Road Photos & Information: Northern Territory: Stuart Highway (National Highway 87)

Road Photos & Information: Northern Territory

Stuart Highway (National Highway 87) - South Australia Border to Alice Springs

Statistics:

Length: 1202 km (South Australia Border to Alice Springs: 294 km)
Northern Terminus: Carpentaria Highway (NR1) at Daly Waters
Southern Terminus: SA Border, 20 km south of Kulgera Roadhouse
Miscellaneous: Continues as A1 (Stuart Highway) to Darwin and continues as A87 in South Australia
Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Kulgera Roadhouse, Erldunda, Hugh River and Stuarts Well

Route Numbering:

Current:

General Information:

The Stuart Highway is one of NT's most important routes, linking Darwin, Alice Springs and the populated areas of South Australia, including Adelaide.

Named for explorer John McDouall Stuart, the first European to cross Australia from South to North, and it generally follows his route. The Stuart Highway crosses the desert of Central Australia to savannah grasslands and tropical wetlands in the North. 1

History:

The Stuart Highway began as a dirt track servicing the construction of the Overland Telegraph in the 1870s and served to link the railheads until World War II. 1

Construction of the telegraph line had required the development of a track along the line’s route, to enable wagons and other vehicles to travel with loads of posts, wire, and other materials. An area of approximately two chains width (about 40 metres) was cleared on either side of the line and this became “the track” – the only transport route south. 2

For the whole length of “the track” there were frequent deviations. Detours were made to reach watering places and wet season detours were developed to avoid low and boggy ground. Tracks were continually deviated and altered by “self-help” travellers. There was no formal development or maintenance of the road, beyond the Two and a Half Mile (Parap) in Darwin, until the late 1920s. 2

From 1936 a low standard dry weather road was developed from Darwin to Adelaide River, roughly along the present route of the Stuart Highway. From Adelaide River a similar low standard road was developed southward to the railhead at Larrimah. However, construction and maintenance of these roads was given a very low priority because the same route was served by the North Australia Railway line. 2

When war loomed it became apparent that the railway could not meet all defence requirements. Planners saw a need for an all weather road to service dispersed military installations, particularly airfields, in the immediate Darwin hinterland. So, from May 1941, the Darwin Adelaide River section (115km) was upgraded to an all weather gravel road standard. The work was done by the New South Wales Department of Main Roads. 2

By early 1943 traffic between Darwin and Adelaide River had reached 2000 vehicles per day, mostly heavy lorries. The gravel surface disintegrated under this traffic and so it was decided to provide a bitumen seal – 6.2m wide to Adelaide River and 4.8m wide from there to Larrimah. 2

Similar work was done by interstate Main Roads teams on southern section of the Stuart Highway, with the result that by 1944 the highway was bitumen sealed, although some sections were very narrow. 2

1987: Full seal (widening and upgrading) of the highway completed
2000: A $4.97 million replacement bridge built at Hugh River, south of Alice Springs 3
2004: High-level bridge over the Finke River, 130 km south of Alice Springs. The existing bridge was constructed in 1969 and has been submerged under floodwaters 13 times in the last 30 years. The most severe flood was in February 2000, when the bridge was submerged for about a week. It is not unknown for the 1969 bridge deck to be six metres under water. 3
April 2006: New Bridge officially opened where the Stuart Highway crosses the Palmer River, 149km south of Alice Springs. 3

SA Border to Alice Springs		Alice Springs to SA Border
Preview:	Description:	Preview:	Description:
	NT Welcome Sign: Crossing from SA into the NT, at Kulgera. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Lasseter Hwy (SR4) at Erldunda. 2001. Image © Jamie Scuglia
	Maximum Speed Sign: Sign at Kulgera denoting maximum speed allowed on NT roads, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands		Distance Sign: RD sign after Larapinta Drive (SR4) at Erldunda. September 2008. Image © Kate Pilling
	130km/h Speed Limit : The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction in Australia to have 130 km/h speed limits, this is the first instance of it once you cross the border at Kulgera from South Australia. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands		Distance Sign: RD sign at Kulgera. 2001. Image © Jamie Scuglia
	Road Trains Sign: Road trains sign at Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands		RD Sign: Last southbound RD sign on the Stuart Hwy inside the Northern Territory, between Erldunda and Kulgera. September 2008. Image © Kate Pilling
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Kulgera approaching the state border visitor area. 2001. Image © Jamie Scuglia
	Stock Quarantine Sign: Quarantine sign for transporting livestock in NT, Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Speed & Red Light Camera Sign: Sign indicating the use of electronic equipment to enforce speed limits and adhersion to red traffic lights, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: Reassurance directional sign at Kulgera, 2001. Image © Jamie Scuglia
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: Reassurance directional sign at Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Quarantine Sign: Quarantine sign for transporting plants or animals into NT, Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Kulgera approaching Kulgera Cr, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Kulgera Crescent: Stuart Hwy (NH87) at Kulgera Cr, Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign at Kulgera. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Kulgera, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign at Erldunda. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Erldunda approaching Lasseter Hwy (SR4), November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Lasseter Hwy (SR4) at Erldunda. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign at Erldunda. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Erldunda, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	100km/h Curve Speed Advisory: 100 km/h speed advisory at Hugh approaching Palmer River, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Palmer River: Stuart Hwy (NH87) crossing the Palmer River at Hugh River, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Palmer River: Stuart Hwy (NH87) crossing the Palmer River at Hugh River, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Palmer Valley Station: Stuart Hwy (NH87) at the entrance to Palmer Valley Station, which is a large farming property, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Hugh River approaching Ernest Giles Rd, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Ernest Giles Road at Hugh River. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign at Stuarts Well. November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Hugh River, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Finke River: Stuart Hwy (NH87) crossing Finke River at Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Hugh River: Stuart Hwy (NH87) crossing Hugh River at Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Hugh River: Stuart Hwy (NH87) crossing Hugh River at Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Entering Stuarts Well: Stuart Hwy (NH87) as it enters the town of Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Stuarts Well: Stuart Hwy (NH87) as it passes through the town of Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Sign denoting distance to next town with services, Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	130km/h Speed Limit: Return to 130 km/h speed limit as Stuart Hwy (NH87) leaves Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: ID sign being used as AD sign approaching Rainbow Valley Rd at Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Rainbow Valley Road: Stuart Hwy (NH87) at Rainbow Valley Rd, Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Stuarts Well approaching the entrance to Owen Springs Reserve, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: Reassurance directional sign near Stuarts Well, November 2016. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of Stuart Highway (A87) in South Australia Click here for the continuation of NH87 between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek

1 NT Government Chief Minister's Office
2 Litchfield Shire Council
3 Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

Last updated: 17-Jul-2019 11:55

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