Road Photos & Information: Northern Territory
  Stuart Highway (National Highway 1) (Decommissioned)

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Route Numbering:

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

Daly Waters to Darwin   Darwin to Daly Waters
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Daly Waters-Kalala Road Intersection:
Intersection directional sign at the junction with Daly Waters-Kalala Road at Daly Waters. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign at The Narrows approaching Bagot Road. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Intersection Directional Sign:
Intersection directional sign facing traffic coming from Daly Waters-Kalala Road at Daly Waters. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching Roystonea Avenue at Pinelands. November 2009.

Image © Peter Renshaw

Distance Sign:
RD sign at Larrimah, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Intersection Directional Sign:
Unusual ID sign at the Roystonea Avenue intersection at Yarrawonga, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Approaching Roper Hwy:
Advance directional sign for the Roper Highway (SR20) intersection at Mataranka, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign on Arnhem Hwy (SR36) at McMinns Lagoon approaching Stuart Hwy (NH1), September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Roper Highway Intersection:
ID sign assembly at the junction with Roper Hwy (SR20) at Mataranka. September 2008. Note the missing SR20 shield from the sign.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at McMinns Lagoon, facing Arnhem Hwy (SR36) at its junction with Stuart Hwy (NH1), September 2008

Image © Kate Pilling

Distance Sign:
RD sign after the Roper Hwy intersection at Mataranka, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Distance Sign:
Southbound RD signage at Pine Creek, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign at Uralla approaching Tindall RAAF Base, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Distance Sign:
Simple RD sign, missing NH1 shield at Nitmiluk, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at Uralla at the intersection with Tindall RAAF Base, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  RD sign:
Southbound RD sign as you leave Mataranka, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Distance Sign:
RD sign as you leave the Uralla area, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Roper highway Intersection:
Southbound at Mataranka as you pass through intersection with Roper Hwy (SR20), September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign on the corner of Stuart Hwy and Pine Tce at Pine Creek, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Distance Sign:
Southbound RD sign after the Roper Hwy (SR20) junction at Mataranka, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the intersection with the Hayes Creek Roadhouse, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Reassurance Directional Sign:
Southbound distance sign as you leave Larrimah, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Supplemental AD Sign:
Supplemental advance directional sign near the Hayes Creek Roadhouse. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

  Distance Sign:
RD sign as you enter the Daly Waters area. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

Advance Directional Sign:
Sign indicating alternate route to Darwin via Dorat Road (SR23) at Robin Falls. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign assembly facing Dorat Road (SR23) at Robin Falls, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Welcome Sign:
Sign welcoming motorists to Adelaide River, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the intersection with Ringwood Road at Coomalie Creek. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Distance Sign:
RD sign after the Ringwood Road intersection at Coomalie Creek, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Advance Directional Sign:
ID sign at the Leonino Road intersection at Acacia, September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign for the Arnhem Highway (SR36) intersection, at McMinns Lagoon. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the Arnhem Highway (SR36) intersection, at McMinns Lagoon. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign for the Bees Creek Road intersection, at Freds Pass. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Advance Directional Sign:
Large AD sign approaching the junction with Lambrick Avenue and Howard Springs Road in Zuccoli. September 2008.

Image © Kate Pilling

     
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign approaching the junction with McMinn St and Daly St in Darwin CBD. November 2009. This junction is the terminus of NH1.

Image © Peter Renshaw

     
Click here for NH1 between Katherine and the WA Border
Click here for NR1 (Carpentaria Highway) between Daly Waters and the Queensland Border

1 NT Government Chief Minister's Office
2 Litchfield Shire Council

3 Department of Planning & Infrastructure
4 Office of the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

Last updated: 14-Feb-2019 22:07

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