Silver City Highway
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Silver City Highway is a highway that links
Buronga, New South Wales Buronga is a town in New South Wales, Australia on the Murray River. The George Chaffey Bridge connects Buronga with Mildura, Victoria. In 2011, the town had a population of 1132 people. Buronga today Given their proximity the present day tow ...
to the
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 , establishe ...
border via
Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...
, Broken Hill, and
Tibooburra Tibooburra (pronounced or ) is a town in the far northwest of New South Wales, Australia, located from the state capital, Sydney. It is most frequently visited by tourists on their way to Sturt National Park or on the way to or from Inn ...
, in the arid Far West region of
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 ...
; a short
branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...
also connects to
Calder Highway Calder Highway is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo, in North Central Victoria. South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway lin ...
on the Victorian border at Curlwaa (signed as Calder Highway). Parts of the highway north of Tibooburra are unsealed. The namesake of the highway is derived from the moniker for Broken Hill - the "Silver City" - which the highway travels through. The highway is designated route B79 from Broken Hill to Buronga.


Route

The route passes through largely arid terrain, although there are multiple irrigated areas between Buronga and Wentworth in the highway's south. There is relatively flat terrain between Wentworth and Broken Hill that forms arid pastures for grazing. Around Broken Hill and a little to the north the
Barrier Range A barrier or barricade is a physical structure which blocks or impedes something. Barrier may also refer to: Places * Barrier, Kentucky, a community in the United States * Barrier, Voerendaal, a place in the municipality of Voerendaal, Netherl ...
is encountered, which is more hill than the rest of the route encountered so far, but not mountainous. North of there the country is once again relatively flat, though there are further hills around
Milparinka Milparinka is a small settlement in north-west New South Wales, Australia, about north of Broken Hill on the Silver City Highway. At the time of the 2016 census, Milparinka had a population of 77 people. Milparinka is on Evelyn Creek. Summer ...
. Near Tibooburra the terrain becomes a stony desert; this kind of terrain is known in Australia as
gibber A desert pavement, also called reg (in the western Sahara), serir (eastern Sahara), gibber (in Australia), or saï (central Asia) is a desert surface covered with closely packed, interlocking angular or rounded rock fragments of pebble and cob ...
. Creeks to the north of Broken Hill are generally crossed straight across the riverbed, whether the road has been sealed or not. There is signage to help drivers gauge depth of the waters if there does happen to be flows after rains. The highway also roughly follows the route
Charles Sturt Charles Napier Sturt (28 April 1795 – 16 June 1869) was a British officer and explorer of Australia, and part of the European exploration of Australia. He led several expeditions into the interior of the continent, starting from Sydney and la ...
took when he explored the area, during his search to find the fabled inland sea.


Along the Murray River

The highway begins at its intersection with Sturt Highway in the town of Buronga in the far south-west of New South Wales. Buronga is located immediately across 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 ...
from the city of
Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area h ...
in Victoria. From here the highway heads northwesterly through a pocket of farmland at the locality of Mourquong, before turning on a more westerly heading. The road then traverses arid savanna before again reaching the farmland surrounding Dareton. The road takes on the name Tapio Street within the urban area. Continuing west the enters into more farmland at Curlwaa. Here the road comes to a T-insection where a turn to the west is required to stay on Silver City Highway. The road to the east is also gazetted as a spur of the highway and is signed as
Calder Highway Calder Highway is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo, in North Central Victoria. South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway lin ...
, to which it connects a short distance away across the single lane Abbotsford Bridge over the Murray River. Continuing west on the highway, the farmland largely continues the entirety of the short distance to Wentworth. Upon entering Wentworth, the road takes on several names within the town's urban area. Firstly it takes on the name Wentworth Street, before turning west at the Sandwych Street intersection and using that name. The highway then crosses the
Darling River The Darling River (Paakantyi: ''Baaka'' or ''Barka'') is the third-longest river in Australia, measuring from its source in northern New South Wales to its conflu ence with the Murray River at Wentworth, New South Wales. Including its long ...
over a lift-span bridge. At Adams Street the highway then turns north, keeping the name until it leaves the urban area.


Wentworth to Broken Hill

Heading north out of Wentworth, the highway enters arid scrublands and it swings northwest towards the
Great Darling Anabranch The Great Darling Anabranch, commonly called the Darling Anabranch, is an anabranch and ancestral path of the Darling River in the lower Murray-Darling basin in the Far West and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. Course and featur ...
. Once it reaches the normally dry river, it follows the anabranch upstream crossing it at Bunnerungee Bridge. The highway continues to follow the anabranch north, passing nearby several normally dry lakes, including along the shoreline of Popitah Lake. Roughly following the creekbed of Coombah Creek northwards a short distance, the highway then enters the depression of Coombah Lake. The roadway crosses the lakebed atop an embankment. Upon reaching the other side the highway passes Coombah Roadhouse, where fuel and supplies can be purchased. From here the highway re-enters the lakebed and continues along it to its northern extent. To the north of Coombah lake the road passes to the west of similarly dry Kudgee Lake, the roadway then follows the western side of the Pine Creek creekbed crossing it after some distance, then following it along the eastern side much of the remainder of the way Broken Hill. Upon reaching the approaches to Broken Hill, the terrain elevation becomes a little more varied from the very flat journey travelled so far, as this area is part of the Barrier Range.


Within Broken Hill

On the southern outskirts of Broken Hill, the highway passes Kanandah Road, which forms part of the heavy vehicle bypass. North of Kanandah Road, the highway takes on the name Wentworth Road for a short distance while it curves eastwards. Once it reaches South Broken Hill urban area, the road continues as Patton Street until reach the roundabout at Bonanza Street where it then turns northwards. It passes over a hill between two mines and becomes South Road northward of Gypsum Street. Upon reaching Broken Hill itself; it becomes Crystal Street, and then turns north at Iodide Street. North of Argent Street,
Barrier Highway Barrier Highway is a highway in South Australia and New South Wales, and is designated part of route A32. The name of the highway is derived from the Barrier Ranges, an area of moderately high ground in the far west of New South Wales, through w ...
also follows the same route for a few blocks until it leaves westwards at William Street. At the same intersection, Silver City Highway heads eastwards. The highway continues east almost all the way until the edge of the city, where it turns north at Buck Street. It takes on that name for a short distance until it leaves the urban area.


Broken Hill to the Dingo Fence

The highway continues a long distance northwards, through very dry country and crossing the occasional creekbed. Eventually it reaches Packsaddle Roadhouse, where fuel and supplies can be purchased; roughly halfway between Broken Hill and the Queensland border. North of Packsaddle the highway continues in the same fashion, although it does pass between some salt lakes. Eventually it reaches the Milparinka area, where the former township can be accessed a short distance off the highway. Further to the north the highway reaches
Tibooburra Tibooburra (pronounced or ) is a town in the far northwest of New South Wales, Australia, located from the state capital, Sydney. It is most frequently visited by tourists on their way to Sturt National Park or on the way to or from Inn ...
, the only sizable settlement along the route north of Broken Hill. North of Tibooburra it passes through
Sturt National Park The Sturt National Park is a protected national park that is located in the arid far north-western corner of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately northwest of Sydney and the nearest town is , awa ...
before reaching its terminus at the
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 , establishe ...
border along the Dingo Fence, at Warri Gate.


History

The passing of the ''Main Roads Act of 1924'' through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually
Transport for NSW Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an agency of the New South Wales Government established on 1 November 2011, and is the leading transport and roads agency in New South Wales, ...
). Main Road No. 69 was declared along this road on 8 August 1928, from Wentworth via Broken Hill, Milparinka and Tibooburra to the state border with Queensland; with the passing of the ''Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929'' to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to Trunk Road 69 on 8 April 1929. The Department of Main Roads, which had succeeded the New South Wales MRB in 1932, declared State Highway 21 on 16 March 1938, from Cobham Lake via Milparkinka and Tibooburra to the state border with Queensland at Olive Downs (and continuing south via White Cliffs, Wilcannia, Booligal, Hay and Deniliquin to the state border with Victoria at Moama); Trunk Road 69 was truncated to meet State Highway 21 as a result. State Highway 22 was later declared on 24 January 1945, from the intersection with Sturt Highway at Buronga via Wentworth, Broken Hill, Cobham Lake, Milparkinka and Tibooburra to the state border with Queensland at Olive Downs, subsuming Trunk Road 69; the northern end of State Highway 21 was truncated to meet
Barrier Highway Barrier Highway is a highway in South Australia and New South Wales, and is designated part of route A32. The name of the highway is derived from the Barrier Ranges, an area of moderately high ground in the far west of New South Wales, through w ...
south of Wilcannia and its former alignment north of Wilcannia was declared as Main Road 435, meeting State Highway 22 at Kayrunnera, as a result. State Highway 22 was named Silver City Highway on 3 August 1960, with a branch to Abbotsford Bridge over the Murray River at Curlwaa also declared, to meet
Calder Highway Calder Highway is a rural highway in Australia, linking Mildura and the Victoria/New South Wales border to Bendigo, in North Central Victoria. South of Bendigo, where the former highway has been upgraded to freeway-standard, Calder Freeway lin ...
in Victoria; while this branch is signed Calder Highway, it is officially part of Silver City Highway. The name was decided upon as the road's main purpose is to link Broken Hill (the Silver City) to areas north and south of the city. The Broken Hill ore deposit contains a vast amount of
silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
,
lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
, and
zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
. At one stage the name "Four States Highway" was also considered, as the road connects to Queensland and Victoria at each end, and also to
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 ...
via Barrier Highway from Broken Hill. The passing of the ''Roads Act of 1993'' through the Parliament of New South Wales updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Silver City Highway today retains its declaration as Highway 22, from the intersection with Sturt Highway at Buronga via Wentworth, Broken Hill, Cobham Lake and Tibooburra to the state border with Queensland at Warri Gate, with a branch to Abbotsford Bridge over the Murray River at Curlwaa. Silver City Highway was signed National Route 79 between Broken Hill and Curlwaa, and the branch to Curlwaa to Abbotsford Bridge and Calder Highway, in 1955. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, this was replaced with route B79 between Broken Hill and Buronga; the branch from Curlwaa to Abbotsford Bridge is now unallocated, despite route A79 continuing along Calder Highway in Victoria. The highway north of Broken Hill also remains unallocated.


Sealing

The Wentworth to Broken Hill section was sealed in 1969. Sections of highway north of Tibooburra remain unsealed. Work has been underway since 2011 to seal the remaining 150 km of unsealed highway. In June 2018, the
NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
announced it was investing $145 million to seal the remaining 209 km of the Cobb and Silver City Highways by 2023. As of July 2020, all of the Silver City Highway, except a 53.1 km section extending from
Tibooburra Tibooburra (pronounced or ) is a town in the far northwest of New South Wales, Australia, located from the state capital, Sydney. It is most frequently visited by tourists on their way to Sturt National Park or on the way to or from Inn ...
to the Queensland border at Warri Gate, was opened to traffic.


Junctions


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 ...
*
List of highways in New South Wales The present highway network in New South Wales, Australia was established in August 1928 when the Country Roads Board (the predecessor of the Department of Main Roads, Roads & Traffic Authority and Roads & Maritime Services) superseded the 19 ...


References


External links

{{Authority control Highways in Australia Far West (New South Wales) Transport in Broken Hill, New South Wales