Length:

1729 km

Eastern: SA-VIC border, Glenburnie

Western: SA-WA border, Border Village

Miscellaneous:

Continues as Princes Hwy (A1) in Victoria and continues as Eyre Hwy (NH1) in Western Australia

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Mount Gambier, Millicent, Kingston SE, Meningie, Tailem Bend, Murray Bridge, Mount Barker, Adelaide, Port Wakefield, Lochiel, Snowtown, Crystal Brook, Port Pirie, Port Germain, Port Augusta Iron Knob, Kimba, Kiancutta, Poochera, Ceduna, Penong and Border Village

Current: M1 A1 B1 R1

Multiplexed with: A2

Former: A5 A21 M1 A1 1 1

Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹

02000 (Port Augusta to SA-WA Border)

03500 (Gepps Cross to Port Augusta)

04500 (Tailem Bend to Glen Osmond)

05610 (North Adelaide to Gepps Cross)

05624 (North Adelaide to Thebarton)

05648 (Thebarton)

06143 (Adelaide to North Adelaide)

06146 (Eastwood to Adelaide)

06185 (Keswick to Eastwood)

06180 (Glen Osmond to Parkside)

06200 (Mile End South to Keswick)

06203 (Mile End South)

06206 (Thebarton to Mile End South)

08400 (SA-VIC Border to Tailem Bend)

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.

The Princes Highway links Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The highway was first proclaimed from Sydney to Melbourne in the 1920s, it was later extended through western Victoria and eventually to Adelaide.

Towns along this section of Highway include Mount Gambier, Millicent, Kingston SE, Meningie, Tailem Bend, Murray Bridge, Nairne, Mount Barker and Adelaide. The route varies from 2 lane rural highway standard to full freeway standard and includes the Adelaide-Crafers Freeway which features twin-tube 600 metre tunnels, which descend the Mt Lofty Ranges by 430 metres over a distance of 10 kilometres. ²

Connecting the Adelaide central business district with the Adelaide Hills via the Adelaide-Crafers Highway, Glen Osmond Road carries half of Adelaide's freight traffic and is the major hills commuter route.

Main North Road is the major arterial route between Adelaide's CBD and the northern suburbs. The A1 section of Main North Road travels from North Adelaide to Gepps Cross.

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. The route name changes from Port Wakefield Rd to Port Wakefield Hwy at the Northern Expwy (M2) interchange at Waterloo Corner.

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. ³

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

Princes Highway:

1938: Mount Barker Rd renamed Princes Hwy.

1950s: Duplication of highway between Glen Osmond and Crafers.

1955: The route from the VIC-SA Border to Tailem Bend was fully sealed, National Route 1 shield implemented.

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.

1998: National Route 1 and National Highway 1 replaced by M1, A1 and B1.

August 1998: Workers cut through the Adelaide-bound tunnel and in September cut through the Crafers-bound tunnel. ⁴

5 March 2000: Adelaide to Crafers Fwy opens to traffic, the largest road construction project in South Australia's history. ⁵ The tunnels were opened by the Prime Minister John Howard. ⁴

2017: R1 replaced A21 in Central Adelaide area. ⁶

Port Wakefield Road, Port Wakefield Highway and Augusta Highway:

1960s: Two Wells and Virginia bypassed.

1990s: Crystal Brook bypassed.

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. ³

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. ³

1999: widening of the Eyre Highway between Ceduna and Lincoln Gap. ⁵