B12 east) – Tooleybuc, Balranald, Sydney | Concurrency with route B12 | ||
| 95 | 59 | Mallee Highway (B12 west) – Ouyen, Adelaide | ||||
| Nyah | 110 | 68 | Speewah Road – Koraleigh | |||
| Swan Hill | 135 | 84 | Piangil railway line | |||
| 137 | 85 |  Sea Lake–Swan Hill Road (C246 west) – Sea Lake, HopetounMcCallum Street (east) – Moulamein, Deniliquin | Roundabout | |||
| Castle Donnington | 142 | 88 |  Donald–Swan Hill Road (C261) – Wycheproof, Donald | |||
| 146 | 91 | Piangil railway line | ||||
| Gannawarra | Kerang | 190 | 120 | |||
| 194 | 121 |  Kerang–Quambatook Road (C262) – Quambatook, to  Boort–Kerang Road (C266) – Boort | ||||
| Loddon River | 195 | 121 | Patchell Bridge[27] | |||
| Gannawarra | Kerang | 196 | 122 |  Kerang–Koondrook Road (C264) – Koondrook, to  Kerang–Murrabit Road (C263) – Murrabit | ||
| 199 | 124 |  Loddon Valley Highway (B260) – Bendigo, Melbourne | ||||
| 200 | 120 | Piangil railway line | ||||
| Cohuna | 227 | 141 |  Cohuna–Koondrook Road (C265) – Koondrook, Barham | |||
| 228 | 142 |  Cohuna–Leitchville Road (C267) – Leitchville | ||||
| Leitchville | 243 | 151 |  Kerang–Leitchville Road (C257) – Leitchville, Pyramid Hill | |||
| Campaspe | Echuca | 289 | 180 |  Warren Street (C349) – Echuca, Moama | ||
| 291 | 181 |  Northern Highway (B75 south) – Rochester, Bendigo, Melbourne | Roundabout: western terminus of concurrency with route B75 | |||
| Campaspe River | 291.5 | 181.1 | Bridge over the river (bridge name unknown) | |||
| Campaspe | Echuca | 292 | 181 | Northern Highway (B75 north) – Echuca, Moama, Deniliquin | Eastern terminus of concurrency with route B75 | |
| 292.5 | 181.8 | Echuca railway line | ||||
| 293 | 182 |  Echuca–Kyabram Road (C351) – Kyabram | ||||
| Tongala | 312 | 194 |  Kyabram–Tongala Road (C352) – Tongala, Kyabram | |||
| Wyuna | 321 | 199 |  John Allen Road (C359) – Kyabram | |||
| 325 | 202 |  Echuca–Mooroopna Road (C355) – Shepparton | ||||
| Goulburn River | 329 | 204 | Bridge over the river (bridge name unknown) | |||
| Moira | Nathalia | 344 | 214 |  Barmah–Shepparton Road (C358) – Shepparton, Barmah | ||
| 347 | 216 |  Katamatite–Nathalia Road (C361) – Numurkah, Katamatite | ||||
| Broken Creek | 349 | 217 | Bridge over the river (bridge name unknown) | |||
| Moira | Strathmerton | 382 | 237 |  Goulburn Valley Highway (A39 south) – Numurkah, Shepparton, Melbourne | Western terminus of concurrency with route A39 | |
| 387 | 240 | Tocumwal railway line | ||||
| Yarroweyah | 396 | 246 | Goulburn Valley Highway (A39 north) – Tocumwal, Dubbo, Brisbane | Eastern terminus of concurrency with route A39 | ||
| Cobram |  Benalla–Tocumwal Road (C371) – Benalla | |||||
| 400 | 250 |  Cobram South Road (C368) – Katamatite, Benalla | ||||
| 409 | 254 |  Cobram–Koonoomoo Road (C367 northwest) – Cobram, Koonoomoo, Tocumwal Broadway Street (Barooga–Cobram Road) (C370 northeast) – Cobram, Barooga | ||||
| Yarrawonga Main Channel | 437 | 272 | Bridge over the channel (bridge name unknown) | |||
| Moira | Yarrawonga | 437 | 272 |  Benalla–Yarrawonga Road (C373 south) – Benalla | Concurrency with route C373 | |
| 438 | 272 | Belmore Street (C373 north) – Yarrawonga, Mulwala, Corowa | ||||
| Esmond | 457 | 284 |  Wangaratta–Yarrawonga Road (C374) – Wangaratta | |||
| Ovens River | 459 | 285 | Parolas Bridge | |||
| Indigo | Rutherglen | 480 | 300 |  Federation Way (C375) – Wangaratta, Corowa | ||
| 484 | 301 |  Rutherglen–Wahgunyah Road (C376 north) – Wahgunyah, Corowa | Concurrency with route C376 | |||
| 485 | 301 | Chiltern–Rutherglen Road (C376 south) – Springhurst, Chiltern | ||||
| Browns Plains | 499 | 310 |  Chiltern–Howlong Road (C381) – Chiltern, Howlong | |||
| Barnawartha | 505 | 314 |  Barnawartha–Howlong Road (C378) – Howlong | |||
| Barnawartha North | 510.5 | 317.2 | North East SG railway line | |||
| 511 | 318 |  Hume Freeway (M31) – Wangaratta, Melbourne | Trumpet interchange; western terminus of concurrency with route M31 | |||
| Wodonga | Wodonga | 527 | 327 | Bandiana Link Road (B400) – Bandiana, to Hume Freeway (M31) – Sydney | Diamond interchange; eastern terminus of concurrency with route M31 | |
 Lincoln Causeway (C319) – Albury | ||||||
| 528 | 328 | Beechworth Road – Beechworth, Wangaratta | ||||
| 531 | 330 | Bandiana Link Road (B400) – Wodonga, Albury | ||||
 Victoria Cross Parade (C315) – Beechworth, Wangaratta | ||||||
| Bandiana | 533 | 331 |  Kiewa Valley Highway (C531) – Mount Beauty, Falls Creek | |||
| Kiewa River | 536 | 333 | Bridge over the river (bridge name unknown) | |||
| Wodonga | Bonegilla | 541 | 336 |  Bonegilla Road (C541) – Hume Dam | ||
| Towong | Huon | 556 | 345 |  Kiewa East Road (C533) – Tangambalanga, Dartmouth, Omeo | ||
| Tallangatta | 574 | 357 |  Omeo Highway (C543) – Omeo, Bairnsdale | |||
| Mitta Mitta River | 579 | 360 | Bridge over the river (bridge name unknown) | |||
| Towong | Bullio | 584 | 363 |  Murray River Road (C546) – Granya | ||
| Shelley | 611 | 380 |  Shelley–Jingellic Road (C547) – Walwa, Jingellic | |||
| Cudgewa | 633 | 393 |  Cudgewa–Tintaldra Road (C548) – Cudgewa, Tintaldra | |||
| Colac Colac | 643 | 400 |  Benambra–Corryong Road (C545) – Benambra, Omeo, Mount Hotham, Bairnsdale | |||
| Towong | 656 | 408 | Murray River Road (C546) – Towong, Tintaldra | |||
| Upper Towong | 663 | 412 | Murray Valley Highway | Eastern terminus of highway and route B400 | ||
| State border | Victoria – New South Wales state border | |||||
| New South Wales | Murray River | Bringenbrong Bridge | ||||
| Snowy Valleys | Bringenbrong | Alpine Way – Khancoban, Thredbo, Jindabyne | Western terminus of Alpine Way | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 9 December 1914. pp. 5529–30. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Country Roads Board Victoria. Twentieth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1933". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 10 November 1933. pp. 4, 6.
- ^ a b c d "Murray Valley Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Victoria's Regions". Regional Development Victoria. Victoria State Government. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Map of Murray Valley Highway". Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia. 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- ^ a b c VicRoads. "VicRoads – Register of Public Roads 2024". Government of Victoria. p. 932. Archived from the original on 19 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ An Act relating to Country Roads State of Victoria, 23 December 1912
- ^ "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 24 March 1915. pp. 1099, 1101–2. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 9 June 1915. p. 2028. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Country Roads Board Victoria. Fourteenth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1927". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 30 April 1928. pp. 29–30.
- ^ "THE MURRAY VALLEY ROAD". Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record. Renmark, SA. 18 November 1927. p. 6. Retrieved 17 June 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ An Act to make further provision with respect to Highways and Country Roads Motor Cars and Traction Engines and for other purposes State of Victoria, 30 December 1924
- ^ "Country Roads Board Victoria. Seventeenth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1930". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 19 November 1930. p. 26.
- ^ "Historical Roads of New South Wales" (PDF). NSW Main Roads. Sydney: OpenGov NSW. September 1954. pp. 10–4.
- ^ "Country Roads Board Victoria. Thirty-Ninth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1952". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 22 December 1952. p. 17.
- ^ "Road Construction Authority of Victoria. Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1984". Road Construction Authority of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 21 December 1984. p. 54.
- ^ "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 30 June 1983. p. 1971. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 16 May 1990. pp. 1529–31. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 20 June 1990. pp. 1865–6, 1873. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
- ^ State Government of Victoria. "Road Management Act 2004" (PDF). Government of Victoria. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. State of New South Wales, 8 April 1929 Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board State of New South Wales, 10 November 1924 Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924-1958". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 75. 3 July 1959. p. 1990. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Transport for NSW (March 2023). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Road number and name changes in NSW" (PDF). Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Victoria, Major Road Projects (15 February 2021). "Echuca-Moama Bridge Project". roadprojects.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ O'Callaghan, Deborah (18 January 2011). "The Loddon River laps at Patchell Bridge, Kerang, in January 2011". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 17 November 2016.