Road Photos & Information: South Australia
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Sturt Highway & Main North Road (National Highway 20) |
Statistics:
- Length: (NSW, Vic and SA Total) 976 km (SA: 267 km)
- Northern Terminus: SA-Vic border at Yamba
- Southern Terminus: Corner of Main North Road (NR1), Port Wakefield Rd (NH1) and Grand Junction Road at Gepps Cross
- Miscellaneous: Continued in Vic as Sturt Hwy (NH20) from SA-Vic Border at Yamba
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Yamba, Paringa, Renmark, Barmera, Waikerie, Truro, Nuriootpa, Gawler, Elizabeth and Gepps Cross
Route Numbering:
- Former:
General Information:
The Sturt Highway and Main North Road are major routes connecting New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The highway connected the Hume Highway (NH31) in NSW with the Newell Hwy (NH39) and other major routes of South Western NSW. The route also connected with the Calder Highway (NR79) in Victoria.
The highway itself varies from 2-lane rural highway in the less populated areas to multilaned main road in some of the larger towns along the route to freeway standard and 6-lane arterial road standard in Adelaide.
The route received funding from the Federal Government, recognising its importance as a major Australian highway for freight and travel.
The Sturt Highway is named after Charles Sturt, who explored south western New South Wales, the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers and also parts of central Australia in the 1800s.
History:
- 1869: A private punt was established at Blanchetown to cross the River Murray. 1
- 1879: The private punt at Blanchetown replaced by a government operated service. 1
- 1888: First bridge at Renmark built over River Murray constructed in timber by the Chaffey Brothers, to connect their new irrigation settlement with Adelaide. 1
- 1922: The punt at Blanchetown relocated due to the opening of Lock 1. Operation of a ferry commenced at Kingston-On-Murray over the River Murray. 1
- 1927: Opening of Paringa Bridge over the River Murray at Renmark, when the railway line was extended from Paringa to Renmark. The bridge carried both road and rail traffic. 1
- 1933: The Chaffey Brothers' timber bridge at Renmark was replaced by a timber and steel bridge. 1
- December 1954: Second ferry installed at Blanchetown due to increased traffic. 1
- January 1959: Construction on a new bridge (called the Distillery Bridge) began at Renmark. It was made of pre-stressed concrete, a first for South Australia. 1
- January 1960: Completion of Distillery Bridge at Renmark. 1
- 1963: Opening of Gawler Bypass as super-2 road with at-grade junctions. 2
- 24 April 1964: Opening of bridge over River Murray at Blanchetown. 1
- 1969: Work begins on bridge over River Murray at Kingston-on-Murray to replace a ferry. 1
- 1974: Upgraded from National Route 20, with the introduction of the National Highway system.
- 1976: Northern Barossa Deviation opens.
- 1980s: Nuriootpa & Greenock bypassed. Extension and duplication of Gawler Bypass. 2
- 1995: Monash Deviation opened, bypassing the towns of Berri and Glossop.
- 1998: Changed to National Highway A-20 with the implementation of the alphanumeric route numbering system in SA, also completion of the Mickens Bridge to Truro realignment (an 8 km alignment and bridge, north of the old carriageway). 3
Post-1998 photos presented below are remnants, missed during alphanumeric conversion.
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Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign at Truro, December 2003.
Image © Michael Greenslade
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Black Advance Directional Sign:
Black AD sign on Old Blanchetown Rd at Waikerie approaching Sturt Hwy (NH20) and Vasey Rd, December 2003.
Image © Michael Greenslade
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Handpainted Trailblazer:
Handpainted NR20 trailblazer on the corner of Renmark Av & Eighteenth St at Renmark, approaching Sturt Hwy, December 2003.
Image © Michael Greenslade
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1 SA Memory, The river as a highway: Crossing the Murray
2 Peter Morris, Australian Minister for Transport, Press Release, $18 Million Gawler Bypass Gets Go Ahead, 9 May 1984
3 Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
Last updated: 24-Sep-2020 13:10
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