Goulburn Valley Highway is a
highway
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...
located in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australia. The section north of the Hume Freeway is part of the
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
to
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
National Highway (together with
Hume Freeway
Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route f ...
) and is the main link between these two cities as well as a major link between Victoria and inland New South Wales. It is also the most direct route between Melbourne and the major regional centre of
Shepparton in Victoria (via the
Hume Freeway
Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route f ...
).
Route
The highway roughly follows the course of the
Goulburn River
The Goulburn River, a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine, Northern Country/North Central, and Southern Riverina regions of the Australian state of Victor ...
, a tributary of the
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...
. The Highway serves the fruit and vegetable growing areas of the
Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is a sub-region, part of the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The sub-region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. T ...
in Victoria, one of Australia's most productive agricultural regions.
The highway runs from Eildon to Seymour as a two lane single carriageway sealed road with shoulders. The section from the Hume Freeway to Arcadia via Nagambie has been fully converted into a dual carriageway and has been renamed as the Goulburn Valley Freeway. The freeway upgrade has made sections of the original Goulburn Valley Highway redundant, either incorporated into the new freeway or acting as local access roads. The freeway section is covered with a speed limit of 110 km/h, the standard speed limit for rural freeways in Australia. Between Arcadia and Tocumwal the highway is a two lane single carriageway but with tactile road lines, wide shoulders and small sections of 3 or 4 lane single carriageway road for overtaking. The Goulburn Valley Highway crosses the
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...
at
Tocumwal
Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne ...
to join the
Newell Highway
Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At in length, the Newell is th ...
in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.
History
![GoulburnValleyFreeway1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/GoulburnValleyFreeway1.jpg)
The passing of the ''Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924'' through the
Parliament of Victoria
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly an ...
provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the
Country Roads Board
The Country Roads Board was a government authority responsible for the construction and maintenance of main roads in the state of Victoria, Australia between 1913 and 1983.
History
The Country Roads Board (CRB) was formed to take over responsi ...
(later
VicRoads
VicRoads is a government joint venture in the state of Victoria, Australia. In the state, it is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is owned and operated through a joint venture between the Victorian government and a ...
). The Goulburn Valley Highway was declared a State Highway in the 1946/47 financial year,
from
Seymour via
Murchison and
Shepparton to
Strathmerton (for a total of 88 miles); before this declaration, these road were referred to as Goulburn Valley Road, Murchison-Shepparton Road and Shepparton-Numurkah-Cobram Road.
In the 1959/60 financial year, the eastern section from
Eildon
Eildon is the largest committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, with a population of 34,892 at the census in 2001. It also contains the three Eildon Hills, tallest in the Scottish Borders.
Places in Eildon
References
See also
*Subdivi ...
via
Alexandra and
Yea to
Seymour was added,
along the Upper Goulburn Road (from Eildon to
Trawool, where it crossed the
Goulburn River
The Goulburn River, a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine, Northern Country/North Central, and Southern Riverina regions of the Australian state of Victor ...
), and then along Seymour-Yea Road to Seymour.
The last section, from
Yarroweyah to the border with NSW just outside
Tocumwal
Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne ...
, was added in June 1983,
along Benalla-Tocumwal Road north of the
Murray Valley Highway
Murray Valley Highway is a state highway located in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. The popular tourist route mostly follows the southern bank of the Murray River and effectively acts as the northernmost highway in Victoria. For all b ...
. The section of the highway between Shepparton and Strathmerton was re-aligned in September 1985: from running through
Numurkah
Numurkah ( ) is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of Shepparton, in the Shire of Moira. At the , Numurkah had a population of 4,768.
History
The area was occupied by the Yorta Yorta people prior t ...
and
Katunga on the eastern side of the
Tocumwal railway line to meet the
Murray Valley Highway
Murray Valley Highway is a state highway located in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. The popular tourist route mostly follows the southern bank of the Murray River and effectively acts as the northernmost highway in Victoria. For all b ...
in Strathmerton, to its current alignment (formerly called Ancliffe Road) bypassing Numurkah on the western side of the railway to meet the Murray Valley Highway 4 kilometres west of Strathmerton; the former alignment is now known as Tocumwal Road through Numurkah, and Numurkah Road beyond to Strathmerton.
The Goulburn Valley Highway was signed as National Route 39 between Seymour and Tocumwal in 1965, and State Route 168 between Seymour and Eildon in 1986.
The
Whitlam Government introduced the federal ''National Roads Act 1974'',
where roads declared as a National Highway were still the responsibility of the states for road construction and maintenance, but were fully compensated by the Federal government for money spent on approved projects.
As an important interstate link between the capitals of Victoria and Queensland, the Goulburn Valley Highway was declared a
National Highway between Seymour and Tocumwal in 1992.
With Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s, this was updated to route A39 between Seymour and Tocumwal, and replaced by B340 from Seymour to Eildon. As stages of the highway north of Seymour are successively converted to freeway-standard, these sections are updated from route A39 to route M39.
The passing of the ''Road Management Act 2004''
granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to
VicRoads
VicRoads is a government joint venture in the state of Victoria, Australia. In the state, it is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is owned and operated through a joint venture between the Victorian government and a ...
: in 2011, VicRoads re-declared this road as Goulburn Valley Freeway (Freeway #1640), beginning in Seymour and ending in Arcadia,
while re-declaring the remnants between Eildon and the border with New South Wales as Goulburn Valley Highway (Arterial #6640).
Plans to convert the highway into a freeway-standard road between Seymour and Shepparton dated from 1992, as a direct result of its declaration as a National Highway.
Construction on the first section to be converted, 16 km from the interchange with the
Hume Freeway
Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast. Upgrading of the route f ...
in
Seymour to just south of
Nagambie
Nagambie is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. The city is on the Goulburn Valley Freeway north of Seymour and in the Shire of Strathbogie. As of , Nagambie had a population of 2,254.
History
The Nagambie Region is w ...
, started in January 1999;
this included the relocation of the Aboriginal Scar Tree, a dead tree bearing scars where wood had been cut for a shield or dish, in consultation with the local
Taungurong
The Taungurung people, also spelt ''Daung Wurrung'', are an Aboriginal people who are one of the Kulin nations in present-day Victoria, Australia. They consist of nine clans whose traditional language is the Taungurung language.
Their Country ...
Aboriginal People,
and who also attended the opening ceremony in a new south-bound rest area in April 2001.
The Murchison East deviation opened in February 2003 (almost eleven months early), allowing a more-direct alignment of the road instead of via Murchison East and Moorlim and shortening the distance between Melbourne and Shepparton by 4 km.
Timeline of upgrade
*2001 – Hume Freeway to Nagambie, 16 km opened in April 2001, at a cost of $53 million.
*2003 – Murchison East deviation, 18 km opened on 18 February 2003, at a cost of $88.9 million.
*2008 – Arcadia duplication, 10 km opened in June 2008, at a cost of $40.5 million.
[VicRoads. ''VicRoads Annual Report 2007-08'', Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 2008, p. 35]
*2013 - Nagambie bypass, 17 km bypass opened at the end of April 2013.
Arcadia duplication
The duplication was a $40.55 million project funded by the Australian Government as part of its Auslink Program. The works involved duplication of 10 km of the existing Goulburn Valley Highway between the Murchison East deviation and the proposed Shepparton Bypass, just north of Ross Road, through
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
. It incorporates four at-grade intersections, frontage access roads, a rest area with full facilities, and wire rope safety barriers.
The Arcadia section runs adjacent to the Calder Woodburn Memorial Avenue of Honour. A Conservation Management Plan was developed in consultation with
Heritage Victoria
Heritage Victoria is a Victorian State Government agency responsible for administering the ''Heritage Act 1995'' and supporting the work of the Heritage Council of Victoria.
Heritage Victoria was formed from the earlier Historic Buildings Pres ...
to ensure that impact on the Avenue of Honour was minimised. The plans included measures to enhance and highlight the avenue of trees. The project was started in June 2006, open to traffic in February 2008, with final completion of all works in April 2008.
The highway carries an estimated 6,500 vehicles per day, including more than 2,000 commercial vehicles.
Nagambie bypass
The Nagambie Bypass, funded as part of the Auslink 2 (2009–2014) Federal Government infrastructure program, bypasses the town of
Nagambie
Nagambie is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. The city is on the Goulburn Valley Freeway north of Seymour and in the Shire of Strathbogie. As of , Nagambie had a population of 2,254.
History
The Nagambie Region is w ...
to the east. Funding was announced in May 2009, and construction commenced in December 2009. The bypass opened to traffic in April 2013.
Costed at $222 million, $177.6 million was contributed by the Australian Government, with the remaining $44.4 million from the State Government.
The project was made up of two sections: duplicating the existing highway north of Nagambie for 3.5 km between Kirwans Bridge-Longwood Road and Moss Road (completed in November 2011), and the 13.5 km bypass road from Mitchellstown Road to Kirwans Bridge-Longwood Road.
Shepparton bypass
An alignment for the
Shepparton bypass has been decided, connecting with the northern terminus of the existing
Goulburn Valley Freeway
Goulburn Valley Highway is a highway located in Victoria, Australia. The section north of the Hume Freeway is part of the Melbourne to Brisbane National Highway (together with Hume Freeway) and is the main link between these two cities as well ...
in
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
, heading northwest to cross the
Goulburn River
The Goulburn River, a major inland perennial river of the Goulburn Broken catchment, part of the Murray-Darling basin, is located in the alpine, Northern Country/North Central, and Southern Riverina regions of the Australian state of Victor ...
at
Toolamba
Toolamba is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. It is in the City of Greater Shepparton local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Toolamba and the surrounding area had a population of 873 ...
, travel west and then north around
Mooroopna
Mooroopna is a rural town located north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. The Midland Highway crosses the river between the two towns. At the 2016 census, Moor ...
, to rejoin the existing highway north of
Congupna.
It was proposed that the Shepparton Bypass would be funded by Auslink 2 (2009–2014); the 2017/18 State Budget allocated $10.2 million over three years to undertake preparatory works and land acquisition, and a consultation was held with the community for its initial stage in 2018. The current priority is Stage 1, a single carriageway with a lane in each direction extending from the Midland Highway west of Mooroopna to the Goulburn Valley Highway via an upgraded Wanganui Road in Shepparton North, a total distance of 10 km; the Federal Government has also contributed $208 million, for an estimated project cost of $260 million for Stage 1. The project is still under planning with a date to begin construction still to be set.
Strathmerton deviation
A realignment will bypass the small townships of
Strathmerton and
Yarroweyah and avoid dangerous bends south of the
Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest ...
crossing at
Tocumwal
Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne ...
. The proposed new route will cross the
Murray Valley Highway
Murray Valley Highway is a state highway located in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. The popular tourist route mostly follows the southern bank of the Murray River and effectively acts as the northernmost highway in Victoria. For all b ...
instead of follow it through those towns, and rejoin the current route just south of the Murray River.
The proposed Strathmerton Deviation was also to be funded by Auslink 2 (2009–2014)
but had also not been constructed by the beginning of 2017.
Major intersections and towns
VIC/NSW border - Seymour
Seymour - Eildon
See also
*
Highways in Australia
Highways in Australia are generally high capacity roads managed by state and territory government agencies, though Australia's federal government contributes funding for important links between capital cities and major regional centres. Prio ...
*
Highways in Victoria
The highways in Victoria are the highest density in any state in Australia. Unlike Australia's other mainland states where vast areas are very sparsely inhabited "outback", population centres spread out over most of the state, with only the ...
*
Freeways in Australia
Australian Capital Territory Canberra region
* Majura Parkway
Other freeways (no route number)
* Adelaide Avenue
* Yarra Glen
* Capital Circle
* Gungahlin Drive Extension
* Parkes Way
* Tuggeranong Parkway
Gallery
File:High ...
*
Freeways in Victoria
References
{{Road infrastructure in Victoria
Highways in Victoria (Australia)
Shire of Murrindindi
Shepparton
Shire of Strathbogie
Shire of Mitchell
Shire of Moira