Kings Highway –New South Wales | |
---|---|
![]() | |
General information | |
Type | Highway |
Length | 139 km (86 mi) [1] |
Gazetted | August 1928 (NSW) [2] |
Route number(s) |
|
Former route number | ![]() Entire route |
Major junctions | |
West end | ![]() Symonston, Australian Capital Territory |
| |
East end | ![]() Batemans Bay, New South Wales |
Location(s) | |
Major settlements | Bungendore, Braidwood, Nelligen |
Highway system | |
Kings Highway is an interstate highway located within the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, Australia. The highway connects Canberra with Batemans Bay on the South Coast. It is designated route B52.
West to east, it starts at the interchange with Monaro Highway, Canberra Avenue and Ipswich Street on the northern border of Symonston in the Australian Capital Territory and continues in an easterly direction along Canberra Avenue, crosses over the border into New South Wales near Queanbeyan, passes through Queanbeyan itself, Carwoola, briefly crosses back into the Kowen district of ACT and then back into NSW heading south-east to Batemans Bay via Bungendore, Braidwood and Nelligen.
Kings Highway links Monaro Highway in Canberra to Princes Highway in Batemans Bay, and provides access for residents of Canberra to the NSW South Coast and its beaches. The highway is often busy on weekends, especially during summer. The highway also experiences a high number of car crashes, on occasions averaging around one every three days, costing the local community around the highway several million dollars a year. [3]
The landscape is generally sheep country. The highway travels from the Southern Tablelands to the South Coast via Clyde Mountain.
A small rock cave at "Pooh Bear's Corner" can be found near the top of the Clyde Mountain Pass. This was the location of a munitions store during the Second World War, that could be detonated to stop passage from the coast to the national capital inland. [4]
Dozens of soft toys are placed in the eucalyptus trees along the stretch of road that connects Queanbeyan and Bungendore. [5]
The road through the Clyde Mountain area was surveyed by Thomas Mitchell in 1855. [6]
A punt service across the Clyde River began at Nelligen in 1895 linking Batemans Bay to Braidwood. The service continued until 1964 when the Nelligen bridge was completed. [7] The new Nelligen Bridge is expected to open to traffic by late 2023 and the entire project, which includes intersection upgrades and demolition of the existing bridge, is scheduled for completion by late 2024. [8]
The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924 [9] 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). Main Road No. 51 was declared along this road on 8 August 1928, from the intersection with Princes Highway at Batemans Bay, via Braidwood, Bungendore, and Queanbeyan to the border with the Federal Capital Territory (today the Australian Capital Territory); [2] with the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929 [10] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to Trunk Road 51 on 8 April 1929.
The passing of the Roads Act of 1993 [11] through the Parliament of New South Wales updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, the highway today retains its declaration as Main Road 51, from the state border with Australian Capital Territory west of Queanbeyan to the intersection with Princes Highway in Batemans Bay. [12] Despite its long-standing classification as a Main Road, and a long historical identity as Kings Highway, the road still has no officially gazetted name. Transport for NSW has come to an informal agreement with councils along the route to signpost the entire route as Kings Highway.
Kings Highway was signed National Route 52 across its entire length in 1974. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in both states in 2013, this was replaced with route B52. [13] [14]
In 2006 construction commenced on Headquarters Joint Operations Command in the Kowen district of the ACT between Bungendore and Queanbeyan. The facility opened in December 2008, and sections of the highway between the HQJOC turnoff and Queanbeyan have progressively been upgraded to cater for the increased traffic. [15]
In 2013 it was reported that the highway carries an average of 4,500 vehicles a day. There is an increase in traffic in the summer months. [16] In 2003, approximately 3,000 vehicles a day were using the highway at Nelligen. From Braidwood (at the Shoalhaven River Bridge) there were about 4,200 cars travelling on the road. Out of Bungendore near Burbong, 5,600 cars were counted each day. [17]
Casualty crash rates on the Kings Highway are 85% higher than the NSW average and road fatalities are 8% higher. A 2005 NRMA Motoring and Services road survey found: [3] [18]
State/Territory | District/LGA | Location | km [1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Capital Territory | Canberra Central-Jerrabomberra boundary | Fyshwick - Narrabundah - Symonston boundary | 0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Western terminus of Kings Highway, continues northwest as Canberra Avenue |
![]() | Southbound entrance and northbound exit only | |||||
Ipswich Street (northeast) – Fyshwick , to ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Fyshwick-Symonston boundary | 1.3 | 0.81 | ![]() Newcastle Street (north) – Fyshwick | Route B52 continues west along Hindmarsh Drive | ||
Jerrabomberra | | 4.1 | 2.5 | Norse Road – Oaks Estate | Westbound entrance and eastbound exit only | |
State border | 4.2 | 2.6 | Australian Capital Territory – New South Wales state border | |||
New South Wales | Queanbeyan | Crestwood-Queanbeyan West boundary | 5.6 | 3.5 | Lanyon Drive – Cooma | Roundabout with eastbound bypass lanes |
Queanbeyan East | 8.6 | 5.3 | ![]() Ellerton Drive (south) – Jerrabomberra | Roundabout | ||
Palerang | Carwoola | 11.3 | 7.0 | Captains Flat Road – Captains Flat | Roundabout with eastbound bypass lanes | |
State border | 16.6 | 10.3 | New South Wales – Australian Capital Territory state border | |||
Australian Capital Territory | Kowen | Kowen | 17.0 | 10.6 | Charcoal Kiln Road – Kowen | |
State border | 24.1 | 15.0 | Australian Capital Territory – New South Wales state border | |||
New South Wales | Palerang | Bungendore | 32.2 | 20.0 | Tarago Road – Tarago, Goulburn | T-intersection |
Manar | 53.6 | 33.3 | Braidwood Road – Tarago, Goulburn | |||
Braidwood | 79.4 | 49.3 | Nerriga Road – Nerriga, Nowra | |||
Eurobodalla | Batemans Bay | 139.0 | 86.4 | Peninsula Drive (south) – North Batemans Bay | ||
![]() | Eastern terminus of highway and route B52 | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
Route map:
Batemans Bay is a town on the South Coast region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Batemans Bay is administered by the Eurobodalla Shire council. The town is situated on the shores of an estuary formed where the Clyde River meets the southern Pacific Ocean.
Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At 1,058 kilometres (657 mi) in length, the Newell is the longest highway in NSW, and passes through fifteen local government areas.
Barton Highway is a highway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It connects Canberra to Hume Highway at Yass, and it is part of the route from Melbourne to Canberra. It is named in honour of Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia.
Eurobodalla Shire is a local government area located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located in a largely mountainous coastal region and situated adjacent to the Tasman Sea, the Princes Highway and the Kings Highway.
The Clyde River is an open intermediate tide dominated drowned valley estuary, or perennial river that flows into the Tasman Sea at Batemans Bay, located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
Braidwood is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council. It is located on the Kings Highway linking Canberra with Batemans Bay. It is approximately 200 kilometres south west of Sydney, 60 kilometres inland from the coast, and 55 kilometres east of Canberra. Braidwood is a service town for the surrounding district which is based on sheep and cattle grazing, and forestry operations.
Castlereagh Highway is a 790-kilometre (490 mi) state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. From north to south the highway traverses South West Queensland and the North West Slopes, Orana, and Central West regions of New South Wales.
Tarago is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council. Part of the defined locality, which includes a large area of grazing country, is on the eastern shore of Lake George in the area of the Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council. The town is situated 39 kilometres south of the city of Goulburn and 69 kilometres northeast of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It is located on the Goulburn-Braidwood road. The town is notable for recent renewable energy projects in the surrounding districts.
Bungendore is a town in the Queanbeyan Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. It is on the Kings Highway near Lake George, the Molonglo River Valley and the Australian Capital Territory border. It has become a major tourist centre in recent years, popular with visitors from Canberra and some of it has heritage protection. It has expanded rapidly in recent years as a dormitory town of Canberra.
The South Coast refers to the narrow coastal belt from Shoalhaven district in the north to the border with Victoria in the south in the south-eastern part of the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is bordered to the west by the coastal escarpment of the Southern Tablelands, and is largely covered by a series of national parks, namely Jervis Bay National Park, Eurobodalla National Park, and Beowa National Park. To the east is the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, which is characterised by rolling farmlands, small towns and villages along a rocky coastline, interspersed by numerous beaches and lakes.
The Bombala railway line is a branch railway line in the south of New South Wales, Australia. The northern part of it forms part of the main line from Sydney to Canberra, but the southern part is closed. It branches off the Main South line at Joppa Junction, south of Goulburn. The line is used by NSW TrainLink Xplorer services running between Sydney Central and Canberra station.
Lachlan Valley Way is a New South Wales country road running from Booligal to north of Yass. It was named after the Lachlan River, and follows its southern bank for the majority of its length.
Nelligen is a village on the Clyde River on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Kings Highway.
Clyde Mountain, at an elevation of 781 metres (2,562 ft) AHD , is a mountain in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia.
Larbert is a locality in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Region of the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales. It lies mostly north of the Kings Highway between Bungendore and Braidwood where it crosses the Shoalhaven River. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 34.
Monga is a locality in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Region, Southern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the Kings Highway at the top of the Clyde Mountain, about 110 km east of Canberra and 22 km southeast of Braidwood. A large part of the locality forms part of the Monga National Park. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 14.
The Wool Road was a historic road in New South Wales, Australia, that ran from Nerriga to what is now called Vincentia on Jervis Bay. It was constructed privately in 1841, using convict labour. Its purpose was to provide a shorter route to a seaport for wool grown at Braidwood and beyond. The historical significance of The Wool Road is that it was the first road, capable of being used by wheeled vehicles, linking the inland area around Braidwood to the South Coast. The road led to the foundation of the privately owned port town of South Huskisson and the adjacent 'government townshIp' of Huskisson.
James Larmer was a government surveyor in the colony of New South Wales. Between 1830 and 1859, he surveyed land, roads and settlements in New South Wales. He was an Assistant Surveyor to the Surveyor-General, Sir Thomas Mitchell, from 1835 to 1855. In 1835, he was second in command of Mitchell’s second expedition. He is also noteworthy for his recording of Aboriginal words from various parts of New South Wales.
Currowan is a locality in the Eurobodalla Shire, on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 53.
The Corn Trail was an early bridle track linking the Southern Tablelands to the coastal valley of the Buckenbowra River, in New South Wales, Australia. It was restored and reopened as a walking track in 1988.
The final evidence—lamentably too final—of his tendency to do everything himself was his personal presence, in his sixty-fourth year, at the survey of a road through that rugged Clyde Mountain region: work which might well have been entrusted to his surveyors. ... Having contracted a chill when supervising the survey of a road from Braidwood to Nelligen, he developed broncho-pneumonia and died at his home, "Carthona" at Darling Point on 5 October 1855, in his sixty-fourth year.