Oxley Highway
Template: Infobox several high-level roads / maintenance / AU -R
States:
New South Wales
The Oxley Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs over a length of 656 kilometers in east-west direction and connects the town of Port Macquarie with the small town Nevertire the Mitchell Highway.
History
The construction of the Oxley Highway began in 1838 when a street of Port Macqaurie on the Great Dividing Range by Walcha was built by prisoners of the penal colony in Australia. The work took four years and the road was opened to traffic in 1842. It was mainly used for the transportation of wool from the farms in the hinterland to the port in Port Macqaurie.
The next section between Walcha and Bendemeer was first recorded in 1857 in cards, but it took until 1889 before this section was characterized as ordinary street. However, this section of the highway was then driven on only by oxen.
In the 1920s, the existing road was expanded and renewed. On some sections of the course of the road was relocated to avoid difficult passages and gradients.
1928 was the street name " Oxley Highway" in memory of the explorer John Oxley. This was the first European to large parts of the hinterland of New South Wales explored.
Course
The Oxley Highway begins in Port Macquarie, a port city on the Pacific coast of New South Wales, about 400 kilometers north of Sydney. From Port Macquarie from the Oxley Highway runs in a westerly direction. A few kilometers after it began crossing the Oxley Highway to the Pacific Highway (R1 ), part of the National Highway 1, which connects the main towns of New South Wales and Queensland, Sydney and Brisbane.
The first major town in the course of the Oxley Highway Wauchope, approximately 8 km from the intersection of the Pacific Highway. Behind Wauchope begins the long and winding road over the Great Dividing Range. In this section of the Oxley Highway happened numerous national parks, such as the Cottan - Bimbang National Park, the Mummel - Gulf National Park and the Werrikimbe National Park. In the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, about 1 km north of the Oxley Highway, include the spectacular " Apsley Falls". The water of the Apsley River falls into two stages by 65 m and 58 m.
The nearest major settlement in the course of the Oxley Highway is Walcha. In Walcha include an extensive museum and open air area in which numerous pieces from the early years of settlement in the area are on display.
In Bendemeer the Oxley Highway meets the New England Highway (N15 ). At about 40 km both highways run on the same street before they share in Tamworth again. The New England Highway continues south to Newcastle, while the Oxley Highway runs in a westerly direction.
Approximately 180 km west of Tamworth, a few kilometers from Coonabarabran meets the Oxley Highway to the coming of Goondiwindi on the Queensland border in the north of Newell Highway ( N39 ). Both highways run the next 95 km on the same road. To the west of Coonabarabran is the Warrumbungle National Park, which is known for its bizarre rock formations.
In the Oxley Highway Gilgandra the Castlereagh Highway crosses ( R55 / S86), which leads from St. George in Queensland to Lithgow west of the Blue Mountains. In Gilgandra also disconnect the ways of Newell Highway and Oxley Highway. The Newell Highway leads to Dubbo and to the border with Victoria, during the Oxley Highway branches off to the west.
After a further 106 km of Oxley Highway meets the Mitchell Highway ( R32) and ends. The Mitchell Highway provides the opportunity to go further into western Queensland and on the little later branching Barrier Highway to South Australia.
Source
Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas. Steve Parish Publishing. Archerfield QLD 2007 ISBN. 978-1-74193-232-4. Pp. 26, 27, 28, 29
- Road in New South Wales