Lincoln Highway is a highway in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

which links the cities of

Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...

and

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

located on the east coast of

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...

over a distance of . Lincoln Highway - along with Flinders Highway - presents an alternative but somewhat longer coastal route between Ceduna and

, compared to the more direct route along

Eyre Highway Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highways 1 and A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It ...

. It is designated route B100.

Route

After leaving Port Augusta, the highway passes through hot and arid saltbush-covered and scrub terrain. It soon passes through the largest and most significant town along the route, which is the steel city of

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...

. Continuing southwest it connects with such coastal towns as Cowell,

Port Neill Port Neill (formerly Carrow) is a small coastal town on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia about 3 km off the Lincoln Highway (Australia), Lincoln Highway between the major towns of Whyalla and Port Lincoln. It is 576 ...

and

Arno Bay Arno Bay is a small fishing and tourist town on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, located on the Lincoln Highway, South Australia, Lincoln Highway about halfway between Whyalla and Port Lincoln. First proclaimed under the name ...

which have good

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

spots. The terrain here is interspersed with broad-acre grain cropping in suitable localities, and the scenery gets greener the more it heads southwest towards Port Lincoln. Sealed with bitumen, it has many straight stretches with few steep inclines or declines, and for the most part has a 110 km/h speed limit. It has one lane in each direction, with few overtaking lanes. The highway runs along the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula but just so far inland as to allow only glimpses of the Gulf in certain places. Port Lincoln itself is a prosperous

fishing port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

and an important grain terminal serving the Eyre Peninsula wheatbelt.

History

The first Europeans to traverse most of this route, in April 1840, were Governor

Gawler Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

and

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

, who explored on horseback from Port Lincoln to the

Middleback Range The Middleback Range is a mountain range on the eastern side of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The Middleback Range has been a source of iron ore for over a century, particularly to feed the Whyalla Steelworks. Mines in the region were first ...

near the location of the site of Whyalla. The South Australian government decreed "the road from Port Augusta to Port Lincoln will be known as the Lincoln Highway", taking effect on 1 July 1938.

Major junctions

References

{{Eyre Peninsula Highways in South Australia Eyre Peninsula

Route

History

Major junctions

See also

References