Toodyay Road

Last updated

Toodyay Road

Toodyay road railway crossing MS.jpg
Toodyay Road railway crossing, Middle Swan
Toodyay Road
General information
Type Road
Length64 km (40 mi)
Opened1838
Route number(s) Australian state route 50.svg State Route 50
Major junctions
Southwest endAustralian national route 1.svg Great Northern Highway (National Route 1), Middle Swan
 
  • Australian national highway 95.svgAustralian state route 3.svg Roe Highway (National Highway 95 / State Route 3)
  • Clackline-Toodyay Road
  • Australian state route 120.svg Northam-Toodyay Road (State Route 120)
Northeast endGoomalling-Toodyay Road, Toodyay
Location(s)
Major suburbs Red Hill, Gidgegannup

Toodyay Road is a mostly 2-lane undivided single carriageway in Western Australia, running from the north-eastern Perth suburb of Middle Swan, through Gidgegannup and Bailup, to the Wheatbelt town of Toodyay. It is signposted as State Route 50.

Contents

It rises up the Darling Scarp at Red Hill and travels through the easternmost section of the City of Swan.

Route description

Travelling north-east along Toodyay Road into Toodyay

Toodyay Road travels in a north-easterly direction from Perth's north-east to Toodyay, via the following towns and localities:

History

Remnant section of an earlier alignment near Noble Falls Avon vally gnangarra-22.jpg
Remnant section of an earlier alignment near Noble Falls

A road to Toodyay has existed since at least 1838. [1] Originally referred to as Newcastle Road the road's name was not officially recorded until 1932 when the Midland Junction Municipal Council was advise by the department of Lands and Surveys of a number of unnamed roads in its area. It was decided that it would be a good opportunity to rename the road to reflect the name change of Newcastle to Toodyay which had occurred in 1910. [2]

Future

Future alignment of the Perth-Adelaide National Highway, along Toodyay Road (red) and the proposed Orange Route (dashed orange). The current alignment is along Great Eastern Highway (purple). Orange Route (Perth-Adelaide National Highway).png
Future alignment of the Perth–Adelaide National Highway, along Toodyay Road (red) and the proposed Orange Route (dashed orange). The current alignment is along Great Eastern Highway (purple).

There are long-term plans to bypass Great Eastern Highway's current ascent of the Darling Scarp, using part of Toodyay Road. Planning for a new major road network in Perth's eastern corridor began in the 1970s. Early planning efforts between 1978 and 1981 for a new highway reservation from Mundaring to Wooroloo encountered community opposition, and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) requested a more detailed environmental assessment. In 1985, a study into the primary east–west traffic routes in the area was commissioned by the Main Roads Department, Metropolitan Region Planning Authority, [note 1] Shire of Mundaring, and Shire of Swan. [3] It recommended a new alignment, known as the "Orange Route", be selected for the Perth to Adelaide National Highway. [4] Alternative routes were identified using other colours as codenames. [5] The new national highway would travel north-east along Toodyay Road from Roe Highway to beyond Gidgegannup , and then deviate east via the proposed Orange Route to meet Great Eastern Highway near Wundowie . The ultimate design of the highway includes grade separated interchanges for all of the roads that it intersects. The Orange Route received environmental approval on 22 November 1989. [4] Detailed planning for the Clackline to Wooroloo section of the Orange Route was undertaken in 1998. [6] As of June 2012, construction of the Orange Route is not a priority for Main Roads. The project was not in the forward works program, there was no indication of the expected starting date, and no recent cost analysis had been undertaken. Plans are still in development, but funding for the project is a federal government responsibility. [7]

See also

Australia road sign W5-29.svg   Australian roadsportal

Notes

  1. Later known as the State Planning Commission, now the Western Australian Planning Commission

Related Research Articles

Darling Scarp

The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to the south of Pemberton. The adjacent Darling Plateau goes easterly to include Mount Bakewell near York and Mount Saddleback near Boddington. It was named after the Governor of New South Wales, Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling.

Mundaring, Western Australia Suburb of Perth Western Australia

Mundaring is a suburb located 34 km east of Perth, Western Australia on the Great Eastern Highway. The suburb is located within the Shire of Mundaring.

Great Eastern Highway Highway in Western Australia

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.

Eastern Railway (Western Australia) Railway line in Western Australia

The Eastern Railway is the main railway route between Fremantle and Northam in Western Australia. It opened in stages between 1881 and 1893. The line continues east to Kalgoorlie as the Eastern Goldfields Railway.

Bellevue, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Bellevue is an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia in the local government areas of the City of Swan and the Shire of Mundaring. It is at the foot of the slopes of Greenmount, a landmark on the Darling Scarp that is noted in the earliest of travel journals of the early Swan River Colony.

Greenmount, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Greenmount is a locality and a geographical feature in the Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia, on the edge of the Darling Scarp. It is a vital point in the transport routes from the Swan Coastal Plain into the hinterland of Western Australia.

Helena River

The Helena River is a tributary of the Swan River in Western Australia. The river rises in country east of Mount Dale and flows north-west to Mundaring Weir, where it is dammed. It then flows west until it reaches the Darling Scarp.

Railway Reserves Heritage Trail Trail in Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia

The Railway Reserves Heritage Trail – also on some maps as Rail Reserve Heritage Trail or Rail Reserves Historical Trail, and frequently referred to locally as the Bridle Trail or Bridle Track – is within the Shire of Mundaring in Western Australia.

Swan View, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Swan View is an eastern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Its local government areas are the City of Swan and the Shire of Mundaring. It is 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Perth in the Perth Hills on the edge of the Darling Scarp, just to the west of the John Forrest National Park, east of Roe Highway and north of the Great Eastern Highway.

Wooroloo is a town on the outer fringe of the Perth metropolitan region, located off Great Eastern Highway in the eastern part of the Shire of Mundaring. At the 2006 census, Wooroloo had a population of 254.

Bailup is a Western Australian locality and rural residential estate located 62 kilometres (39 mi) north-east of the state capital, Perth, along Toodyay Road. The population recorded at the 2016 census was 40. The area is split between the Shire of Toodyay and Shire of Mundaring, the latter of which contains most of the land area.

Electoral district of Swan Hills State electoral district in Perth, Western Australia

Swan Hills is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.

Great Eastern Highway Bypass Highway in Perth, Western Australia

Great Eastern Highway Bypass is a limited-access dual carriageway linking Great Eastern Highway and Roe Highway in Perth, Western Australia. Together with a section of Roe Highway, it bypasses the historical Guildford and Midland localities, through which the original, urban and slower Great Eastern Highway passes.

Perth Hills Place in Western Australia

Perth Hills is a term used primarily for marketing purposes to identify the part of the Darling Scarp and hinterland east of the scarp that lies within the Shire of Mundaring, City of Swan, and the City of Kalamunda and as part of the constituent bodies belonging to the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council of Perth, Western Australia.

Kalamunda Road Road in Perth, Western Australia

Kalamunda Road is a minor arterial road linking the historic suburb of South Guildford with the Darling Scarp suburb of Kalamunda, in Perth, Western Australia.

Red Hill is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It has Toodyay Road pass through it on the way up the Darling Scarp. It is in the City of Swan local government area. At the 2011 Australian Census the suburb recorded a population of 98.

Helena Vale was the original name for Midland Junction in Western Australia between 1885 and 1901. It was also the earlier name of the Midland Junction Municipality between 1895 and 1901. The name has been long associated with the area between Midland and the Darling Scarp.

Swan View railway station

Swan View railway station, Perth was a railway station of significance on the Eastern Railway in Western Australia. In all working timetables during the operation of this line, the station was the point of control for the Swan View Tunnel.

Tourist Drives in Western Australia are routes through areas of scenic or historic significance, designated by route markers with white numbers on a brown shield. Tourist Drives were introduced into Western Australia while Eric Charlton was the state government Minister for Transport in the 1990s. The 28 numbered routes collectively traverse more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) across the state. In addition to the Tourist Drives, there are unnumbered routes such as the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail, and local governments may designate and maintain local scenic drives, generally unnamed and unnumbered.

2021 Wooroloo bushfire Bushfires in Perth Hills, Western Australia February 2021

The 2021 Wooroloo bushfire was a fast moving bushfire that started on 1 February in Wooroloo, 45 kilometres (28 mi) north-east of the Perth central business district, in the Shire of Mundaring, Western Australia. By 2 February, the bushfire emergency had spread to Shires of Chittering and Northam, and the City of Swan. It had destroyed at least 86 houses and 2 fire trucks. By 6 February, the bushfire had travelled 26 km (16 mi) from its source. The fire coincided with a five day lockdown of the Perth metropolitan region that started at 6pm on 31 January, due to a case of COVID-19 outside of hotel quarantine. In July 2021, WA Police charged a man with a breach of duty and carrying out an activity that could cause a fire, alleging that he used an angle grinder that caused sparks.

References

  1. "THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL". The Perth Gazette and Western Australian Journal . WA: National Library of Australia. 18 August 1838. p. 130. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  2. "UN-NAMED ROADS". The West Australian . Perth: National Library of Australia. 18 October 1932. p. 11. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  3. Eastern corridor major roads study (PDF). Perth: Environmental Protection Authority. July 1989. pp. 1–3. ISBN   0-7309-1934-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 Eastern corridor major roads study: Main Roads Western Australia proposed change to environmental conditions. Perth: Environmental Protection Authority. July 1993. pp. i, 1–3. ISBN   0-7309-5687-3.
  5. State Planning Commission (1994). Metropolitan region scheme: Amendment no. 952/33: Perth-Adelaide National Highway (Orange Route), Great Eastern Highway, and the Great Southern Highway: Shires of Swan and Mundaring. State Planning Commission.
  6. "Plan to define alignment for Orange Route project to start soon". Ministerial Media Statements. Government of Western Australia. 9 March 1998. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  7. "Other road projects overtake Orange Route". Hills Gazette. Midland, Western Australia. 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.

Route map:

KML file (edithelp)
    KML is from Wikidata