The Plenty Highway is a outback mostly unsealed road in the

Northern Territory of Australia The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

between the

Stuart Highway Stuart Highway is a major Australian highway. It runs from Darwin, in the Northern Territory, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta in South Australia; a distance of . Its northern and southern extremities are segments of Aus ...

and north-western

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_ ...

Route description

The road begins at a turnoff from the Stuart Highway north of

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 ...

, and finishes at Tobermorey Homestead on the Northern Territory/Queensland border. It then continues for another to

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 ...

in Queensland, as the

Donohue Highway The Donohue Highway is a mostly unpaved outback track that leads through the northern foothills of the Simpson Desert in Queensland to Tobermorey Homestead, Northern Territory near the Northern Territory/Queensland border in Australia. The road ...

. The first from the Stuart Highway is sealed. Of the next to Jervois Homestead all bar is unsealed as is the rest of the track to the Queensland Border. From the Queensland Border to Boulia the final is sealed with another east of the border. Information about its condition may be obtained from the

Harts Range Harts Range is a town in the Northern Territory of Australia located on the Plenty Highway by road northeast of Alice Springs. Most of its population are of Aboriginal descent, residing in the nearby community of Atitjere. Since 1947, each y ...

police station, from the Stuart Highway. East of Jervois Homestead, the road is formed earth, deteriorating to rocks 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 ...

as it nears Tobermorey, from Jervois Homestead. The road north to

Urandangi Urandangi (formerly also spelled Urandangie) is an outback town in the locality of Piturie in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland, Australia. Geography The town is located on the banks of the Georgina River in Central West Queensland, north west ...

and thence to Mount Isa bears left just before Tobermorey.

Road condition

The worst sections of the road are in the Northern Territory, with deep potholes and bulldust. On the Queensland side of the border the road has had significant upgrades and is of a hard pack gravel surface. It is from Tobermorey to Boulia and good camping may be found at 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 Geor ...

, at about the mark. Fuel and food may be obtained at Gemtree, Atitjere community, Jervois Homestead and Boulia. As of June 2018, fuel and camping is available at Tobermorey.

Road train A road train, land train or long combination vehicle (LCV) is a trucking vehicle used to move road freight more efficiently than semi-trailer trucks. It consists of two or more trailers or semi-trailers hauled by a prime mover. History Early ...

s up to in length use both highways.

Upgrades

The

Northern Australia Roads Program Northern Australia Roads Program is a suite of projects designed to deliver upgrades to high priority roads in northern Australia. In 2016 the Australian Government announced 19 projects to be funded under this program, and in 2020 another was add ...

announced in 2016 included the following project for the Plenty Highway.

Progressive sealing and flood immunity

The project to progressively seal and provide flood immunity improvements was expected to be complete in late 2021 at a total cost of $25 million.

Junctions and localities

References