Highways in Western Australia include both roads that are named as a highway, and roads that have been declared as a highway under the Main Roads Act 1930. The standard of highways range from two-lane roads, common in rural areas, to controlled access, grade separated freeways in Perth.
In legislation, a highway is a type of road controlled and maintained by the state road authority, Main Roads Western Australia. Any road or section of road may be proclaimed a highway by the Governor of Western Australia, on the recommendation of the Commissioner of Main Roads, under Section 13 of the Main Roads Act 1930. [1] Section 14 of the act allows for the creation of new highways. [1] Main Roads assigns each highway a name and number, which may vary from the official road names used on road signs and by the general public. [2] The highway number does not correspond to a road route that may be allocated to the highway, and some highways are not part of a numbered route. [2]
No | Highway | Component roads | From | To | Length (km) [3] | Length (mi) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1 | Albany Highway | Perth | Albany | 403.71 | 250.85 | ||
H2 | Melville Mandurah Highway | Bicton | Mandurah | 56.04 | 34.82 | Formerly Perth–Bunbury Highway which extended down to Bunbury | |
H3 | Eyre Highway | Eyre Highway | Norseman | Ceduna (SA) | 720.71 | 447.83 | |
H4 | Brand Highway | Brand Highway | Muchea | Geraldton | 367.62 | 228.43 | |
H5 | Great Eastern Highway |
| Burswood | Kalgoorlie | 592.65 | 368.26 | |
H6 | Great Northern Highway | Great Northern Highway | Midland | Wyndham | 3,193.31 | 1,984.23 | |
H7 | North West Coastal Highway | North West Coastal Highway | Geraldton | Port Hedland | 1,294.87 | 804.59 | |
H8 | South Coast Highway |
| Albany | Esperance | 474.38 | 294.77 | |
H9 | South Western Highway | South Western Highway | Armadale | Walpole | 513.57 | 319.12 | |
H10 | Coolgardie–Esperance Highway |
| Coolgardie | Esperance | 370.74 | 230.37 | |
H11 | Victoria Highway | Victoria Highway | Lake Argyle | Katherine (NT) | 87.51 | 54.38 | |
H12 | Leach Highway | Leach Highway | Palmyra | Kewdale | 22.35 | 13.89 | |
H13 | Canning Highway | Canning Highway | Fremantle | Victoria Park | 16.06 | 9.98 | |
H14 | Stirling Highway | Stirling Highway | Crawley | Fremantle | 15.78 | 9.81 | |
H15 | Kwinana Freeway | Kwinana Freeway | Perth | Lake Clifton | 71.55 | 44.46 | |
H16 | Mitchell Freeway | Mitchell Freeway | Perth | Clarkson | 36.00 | 22.37 | |
H17 | Tonkin Highway | Tonkin Highway | Muchea | Oakford | 80.70 | 50.14 | |
H18 | Roe Highway | Roe Highway | Middle Swan | Bibra Lake | 34.88 | 21.67 | |
H19 | Great Eastern Highway Bypass | Great Eastern Highway Bypass | South Guildford | Hazelmere | 5.58 | 3.47 | |
H20 | Graham Farmer Freeway | Graham Farmer Freeway | West Perth | Rivervale | 6.84 | 4.25 | |
H21 | Reid Highway | Reid Highway | North Beach | Middle Swan | 23.82 | 14.80 | |
H22 | Wimbledon–Rupert Street Link | Kenwick Link | Beckenham | Kenwick | 3.29 | 2.04 | |
H23 | Armadale Road | Armadale Road | Armadale | Cockburn Central | 15.96 | 9.92 | |
H24 | Brearley Avenue | Brearley Avenue | Redcliffe | Perth Airport | 0.85 | 0.53 | Closed in 2018 to allow construction of the new Airport Line. |
H25 | Cockburn Road | Cockburn Road | Hamilton Hill | Henderson | 10.02 | 6.23 | |
H26 | Guildford Road | Guildford Road | Mount Lawley | Guildford | 11.01 | 6.84 | |
H27 | Rivervale–Wattle Grove Link | Orrong Road, Welshpool Road East | Rivervale | Wattle Grove | 10.16 | 6.31 | |
H28 | Karrinyup–Morley Highway | Karrinyup Road, Morley Drive | Karrinyup | Morley | 15.13 | 9.40 | |
H29 | Marmion Avenue | Marmion Avenue | Karrinyup | Mullaloo | 12.20 | 7.58 | |
H30 | Port Beach Road |
| North Fremantle | 2.64 | 1.64 | ||
H31 | Queen Victoria Street | Queen Victoria Street | North Fremantle | Fremantle | 0.88 | 0.55 | |
H32 | South Street | South Street | Canning Vale | Fremantle | 12.48 | 7.75 | |
H33 | Toodyay Road | Toodyay Road | Middle Swan | Toodyay | 22.07 | 13.71 | |
H34 | Tydeman Road | Tydeman Road | North Fremantle | 1.04 | 0.65 | ||
H35 | Wanneroo Road |
| West Perth | Yanchep | 46.96 | 29.18 | |
H36 | West Coast Highway |
| Cottesloe | Trigg | 13.47 | 8.37 | |
H37 | Garratt Road Bridge | Garratt Road | Bayswater | Ascot | 0.24 | 0.15 | |
H38 | Thomas Road | Thomas Road | Kwinana Beach | Oakford | 18.50 | 11.50 | |
H39 | Stephenson Highway | Stephenson Avenue | Osborne Park | 0.62 | 0.39 | ||
H40 | Albany Port Road |
| Albany | 7.29 | 4.53 | ||
H41 | Anzac Drive | Anzac Drive | West Kalgoorlie | South Boulder | 7.04 | 4.37 | |
H42 | Broome Highway | Broome Road | Roebuck | Broome | 41.03 | 25.49 | |
H43 | Bussell Highway | Bunbury | Augusta | 139.71 | 86.81 | ||
H44 | Carnarvon Road | Robinson Street | Kingsford | Carnarvon | 5.09 | 3.16 | |
H45 | Coalfields Highway | Coalfields Highway | Roelands | Arthur River | 36.22 | 22.51 | |
H46 | Dampier Road |
| Stove Hill | Dampier | 25.84 | 16.06 | |
H47 | Derby Highway | Derby Highway | Willare | Derby | 42.86 | 26.63 | |
H48 | Minilya–Exmouth Road | Minilya–Exmouth Road | Minilya | Exmouth | 211.75 | 131.58 | |
H49 | Goldfields Highway | Goldfields Highway | Meekatharra | Kambalda | 788.13 | 489.72 | |
H50 | Geraldton–Mount Magnet Road | Geraldton–Mount Magnet Road | Geraldton | Mount Magnet | 335.34 | 208.37 | |
H51 | Port Hedland Road | Wilson Street | Port Hedland | 10.38 | 6.45 | ||
H52 | Brookton Highway |
| Armadale | Ravensthorpe | 501.07 | 311.35 | |
H53 | Williams–Narrogin Highway | Williams–Kondinin Road | Williams | Narrogin | 31.45 | 19.54 | |
H54 | Albany Ring Road | Menang Drive | Willyung | 6.66 | 4.14 | ||
H55 | Madigan Road | Madigan Road | Gap Ridge | 5.78 | 3.59 | ||
H56 | Beach Street (Victoria Quay Access) | Beach Street | Fremantle | 0.27 | 0.17 | Queen Victoria Street to Victoria Quay access point | |
H57 | Forrest Highway | Forrest Highway | Ravenswood | Bunbury | 95.67 | 59.45 | |
H59 | Willinge Drive |
| Vittoria | Picton | 4.86 | 3.02 | |
H61 | Australind–Roelands Link | Raymond Road | Australind | Roelands | 6.70 | 4.16 | |
H62 | John Willcock Link | John Willcock Link | Geraldton | 4.20 | 2.61 | ||
H65 | Horrie Miller Drive | Horrie Miller Drive | Kewdale | Perth Airport | 0.22 | 0.14 |
A "main road" is another type of road controlled by Main Roads Western Australia. [1]
No | Highway | From | To | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
M8 | Vasse Highway | Busselton | Diamond Tree | |
M10 | Chidlow–York Road | Chidlow | York | Official road name is Great Southern Highway |
M24 | Muir Highway | Manjimup | Mount Barker | |
M27 | Brockman Highway | Karridale | Bridgetown | |
M31 | Northam–Cranbrook Road | Northam | Cranbrook | Official name is Great Southern Highway, from York to Cranbrook |
M65 | Manuwarra Red Dog Highway | Karratha | Tom Price |
As the outback covers most of Western Australia, tracks provide vital links to remote communities and settlements. These tracks are unsealed, remote, and in many cases pass through restricted areas such as Aboriginal lands and Indigenous Protected Areas, which require transit permits. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Highway 1 is a route that circumnavigates Australia, joining all mainland state capitals, via roads numbered 1, M1, A1, or B1, as some states use an alphanumeric route numbering system. In Western Australia, most of the highway is designated as National Route 1. However, the sections in the north-east and south-east of the state that are concurrent with the National Highway routes from Perth to Adelaide and from Perth to Darwin are designated as National Highway 1.
Eyre Highway is a 1,664-kilometre (1,034 mi) 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 was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, who was the first European to cross the Nullarbor by land, in 1840–1841. Eyre Highway runs from Norseman in Western Australia, past Eucla, to the state border. Continuing to the South Australian town of Ceduna, it crosses the top of the Eyre Peninsula before reaching Port Augusta.
The Wheatbelt is one of nine regions of Western Australia defined as administrative areas for the state's regional development, and a vernacular term for the area converted to agriculture during colonisation. It partially surrounds the Perth metropolitan area, extending north from Perth to the Mid West region, and east to the Goldfields–Esperance region. It is bordered to the south by the South West and Great Southern regions, and to the west by the Indian Ocean, the Perth metropolitan area, and the Peel region. Altogether, it has an area of 154,862 square kilometres (59,793 sq mi).
Albany Highway links Western Australia's capital city Perth with its oldest settlement, Albany, on the state's south coast. The 405-kilometre-long (252 mi) highway travels through the southern Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions, and is designated State Route 30 for most of its length. Outside of Perth the highway is predominately a sealed, single carriageway with regular overtaking lanes in some undulating areas. Albany Highway commences at The Causeway, a river crossing that connects to Perth's central business district. The highway heads south-east through Perth's metropolitan region, bypassed in part by Shepperton Road and Kenwick Link, and continues south-eastwards through to Albany. It intersects several major roads in Perth, including the Leach, Tonkin, Brookton, and South Western highways. The rural section of Albany Highway connects to important regional roads at the few towns and roadhouses along the route, including Coalfields Highway at Arthur River, Great Southern Highway at Cranbrook, and Muir Highway at Mount Barker.
Brand Highway is a 370-kilometre (230 mi) main highway linking the northern outskirts of Perth to Geraldton in Western Australia. Together with North West Coastal Highway, it forms part of the Western Australian coastal link to the Northern Territory. The highway is a part of Australia's Highway 1, and is for the most part a single carriageway with one lane in each direction.
Great Eastern Highway is a 590-kilometre-long (370 mi) road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields, it is the western portion of the main road link between Perth and the eastern states of Australia. The highway forms the majority of National Highway 94, although the alignment through the Perth suburbs of Guildford and Midland, and the eastern section between Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie are not included. Various segments form parts of other road routes, including National Route 1, Alternative National Route 94, and State Route 51.
The Kwinana Freeway is a 72-kilometre (45 mi) freeway in and beyond the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with Mandurah to the south. It is the central section of State Route 2, which continues north as Mitchell Freeway to Clarkson, and south as Forrest Highway towards Bunbury. A 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) section between Canning and Leach highways is also part of National Route 1. Along its route are interchanges with several major roads, including Roe Highway and Mandjoogoordap Drive. The northern terminus of the Kwinana Freeway is at the Narrows Bridge, which crosses the Swan River, and the southern terminus is at Pinjarra Road, east of Mandurah.
Coolgardie–Esperance Highway is a 370-kilometre (230 mi) Western Australian highway between Coolgardie and Esperance. It runs in a north–south direction linking the state's Eastern Goldfields to the coast.
Brookton Highway is a 112-kilometre (70 mi) long undivided single carriageway highway in Western Australia, running from the southern Perth suburb of Kelmscott, through Westdale, to the southern Wheatbelt town of Brookton. It is signposted as State Route 40; however, the route and highway continue on far past Brookton, passing through Corrigin, Kondinin, Hyden, Lake King, and finishing at South Coast Highway, just west of Ravensthorpe.
Karrinyup Road is a major east–west arterial road in the inner northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting the City of Stirling council offices, Osborne Park Hospital and Karrinyup Shopping Centre with residential estates in Innaloo, Stirling and Balcatta.
Cockburn Road is a major road in the southern suburbs of Perth, which connects Fremantle and Kwinana. While it is for the most part a coastal road, much of its length travels through heavy industrial areas. However, a number of other facilities can be found on the road—the Woodman Point Recreation Reserve which includes camping and accommodation facilities, the Beeliar Regional Park and the Cockburn International Raceway.
Highways and main roads in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia form the basis of a road network, which is primarily used by the mining, agriculture, and tourism industries. Main Roads Western Australia maintains and controls these major roads, with offices based in Northam and Narrogin.
Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Mid West region. There are four main highways through the Mid West: The north-south coastal route of Brand Highway and North West Coastal Highway, the inland alternative Great Northern Highway, and the northern section of Goldfields Highway, which links Meekatharra with Kalgoorlie. A network of main roads connects towns within the Mid West to each other, the highways, and neighbouring regions, with local roads providing additional links and access to smaller townsites. Roads are often named after the towns they connect.
Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Gascoyne region. North West Coastal Highway, a north-south route near the coastline, is the main highway the region. A series of main roads connect coastal towns to the highway, and local roads provide additional links and access to the inland portion of the region. Roads are often named after the towns or areas they connect.
Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Pilbara region. There are two main highways in the region: Great Northern Highway, which travels north through the region to Port Hedland and then north-west along the coast, as well as North West Coastal Highway, which heads south-west from Port Hedland. A series of main roads connects towns to the highways, and local roads provide additional links. The majority of these roads service the western half of the region, with few located in the various deserts east of the Oakover River. Roads are often named after the towns or areas they connect.
Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Kimberley region. Great Northern Highway is the major road connection through the region, with sealed roads spurring off it to connect to population centres, and unsealed roads offering an alternative route between Derby and Wyndham.
Kenwick Link is a major road in Perth, Western Australia that bypasses Albany Highway in Beckenham and Kenwick. It is part of State Route 30, while the bypassed section of Albany Highway is allocated Alternate State Route 30. The road also provides access to Roe Highway, which does not connect to Albany Highway. It is a controlled-access road for its entire length, with a grade-separated interchange at Roe Highway, and at-grade intersections elsewhere, including traffic lights at Royal Street and both Albany Highway junctions. Main Roads Western Australia maintains and controls all of Kenwick Link, and uses the internal designation Highway H22 Wimbledon–Rupert Street Link.
Main Roads Western Australia controls the major roads in the state's Goldfields–Esperance region. While the region is the state's largest, the major roads are restricted to the region's western and southern edges. From the major population centres of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Great Eastern Highway heads west towards Perth via the Wheatbelt ; Coolgardie–Esperance Highway leads south to the port of Esperance via Norseman; and Goldfields Highway proceeds north to Wiluna and then on to the Mid West Region. From Norseman, Eyre Highway takes interstate traffic east across the Nullarbor Plain and into South Australia.
Orrong Road is a major arterial road servicing the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia as well as the south-eastern continuation of the Graham Farmer Freeway. It is a dual carriageway for its entire length, with multiple sets of traffic lights.