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Princes Highway, Port Wakefield Road, Port Wakefield-Port Augusta Road & Eyre Highway (National Highway 1) (Decommissioned) - Former Alignment

Statistics:

• Length: 1336 km (Tailem Bend to Glen Osmond: 94 km. Gepps Cross to SA-WA Border: 1242 km)
• Eastern Terminus: (Glen Osmond to Tailem Bend) Dukes Hwy (NH8) and Princes Hwy (NR1) at Tailem Bend. (SA-WA Border to Gepps Cross) Main North Rd (NR1), Main North Rd (NH20) and Grand Junction Rd at Gepps Cross
• Western Terminus: (Glen Osmond to Tailem Bend) Portrush Rd, Glen Osmond Rd (NR1) and Cross Rd at Glen Osmond. (SA-WA Border to Gepps Cross) SA-WA border at Border Village
• Miscellaneous: Continues as National Highway 1 (Eyre Highway) in Western Australia and continues as National Route 1 (Princes Highway) at Tailem Bend
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route: (Princes Highway) Tailem Bend, Murray Bridge, Mount Barker, Crafers and Glen Osmond. (Port Wakefield Road, Port Wakefield-Port Augusta Road & Eyre Highway) Gepps Cross, Port Wakefield, Snowtown, Crystal Brook, Port Germein, Port Augusta, Iron Knob, Kimba, Kyancutta, Poochera, Ceduna, Penong, Yalata, Nullarbor and Border Village

Route Numbering:

• Current: M1 A1

• Former:

General Information:

Highway 1 runs right around Australia, however with the introduction of alphanumeric routes, highway 1 takes on all different identifications depending on its importance and road design. This page concentrates solely on the former National Highway portions of the route within South Australia.

• Princes Highway (Includes South Eastern Fwy):

The National Highway 1 section of Princes Highway links Adelaide and Tailem Bend. Originally the highway was first proclaimed from Sydney to Melbourne in the 1920s, and was later extended through western Victoria and eventually to Adelaide.

Towns along this section of NH1 include Tailem Bend, Murray Bridge, Nairne, Mount Barker and Adelaide. The route varies from 2 lane rural highway standard to full freeway standard. 1

• Port Wakefield Road, Port Wakefield Highway & Augusta Highway:

Port Wakefield Road branches off of Main North Road at Gepps Cross in the northern suburbs of Adelaide. The highway is dual-carriageway until Port Wakefield and connects Adelaide to Port Augusta. Towns and cities along the route include Adelaide, Two Wells, Port Wakefield, Snowtown, Crystal Brook, Port Pirie, Port Germein, Stirling North and Port Augusta.

• Eyre Highway:

Named after Edward John Eyre the Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia. It forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It is the only sealed road that crosses the SA/WA border. 2

Access to the spectacular coastline of Great Australian Bight is just a short detour south of the highway in many places. Towns and localites along this section of Highway 1 include Border Village, Nullarbor, Yalata, Nundroo, Penong, Ceduna and Port Augusta.

History:

Tailem Bend to Glen Osmond (Princes Highway (Includes South Eastern Freeway)):

• 1938: Mount Barker Rd renamed Princes Hwy
• 1950s: Duplication of highway between Glen Osmond and Crafers
• 1965: Construction commences on South Eastern Fwy from Verdun
• 1972: South Eastern Fwy extended from Callington to Murray Bridge area
• 1974: Hahndorf bypassed by South Eastern Fwy, implementation of NH1 route number and federal funding
• 1996: Construction commences on the 500 metre long Heysen Tunnels / Adelaide to Crafers Freeway, rerouting the Princes Hwy. The tunnels are named after artist Sir Hans Heysen.
• August 1998: Workers cut through the Adelaide-bound tunnel and in September cut through the Crafers-bound tunnel. 3 This tunnel opened to traffic after the introduction of alphanumeric route numbering.
• 1998: National Highway 1 decommissioned and replaced with NH-A1 and NH-M1.

Port Wakefield to Port Augusta (Port Wakefield Road & Port Wakefield-Port Augusta Road):

• 1960s: Two Wells and Virginia bypassed
• 1990s: Crystal Brook bypassed
• 1998: National Highway 1 decommissioned and replaced with NH-A1.

Port August to SA-WA Border (Eyre Highway):

• 1941: Construction of 300 mile road across the Nullarbor, a military road. It cost £250 000 and took six months to complete. Named after early Western Australian pioneer John Forrest, it remained the Forrest Highway until 1945 when it was renamed the Eyre Highway. 2
• 29 September 1976: The completion of the Eyre Highway was celebrated at Wigunda, 172 km east of Eucla on the Nullabor. Present at the ceremony was South Australian Minister for Transport, Mr Geoff Virgo and Highways Commissioner, Keith Johinke. 2
• 1998: National Highway 1 decommissioned and replaced with NH-A1.

This page concentrates on photos of the former alignment of Highway 1 that pre-dates the introduction of alphanumeric route numbering.

Tailem Bend to SA-WA Border			SA-WA Border to Tailem Bend
Preview:	Description:		Preview:	Description:
	Great Western Bridge: Great Western Bridge over Spencer Guld that carried Highway 1 traffic until 1972 at Port Augusta, December 2003. Image © Michael Greenslade			Advance Directional Sign: Faded AD sign with non-standard shield and font on Stirling Rd approaching Fulham Rd at Port Augusta, December 2003. Stirling Rd is a former Highway 1 alignment. Image © Michael Greenslade

1 Government of South Australia, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, Completed projects, The Adelaide Crafers Highway Project
2 History Trust of South Australia
3 RoadTechnology.com, Adelaide Crafers Highway

Last updated: 24-Sep-2020 12:44

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