This article contains a bulleted list or table of intersections which should be presented in a properly formatted junction table.(December 2021) |
Murchison Highway | |
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Northern end of the Murchison Highway in Somerset. | |
General information | |
Type | Highway |
Length | 147 km (91 mi) |
Opened | 13 December 1963 |
Route number(s) | A10 Zeehan — Somerset |
Former route number | State Route 8 |
Major junctions | |
South end | Zeehan Highway Zeehan Highway Zeehan, Tasmania |
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North end | Bass Highway Somerset, Tasmania |
Location(s) | |
Major settlements | Rosebery, Tullah, Parrawe, Yolla |
Highway system | |
Murchison Highway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Murchison Highway is a highway located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The 147-kilometre (91 mi) highway runs generally north–south, with Somerset, near Burnie, as its northern terminus and Zeehan as its southern terminus. The highway was opened on 13 December 1963. [1] [2] [3] [4] Part of the highway from Waratah to Burnie was known as the Waratah Highway until 1973.
The highway is susceptible to ice and snow in winter. One of the notorious sections is at the edge of Mount Black, numerous accidents have occurred in the area. Also the Zeehan to Rosebery section has hazardous sections which can be affected by cold and wet weather. [5]
Portions of the highway have been made redundant by extra roads built by Hydro Tasmania during their work on the upper Pieman River scheme and the Henty River dam schemes. These provide short cuts from Queenstown straight through to Tullah by going just west of the West Coast Range. [6]
The highway crosses the Mackintosh River and the Murchison River near the town of Tullah, where the rivers form a confluence to form the Pieman River. [7]
Prior to the construction of the highway, the west coast of Tasmania could only be accessed by the Emu Bay Railway, or by ship to Regatta Point or Strahan in Macquarie Harbour.
Rosebery is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is at the northern end of the West Coast Range, in the shadow of Mount Black and adjacent to the Pieman River now Lake Pieman.
Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia 139 kilometres (86 mi) south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown.
Somerset is a small township to the west of Burnie, Tasmania, Australia, which shares its name with the County of Somerset, England, UK. Today the city of Burnie encompasses the entire Burnie-Somerset urban area; however, the town is part of the Waratah/Wynyard municipal area.
The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The West Coast of Tasmania is mainly isolated rough country, associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the location of an early convict settlement in the early history of Van Diemen's Land, and contrasts sharply with the more developed and populous northern and eastern parts of the island state.
The Melba Line is a 1,067 mm narrow-gauge railway on the West Coast of Tasmania. The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest-lasting and most successful private railway companies in Australia. While at present the line travels from Burnie to Melba Flats, it previously ran through to Zeehan carrying minerals and passengers as an essential service for the West Coast community.
The history of the Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania has fascinated enthusiasts from around the world, because of the combination of the harsh terrain in which the railways were created, and the unique nature of most of the lines.
The Strahan–Zeehan Railway, also known as the "Government Railway", was a railway from Strahan to Zeehan on the west coast of Tasmania.
The Montezuma Falls, a horsetail waterfall on a minor tributary to the Pieman River, is located on the West Coast Range of Tasmania, Australia.
Mount Murchison is a mountain on the West Coast Range, located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Wee Georgie Wood Railway is a 2 ft narrow gauge tourist tramway running from Tullah, on a 1.9 km (1.2 mi) short track by the edge of Lake Rosebery in the West Coast Municipality of Tasmania.
Tullah is a town in the northern part of the West Coast Range, on the west coast of Tasmania, about 111 km south of Burnie. The town has a population of approximately 160 people.
The Murchison River, part of the Pieman River catchment, is a major perennial river located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia.
The Mackintosh River, part of the Pieman River catchment, is a major perennial river located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The river was named in November 1828 by Henry Hellyer, a surveyor of the Van Diemans Land Company, in honour of Sir James Mackintosh, son of John Mackintosh of Kyllachy, Inverness-shire
Lake Rosebery is a man-made water reservoir located in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The lake is situated within the northern part of Tasmania's West Coast Range and is fed by the dammed Mackintosh and Murchison rivers.
Lake Mackintosh is a 17.5-kilometre-long (10.9 mi) reservoir with a surface area of 3,100-hectare (7,700-acre) that forms part of the Pieman power development running north–south past Mount Farrell, adjacent to the town of Tullah in Tasmania.
The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lyell railway allowing connection through to Queenstown.
The Anthony Road is a major B Route in Western Tasmania, running from the Murchison Highway (A10) at Tullah to the Zeehan Highway (A10) north of Queenstown.
The 2016 Tasmanian Bushfires were a large series of bushfires in Tasmania which started in January 2016 throughout the state, and continued into February 2016, with considerable damage to fire sensitive areas in the Central Highlands, West Coast and South West regions. By autumn 2016, no bushfires were reported within the state.