Flinders Highway, Queensland

The Flinders Highway is a highway that crosses Queensland east to west, from Townsville on the Pacific coast to Cloncurry. The road continues as the Barkly Highway from Cloncurry to the Northern Territory border at Camooweal and beyond. The Flinders Highway passes a number of small outback towns and typical outback landscape predominates towards the inland. It was known as National Route 78 before Queensland began to convert to the alphanumeric system being adopted in Australia and is now designated as A6. The highway is also known as Overlanders Way.[1] Its entire length is part of the National Land Transport Network (formerly Auslink).[2]

Approximate road distances (in kilometres) of towns from Townsville along the highway

Flinders Highway

Queensland
Flinders Highway (green on black)
General information
TypeHighway
Length775 km (482 mi)
Route number(s) State Highway A6
Former
route number		 National Route 78
Major junctions
West end Barkly Highway (National Highway A2), Cloncurry
 
East end Bruce Highway (Queensland Highway A1), Townsville
Location(s)
Major settlementsJulia Creek, Richmond, Hughenden, Charters Towers
Highway system
Southbound on the Flinders Highway between Reid River and Mingela
Southbound on the Flinders Highway between Calcium and Reid River

As at 1957, only the Townsville to Charters Towers section was sealed. The rest of the highway was progressively sealed with the last section completed in November 1976.[3]

Northern Australia Roads Program upgrades

The Northern Australia Roads Program announced in 2016 included two projects for the Flinders Highway.

Pavement strengthening

The project for pavement strengthening and rehabilitation between Townsville and Torrens Creek was expected to finish in late 2021 at a total cost of $22.2 million.[4]

Replacement of culverts

The project for replacement of culverts between Charters Towers and Richmond was completed in late 2018 at a total cost of $15.1 million.[5]

Roads of Strategic Importance upgrades

The Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, last updated in March 2022, includes the following projects for the Flinders Highway.

Corridor upgrade

A lead project to upgrade the Queensland section of the Tennant Creek to Townsville corridor, including sections of the Barkly and Flinders Highways, the Kennedy Developmental Road and surrounding state and council roads, at an estimated cost of $250 million, was in the planning stage in 2020.[6]

Overtaking lanes

A project to construct overtaking lanes between Townsville and Charters Towers at a cost of $33.4 million is planned to be completed by mid-2023.[7] This project is targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government, and has been split into two packages.[8]

Pavement strengthening and widening

A project to strengthen and widen the pavement at Scrubby Creek, between Julia Creek and Cloncurry, at a cost of $32.6 million is due for completion in early 2024.[9] This project is targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government.[8]

Wide centre line treatment

A project to deliver wide centre lines on a section of road between Townsville and Charters Towers at a cost of $9.7 million was due for completion in early 2022.[10] This project was targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government, and was split into two packages.[8]

Other upgrades

Construct acceleration lane

A project to construct an acceleration lane at Woodstock, at a cost of $5 million, was completed in December 2020.[11]

Towns

Charters Towers

Charters Towers, 133 km to the south west from Townsville. A former gold rush town with a population of 30 000 in 1890. At that time it was known as "The World" because it seemed to be the centre of everything. Presently it is a centre for cattle grazing, with gold mining continuing to be an important industry. Much of the elegant gold rush architecture of the nineteenth century remains in place and is a tourist attraction.

Pentland

Pentland is located between Charters Towers and Hughenden. Pentland is about 140 kilometres (87 mi) away from the town of Hughenden and 240 kilometres (150 mi) from the North Queensland city of Townsville. Hughenden has about 2000 people and Charters Towers has about 9000. Pentland's population is estimated to be 250 people.[12]

Hughenden

Located 243 km further on, Hughenden, the administrative centre of Flinders shire is in the heart of sheep and cattle country.

Richmond

Richmond, a former gold rush town located 112 km further west. Currently a pastoral centre.

Julia Creek

Julia Creek, 147 km further west, another pastoral settlement

Cloncurry

Cloncurry, former copper-mining town located 139 km west from Julia Creek. The first regular Qantas flights started between here and Charleville in 1922 and Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia service started here in 1928. Nowadays it is an important road and rail junction. Flinders Highway ends here.

Major intersections
LGALocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
TownsvilleStuart00.0 Bruce Highway (Queensland Highway A1) – north–west – Townsville /
south–east – Ayr /
Southern Port Road – north–east – Port of Townsville		Eastern end of Flinders Highway (National Route A6)
1.91.2Stuart Drive – north – TownsvilleFlinders Highway continues south on Stuart Drive
Burdekin River10565Macrossan Bridge (see also Great Northern Railway)
Charters TowersCharters Towers12276 Gregory Highway (State Route 63) – west – GreenvaleNorthern concurrency terminus with Gregory Highway /
Flinders Highway continues south-west through Charters Towers
Black Jack13081 Gregory Highway (State Route A7) – south – ClermontSouthern concurrency terminus with Gregory Highway
FlindersTorrens Creek284176 Torrens Creek Aramac Road (State Route 18) – south – Aramac
Hughenden371231 Hughenden Muttaburra Road (State Route 19) – south – Muttaburra
373.0231.8 Kennedy Developmental Road (State Route 62) – west – WintonSouthern concurrency terminus with Kennedy Developmental Road
373.1231.8 Kennedy Developmental Road (State Route 62) – north – Mount GarnetNorthern concurrency terminus with Kennedy Developmental Road
McKinlayJulia Creek637396 Julia Creek Kynuna Road (State Route 84) – south – Kynuna
640400 Wills Developmental Road (State Route 84) – north–west – Burketown
CloncurryCloncurry759472 Landsborough Highway (National Route A2) – south–east – KynunaEastern concurrency terminus with Landsborough Highway
Cloncurry River775.0481.6Ernest Henry Bridge
CloncurryCloncurry775.2481.7 Burke Developmental Road (National Route 83) – north – Normanton /
Barkly Highway (National Route A2) – west – Mount Isa		Western concurrency terminus with Landsborough Highway.
Western end of Flinders Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. "Outback Australia - Australian Outback". Outbacknow.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Completion of Flinders Highway". Australian Transport: 16–17. August 1977.
  4. "Flinders Highway (Townsville - Torrens Creek) Pavement Strengthening and Rehabilitation (Package 1)". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  5. "Flinders Highway (Charters Towers - Richmond) Culvert upgrades (Package 1)". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  6. "Tennant Creek to Townsville - Queensland". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  7. "Flinders Highway (Townsville - Charters Towers) Overtaking Lanes". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  8. "ROSI early works package" (PDF). Queensland Government. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  9. "Flinders Highway (Julia Creek - Cloncurry) - Scrubby Creek Pavement Strengthening and Widening". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  10. "Flinders Highway (Townsville - Charters Towers) Wide Centre Line Treatment". Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  11. "Flinders Highway (Glenn Road) acceleration lane project". Queensland Government. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  12. "Our Region – Pentland". Charters Towers Regional Council. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
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