Mount Barker Road Adelaide Road | |||
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Mount Barker Road looking northwest in Aldgate | |||
Coordinates | |||
General information | |||
Type | Road | ||
Length | 24.0 km (15 mi) [1] [2] | ||
Route number(s) |
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Former route number |
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Major junctions | |||
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West end | South Eastern Freeway Leawood Gardens, Adelaide | ||
East end | South Eastern Freeway Crafers West, Adelaide | ||
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West end | South Eastern Freeway Stirling, Adelaide | ||
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East end | Wellington Road Mount Barker, South Australia | ||
Location(s) | |||
Region | Adelaide Hills [3] | ||
Major suburbs | Eagle On The Hill, Crafers, Stirling, Aldgate, Bridgewater, Verdun, Hahndorf |
Mount Barker Road was once the main road from Adelaide through the Adelaide Hills to Mount Barker on the eastern slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The main route has now been replaced, or subsumed into, the South Eastern Freeway, but two sections of it remain, and are still classified as state roads. [4]
A vestigial portion of Mount Barker Road exists through the "Old Toll Gate" at Glen Osmond, but has completely subsumed into the South Eastern Freeway as far as the Devil's Elbow, where a surviving western alignment of the road turns a sharp hairpin and has a winding uphill through Eagle On The Hill and rejoins South Eastern Freeway near Measday's Hill in Crafers West. [4]
The eastern portion of Mount Barker Road resumes from the freeway's Stirling exit, passing through the main shopping strips of Stirling and Aldgate [4] as State Route B33. From Aldgate, Route B33 continues on Strathalbyn Road, while Mount Barker Road follows the railway line as Tourist Route 57 to Bridgewater and under the freeway at Verdun where it joins State Route B34 (from Onkaparinga Valley Road) for a little over 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) through Hahndorf. At the south end of Hahndorf route B34 turns under the freeway towards Echunga and Mount Barker Road continues on the north side to the Mount Barker Interchange at Totness, where it changes name to Adelaide Road, and eventually ends at Mount Barker. [4]
Mount Barker Road served as an early alignment of Princes Highway some time after it was first declared in South Australia in February 1922, [5] initially defined along Mount Barker Road and the route via now known as Strathalbyn Road from Adelaide via Aldgate, Mylor, Macclesfield, Strathalbyn, Langhorne Creek, crossing the Murray River at Wellington and then continuing along the present route beyond Meningie, [6] By 1928, the route was re-aligned to run further along Mount Barker Road through Mount Barker, and along Wellington Road via Wistow and Woodchester to Langhorne Creek, [7] although by 1935 this alignment was changed to run via Nairne, Kanmantoo, Murray Bridge and Tailem Bend (along what is now known as the Old Princes Highway). [8]
Princes Highway functioned as Adelaide's major south-eastern approach and was heavily trafficked; government plans to upgrade this route weaving through the Adelaide Hills had begun by the early 1960s. Initial sections of the road project that eventually became the South Eastern Freeway commenced in December 1965, along a 2 km section from Measday's Hill to Stirling: the eastbound carriageway was opened to traffic in 1967, and the section was fully completed in 1969 when the remaining carriageway and the Crafers Interchange became fully operational. The next stage extended the freeway east through Bridgewater to Verdun and opened in 1972, and from Verdun to Mount Barker in 1974, completely replacing Princes Highway - renamed back to Mount Barker Road - as the main route between Mount Barker and Crafers. As this was part of Highway 1, the route was progressively re-aligned along the freeway as sections of it opened. Mount Barker Road today remains as the main street of Stirling, continuing to Aldgate, Bridgewater, under the freeway at Verdun, then through Hahndorf to end near the Mount Barker interchange of the freeway. The road continues south over the interchange as Adelaide Road (reflecting the reverse journey) to terminate in Mount Barker.
The last part of the South Eastern Freeway to be built reconstructed the Adelaide end of Mount Barker Road including a grade-separated intersection at Mount Osmond Road. It replaced the infamous Devil's Elbow hairpin with a partial interchange. The new freeway passes through the Heysen Tunnels and rejoins the former alignment the other side of a steep ridge. Mount Barker Road itself climbs over and around the ridge. Since the four-lane dual carriageway is no longer required, part of the uphill side has been replaced with a bike path used as part of a popular cycling route to Mount Lofty and all motor traffic uses the former downhill carriageway. The section between the Measdays interchange and Crafers was also completely replaced by the freeway being built on the same alignment at a lower level in a deep cutting. [9]
In 1841 a special Act "... for the making, and maintaining the Great Eastern Road" was passed, and construction of the first section from Glen Osmond to Crafers begun at public expense. It was soon realised that this undertaking would be hugely expensive, so a novel (for the day) plan was hatched to relieve the Government of all expense by vesting the management of the road in a private company. The successful tenderer would have the responsibility of completing and maintaining the road, and have the right to levy tolls on users of the road. As this was the only route to and from the burgeoning agricultural districts around Mount Barker, not to mention all road traffic to the eastern colonies, this had all the hallmarks of a great money-maker. The author of The History and Topology of Glen Osmond, Under-Treasurer Tom Gill, no stranger to public finances, described this a 'curiosity in road legislation'.
A toll gate and accommodation for the gate-keeper were erected and one Samuel Selby appointed keeper of the toll-bar, which was to be staffed 24 hours, seven days a week. The tolls levied were: —
The tolls were vexatious and led to a great deal of ill-feeling and were abolished in 1847 by the Legislative Council on the motion of Samuel Davenport. The company failed to reap the rewards anticipated, partly on account of the increased cost of labour as a result of the exodus of able-bodied men to the Victorian goldfields. [10]
The octagonal toll-house, much restored, still stands at Glen Osmond, between the up and down tracks at the start of the Mount Barker Road, now the South-Eastern Freeway.
LGA [11] | Location [1] [12] | km [1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
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Burnside | Leawood Gardens | 0.0 | 0.0 | South Eastern Freeway (M1) – Glen Osmond | Western terminus of road |
Adelaide Hills | Crafers West | 5.2 | 3.2 | South Eastern Freeway (M1) – Crafers | Eastern terminus of road |
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LGA [11] | Location [2] [12] | km [2] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
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Adelaide Hills | Stirling | 0.0 | 0.0 | South Eastern Freeway (M1) – Glen Osmond | Western terminus of Mount Barker Road and route B33 |
Aldgate | 2.9 | 1.8 | Strathalbyn Road (B33 east) – Echunga, Strathalbyn | Route B33 continues southeast along Strathalbyn Road | |
Bridgewater | 5.1 | 3.2 | Carey Gully Road – Carey Gully | ||
Verdun | 8.2 | 5.1 | Onkaparinga Valley Road (B34 north) – Balhannah, Mount Torrens, Birdwood | Route B34 continues north along Onkaparinga Valley Road | |
Mount Barker | Hahndorf | 11.4 | 7.1 | Echunga Road (B34 south) – Echunga | Route B34 continues south along Echunga Road |
Totness | 16.6 | 10.3 | Old Princes Highway – Nairne, Kanmantoo, Murray Bridge | Northern terminus of route B37 Name change: Mount Barker Road (west), Adelaide Road (south) | |
Mount Barker | 18.8 | 11.7 | Wellington Road (B37) – Strathalbyn, Langhorne Creek | Eastern terminus of Adelaide Road, route B37 continues southeast along Wellington Road | |
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Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of 1,941 kilometres (1,206 mi) or 1,898 kilometres (1,179 mi) via the former alignments of the highway, although these routes are slower and connections to the bypassed sections of the original route are poor in many cases.
The town of Crafers is in the Adelaide Hills to the south-east of Adelaide, South Australia, considered to be an outer suburb of Adelaide.
The N3 is a national route in South Africa that connects Johannesburg and Durban, respectively South Africa's largest and third-largest cities. Johannesburg is the financial and commercial heartland of South Africa, while Durban is South Africa's key port and one of the busiest ports in the Southern Hemisphere and is also a holiday destination. Durban is the port through which Johannesburg imports and exports most of its goods. As a result, the N3 is a very busy highway and has a high volume of traffic.
South Eastern Freeway is a 73 km (45 mi) freeway in South Australia (SA). It is a part of the National Highway network linking the state capital cities of Adelaide, SA, and Melbourne, Victoria, and is signed as route M1. It carries traffic over the Adelaide Hills between Adelaide and the River Murray, near Murray Bridge, where it is connected via the Swanport Bridge to the Dukes Highway, which is the main road route to Victoria.
Adelaide Hills Council is a local government area in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. It is in the hills east of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It extends from the South Para Reservoir in the north, to the Mount Bold Reservoir in the south.
Mount Osmond is a small suburb of 2,497 people in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. It is part of the City of Burnside local government area and located in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills, five kilometres south east of the city centre. The suburb is high on the hill of the same name, which is the last hill on the right when approaching Adelaide down the South Eastern Freeway before the road levels out onto the Adelaide Plains. It is bounded to the north by the suburb of Beaumont, to the north-east by Burnside, to the east by Waterfall Gully, to the south by Leawood Gardens/Eagle On The Hill, to the south-west by Urrbrae, to the west by Glen Osmond and to the north-west by St Georges.
Aldgate is a South Australian village and a suburb of Adelaide, located 21 km (13 mi) south-east of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Hills.
Cross Road is a major arterial road that travels east–west through the inner southern suburbs of the Australian city of Adelaide. It is designated route A3.
The N4 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Skilpadshek on the Botswana border, past Rustenburg, Pretoria, eMalahleni and Mbombela, to Komatipoort on the Mozambique border. It forms the South African section of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor, which runs from Walvis Bay to Maputo, meaning that it links the east and west coasts of Southern Africa.
Glen Osmond Road is a major section of the Princes Highway in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. Connecting the Adelaide city centre with the Adelaide Hills via the South Eastern Freeway; Glen Osmond Road carries half of Adelaide's freight traffic and is the major commuter route from the southern Adelaide Hills. It is designated part of route A1.
Buses in Adelaide are the most extensive service of the South Australian capital's public transport system, the Adelaide Metro. A large fleet of diesel, hybrid diesel-electric, and natural gas powered buses operate services which typically terminate in the city-centre or at a suburban interchange. Buses get priority on many roads and intersections, with dedicated bus lanes and 'B'-light bus only phases at many traffic lights.
The Heysen Tunnels are twin tube road tunnels which carry the South Eastern Freeway under Eagle On The Hill in the Mount Lofty Ranges in South Australia.
In South Australia, Highway 1 is a 1,715-kilometre (1,066 mi) long route that follows the coastline of the state, from the Victorian border near Mount Gambier to the Western Australian border near Eucla. Highway 1 continues around the rest of Australia, joining all mainland state capitals, and connecting major centres in Tasmania. All roads within the Highway 1 system are allocated a road route numbered M1, A1, B1 or R1, depending on the state route numbering system. In South Australia, most of the highway is designated as route A1, with multi-lane, dual-carriage-way sections generally designated route M1, and the alignment around the Adelaide CBD designated route R1. South-east of Tailem Bend, it is designated route B1.
Strathalbyn Road is a South Australian road connecting the towns of Aldgate, Mylor, Echunga, Macclesfield and Strathalbyn, designated part of route B33.
Wellington Road is a South Australian secondary road, connecting Mount Barker with the towns of Wistow, Highland Valley, Woodchester and Langhorne Creek. Its north-western portion has been designated part of route B37.
Transitplus was a privately owned public transport company which operated bus services from the South Australian capital Adelaide, to the Adelaide Hills, mainly Mount Barker area. It is part of the Adelaide Metro network. It was a joint venture between TransAdelaide, which also operates the train system in Adelaide and Australian Transit Enterprises. Transitplus was based in Aldgate in the Adelaide Hills and had two depots located in Aldgate and Mount Barker.
Annadale is a locality in South Australia. It is located on the plains east of the Mount Lofty Ranges astride the Sturt Highway 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Adelaide, between Truro and Blanchetown, South Australia. Halfway House Road is a heavy vehicle detour route that runs south from the Sturt Highway at Annadale. Annadale occupies the central part of the hundred of Anna.