Clermont–Alpha Road is a continuous road route in the

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

and Barcaldine regions of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. It is signed as State Route 41 for its entire length. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 552), rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS). It is part of the shortest route from to .

Route description

The Clermont–Alpha Road commences at an intersection with the Clermont Connection Road in . It starts as Wolfgang Street, running west and south-west through the locality of Clermont. This section of the road passes the Clermont solar farm. It crosses from north-east to west. It then turns south through the former locality of (now part of ) and continues south to the town of Alpha, where it ends at an intersection with the

Capricorn Highway The Capricorn Highway is located in Central Queensland, Australia, and links the city of Rockhampton with western Queensland. The highway is long, and joins the Landsborough Highway at Barcaldine. Formerly National Route 66, Queensland began ...

. The road has no major intersections. Land use along this road is mainly stock grazing on native vegetation.

Road condition

Much of the road remains unsealed, but approximately was sealed in 2018-19 under an $8.7 million project funded by the

Northern Australia Beef Roads Program Northern Australia Beef Roads Program is a suite of projects designed to deliver targeted upgrades to key roads for transporting cattle in northern Australia. In 2016 the Australian Government announced 18 projects to be funded under this program. ...

History

Gold was discovered at Clermont in 1861, and the town reserve was proclaimed in 1864. The Wolfgang

pastoral run A pastoral lease, sometimes called a pastoral run, is an arrangement used in both Australia and New Zealand where government-owned Crown land is leased out to graziers for the purpose of livestock grazing on rangelands. Australia Pastoral lea ...

was adjacent to the town. Churches and schools opened in the 1860s, and copper was discovered soon after. The railway arrived in 1884 to serve the Peak Downs copper mine. Clermont became the administrative centre for the developing region, and is now the hub for the large coal mines in the region. Quetta was created in 2018 by excising land from and . Surbiton pastoral run was established by 1866. In 2019 Surbiton was incorporated into Alpha. Beaufort pastoral run, north-east of the town of Alpha, was established in 1863. In 2019 Beaufort was incorporated into Alpha. The Alpha pastoral run was established in 1863, and settlement in the area that became the town began in the 1860s. In the 1880s the town expanded to include a workers camp during the construction of the

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

. Alpha railway station opened in 1884 and the town continued to grow, becoming the administrative centre for the district. Early roads were cut from both Clermont and Alpha to provide access for wheeled vehicles to the pastoral runs and other settlements. Over time these tracks were improved and extended to eventually form a through road.

Modern usage

Although not yet fully sealed the road is used extensively by road trains carrying cattle, and by other large trucks conveying heavy goods. It reduces the distance between the two centres by almost compared to the highway route via .

Upgrade

Progressive sealing

A project to seal almost of road, at a cost of $3.01 million, was completed in August 2021.

Intersecting state-controlled road

The following road intersects with Clermont–Alpha Road:

Clermont Connection Road

Clermont Connection Road is a state-controlled regional road (number 551). It connects the

Gregory Highway The Gregory Highway is a state highway in Queensland, Australia that serves the major coal-mining centres of Central Queensland. The highway was named after Augustus Gregory, an early explorer. Route description The highway runs southward from ...

to Clermont–Alpha Road in , a distance of . It is signed as part of State Route 70 and has no major intersections.

References

Roads in Queensland {{DEFAULTSORT:Clermont-Alpha Road