Road Photos & Information: Queensland
Pacific Motorway, Gateway Motorway and Bruce Highway (M1 / A1)
Gympie to Maryborough
Statistics:
- Length:
- 1802 km (Gympie to Maryborough: 87 km)
- Termini:
- Northern: Draper St (unnumbered), Portsmith
- Southern: NSW Border at Tugun
- Miscellaneous:
- Continues as Pacific Mwy (M1) in NSW
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:
- Gympie, Chatsworth, Bells Bridge, Curra, Gunalda, Kanigan, Glenwood, Gootchie, Bauple, Tiaro, Owanyilla, Glenorchy, Tinana South and Tinana
Route Numbering:
- Former: A1 A1 1 1
General Information:
The M1 / A1 corridor is the main coastal route from the NSW border to the northern tip of the east coast of Australia, and links major cities and towns with Brisbane, and beyond the NSW border, Sydney.
Formerly known as the Great North Coast Road, the Bruce Highway is named after former Minister of Public Works, Henry Bruce 1 and connects Brisbane with all coastal regions north of the city.
The route is freeway standard from the Gateway Motorway interchange to Curra, north of Cooroy. From there, the route alternates between single and dual carriageway, and passes through rural, residential, industrial and commercial areas.
History:
- Bruce Highway:
- October 1934: Bruce Highway named after Minister for Works. 2
- November 1934: Bruce Highway declared. 3
- 17 October 1959: South Gympie Deviation (Mary River Road to Excelsior Road) completed and opened, including Normanby Bridge. 4
- 1964: North Gympie Deviation (Monkland Street to Oak Street) completed. 4
- 1967: Gympie CBD Bypass (between River Road and Monkland Street) completed. 4
- August 1976: 9.5 km Bauple Deviation opened. 4
- March 1979 3.3 km Mackenzie Creek Deviation (just south of Bauple-Woolooga Road) opened. 4
- April 1979: Completion of Mackenzie Creek Deviation. 4
- April 1980: 1.8 km Mackenzie Creek to Oaky Creek Deviation opened. 4
- October 1981: 2.3 km Oaky Creek and Gutchy Creek and overflow bridges and approaches completed. 4
- May 2009: Traffic signals at the Bruce Highway, Monkland and Channon Street intersections in Gympie switched on. 5
- July 2013: Work on Cooroy to Curra Upgrade Section A commenced. 6
- 15 October 2024: The 26 kilometre, 4 lane Gympie Bypass, located between Woodnum and Curra opened to traffic. The Gympie Bypass skips 53 intersections, including 9 sets of traffic lights. The overall project cost The $1.2 billion, and is the fourth and final stage of 62 kilometres of upgrades to the Bruce Highway between Cooroy and Curra, which began in 2009. 7
This page concentrates on the former alignment between Gympie and Maryborough
Click or tap here for construction photos between Gympie and Maryborough
Gympie to Maryborough
Red Light Cameras Sign:
Sign indicating that red light cameras are used at intersections in Gympie, March 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the junction with Halls Rd & Buckley Dr at Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:
Supplemental AD sign approaching Brisbane Rd (SR15) at Gympie, March 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Brisbane Rd (SR15) at Gympie, March 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:
Supplemental AD sign approaching Brisbane Rd (SR15) at Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Brisbane Road:
Corner of Bruce Hwy (A1) and Brisbane Rd (SR15) at Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Low Bridge Warning:
Flashing warning sign for the low bridge at the Mary Valley Rd (SR51 / TD42) interchange, near Deep Creek at Gympie, April 2012. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Paul Rands from March 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
Mary Valley Road:
Mary Valley Rd (SR51 / TD42) interchange at Gympie, April 2012. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Paul Rands from March 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Centro Way at Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Excelsior Rd at Gympie, December 2009. Note the incorrect M1 route number. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Paul Rands from March 2006.
Image © Rob Tilley
Parking Zone Sign:
Parking regulation sign near Albert Park Sports Ground, Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Monkland Street, Gympie, December 2009. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Paul Rands from March 2006.
Image © Rob Tilley
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the corner of Bruce Hwy (A1) and Monkland St, Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the corner of Bruce Hwy (A1) and Monkland St, Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Intersection Directional Signs:
ID signs at the junction with Channon St in Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance as Bruce Hwy (A1) leaves Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:
Supplemental AD sign at Bells Bridge approaching Wide Bay Rd (SR49), December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign at Bells Bridge approaching Wide Bay Rd (SR49), March 2006.
Image © Paul Rands
Wide Bay Highway:
Corner of Bruce Hwy (A1) and Wide Bay Hwy (SR49) at Bells Bridge, December 2009. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Paul Rands from March 2006.
Image © Rob Tilley
Distance Sign:
Reassurance directional sign at Bells Bridge, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Maryborough to Gympie
Tourism Sign:
Tourism sign at Bells Bridge welcoming motorists to the Sunshine Coast, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:
Supplemental AD sign at Bells Bridge approaching Wide Bay Hwy (SR49), October 2010.
Image © Rob Tilley
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign at Bells Bridge approaching Wide Bay Hwy (SR49), June 2019. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from October 2010.
Image © Dean Sherry
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign assembly at the junction with Wide Bay Hwy (SR49) at Bells Bridge, October 2010.
Image © Rob Tilley
Distance Sign:
RD sign at Chatsworth, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Reassurance Sign:
ID style sign used for reassurance near Adam St in Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign at Gympie approaching Channon St, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:
Supplemental AD sign at Gympie approaching Channon St, December 2009. The sign should be brown not red.
Image © Rob Tilley
Channon Street:
Intersection directional sign at the corner Bruce Hwy (A1) and Channon St in Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign facing Channon St, Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Monkland St in Gympie, June 2019. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from December 2009.
Image © Dean Sherry
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Excelsior Rd at Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Centro Way at Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign facing Centro Way at Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:
Supplemental AD sign approaching Mary Valley Rd (SR51 / TD42) at Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Low Bridge Detour Sign:
Low bridge detour sign with flashing lights approaching Mary Valley Rd (SR51 / TD42) at Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Mary Valley Rd (SR51 / TD42) at Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Mary Valley Road:
Bruce Hwy (A1) at the Mary Valley Rd (SR51 / TD42) interchange in Gympie, April 2012.
Image © Paul Rands
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign on the off-ramp to Mary Valley Rd (SR51 / TD42) at Gympie, June 2019.
Image © Dean Sherry
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Brisbane Rd (SR15) at Gympie, June 2019. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from December 2009.
Image © Dean Sherry
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the junction with Brisbane Rd (SR15) in Gympie, June 2019. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from December 2009.
Image © Dean Sherry
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the junction with Halls Rd in Gympie, December 2009.
Image © Rob Tilley
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign on the junction with Hall Rd and Buckley Dr at Gympie, April 2018.
Image © Dean Sherry
2 Nambour Chronicle, 26 October 1934.
3 Nambour Chronicle, 23 November 1934.
4 Tyler Bullock.
5 QLD Government, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Main Roads Local Links, In and around Wide Bay/Burnett, May 2009.
6 QLD Government, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Projects, Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra).
7 ABC News, Gympie Bypass opens, marking final stage of Bruce Highway upgrades, Grace Whiteside, David Dowsett and Lucy Loram, 16 October 2024.