The Donohue Highway is a mostly unpaved

outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...

track that leads through the northern foothills of the

Simpson Desert The Simpson Desert is a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland in central Australia. It is the fourth-largest Deserts of Australia, Australian desert, with an area of . The desert ...

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_ ...

Tobermorey Tobermorey Station is a pastoral lease that operates as a cattle station in the Central Australia, Alice Springs region of the Northern Territory. Tobermorey is on the western edge of Punthamara territory Location The property is situated app ...

Homestead,

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

near the Northern Territory/Queensland border in Australia. The road branches from the

Diamantina Developmental Road The Diamantina Developmental Road is a gazetted road in Queensland, Australia, that runs from Charleville in the south-central part of the state to Mount Isa in the north-west. Route description The road passes through the towns of Quilpie ...

north-west of

Boulia Boulia () is an outback town and locality in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland, Australia. In the , Boulia had a population of 301 people. Boulia is the administrative centre of the Boulia Shire, population approximately 600, which covers an area ...

and proceeds towards the Northern Territory. The

Georgina River The Georgina River is the north-westernmost of the three major rivers of the Channel Country in Central West Queensland, that also flows through a portion of the Northern Territory, in central Australia. Part of the Lake Eyre basin, the Georgin ...

is at about the 166 km mark and 83 km further is Tobermorey, a town with 20 inhabitants. From here the trail continues as the

Plenty Highway The Plenty Highway is a outback mostly unsealed road in the Northern Territory of Australia between the Stuart Highway and north-western Queensland. Route description The road begins at a turnoff from the Stuart Highway north of Alice Spring ...

towards

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

. The route is mostly unpaved and marked by corrugations, deep potholes and

bulldust Bulldust or bull dust is a fine, soft and powdery red aeolian dust that is common across Australia, especially in the Outback and desert. Bulldust is a type of fugitive dust that when disturbed can have dangerous effects. Bulldust is common on r ...

(fine red desert dust). However, in 2009 further development in the form of river crossings were initially attached and further parts of the road are paved. Despite the improvements to the track, it is often impassable after heavy rain. Donohue Highway Airstrip Sign

In 2016 a section of the road was widened to add a passing lane and to act as an emergency landing strip for the

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...

. The Donohue Highway along its entire length forms part of the

Outback Highway The Outback Highway or Outback Way is a series of roads and dirt tracks linking Laverton, Western Australia and Winton, Queensland. At , it crosses Central Australia (colloquially known as the Outback), passing through Western Australia, the ...

, which runs 2,800 km through central Australia.

Upgrades

Paving and sealing

A project to pave and seal sections of the road, at a cost of $10.48 million, was completed in June 2021.

Major intersections

This route has no major intersections.

References

{{Road infrastructure in Queensland Roads in Queensland Highways in Queensland Roads in the Northern Territory Central West Queensland

Upgrades

Paving and sealing

Major intersections

See also

References