The Alpine Way is a rural road located in the
Snowy Mountains region of
New South Wales
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, 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 ...
,
Australia. The road connects in the east to the
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 ...
/
Victorian border in the west, crossing 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 ...
, near Bringenbrong / Upper . The
route does not carry an
official shield designation.
Route
The eastern terminus of the Alpine Way is at a "T" intersection with Kosciuszko Rd, west of Jindabyne on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains.
The road winds its way generally west to adjacent the
Thredbo River, before heading south-west past
Thredbo
Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, situated in a part of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, and has been operated by Event Hospitality and Entertainment since 1987.
It is approximately ...
and then climbing & crossing the crest of the
Great Dividing Range at Dead Horse Gap at an altitude of then a winding descent to & crossing Snowy Creek @ very near the Murray River / Victorian Border.
Thereafter, it continues around the western side of the range heading north along the upper reaches of the Murray River Tributaries, past the
Geehi River & Swampy Plain River Junction to , before eventually crossing the Murray and reaching its western terminus and connecting with the
Murray Valley Highway
Murray Valley Highway is a state highway located in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. The popular tourist route mostly follows the southern bank of the Murray River and effectively acts as the northernmost highway in Victoria. For all b ...
(B400) on the river's southern bank, within Victoria.
The highway was initially built in the 1950s as part of the access for the
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains Scheme or Snowy scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The Scheme consists of sixteen major dams; nine power stations; two pumping stations; and of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts that ...
. However, the paving of it was only completed approximately forty years later in the 1990s.
The majority of the road is contained within the
Kosciuszko National Park and since 2004 has been maintained by
Roads & Maritime Services
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
.
The road has no major intersections.
Road restrictions
Road restrictions in the region require all
two-wheel drive
Two-wheel-drive (2WD) denotes vehicles with a drivetrain that allows two wheels to be driven, and receive power and torque from the engine, simultaneously.
Four-wheeled vehicles
For four-wheeled vehicles (and by extension, vehicles with six, e ...
vehicles carry
snow chains between Thredbo and Tom Groggin from the long weekends marking the
King's Official Birthday in June and the
Labour Day in October. It is also quite possible that snow chains may be needed to drive safely along other (more dangerous) parts of Alpine Way.
See also
*
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 ...
*
1997 Thredbo landslide
The Thredbo landslide was a catastrophic landslide that occurred at the village and ski resort of Thredbo, New South Wales, Australia, on 30 July 1997. Two ski lodges were destroyed and 18 people died. Stuart Diver was the only survivor.
Land ...
*
Barry Way
The Barry Way is a partly unsealed alpine road running from Jindabyne southwest to the Victorian border, where it becomes the Snowy River Road. It eventually leads to Buchan, a total distance of 170 kilometres with no services or towns. It is s ...
References
External links
Travel the Alpine WaySnowies great drive
{{Snowy River Shire , state=autocollapse
Highways in New South Wales
Snowy Mountains