Pacific Highway (Australia)
From Freepedia
The Pacific Highway is a major transport route in eastern Australia and is part of Australia's Highway 1. It is about 1000 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast.
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History
Initially, the primary mode of transport of the North Coast, New South Wales towns was sea transport. The road linking Tweed Heads and Newcastle was only partly sealed, flood-prone and had many river crossings without bridges (using ferries). This was the North Coast Highway. It was renamed the Pacific Highway in 1931.
Freight traffic between New South Wales and Queensland passed along the New England Highway instead. In 1950s and 1960s, traffic quadrupled as the North Coast became an attractive retirement and tourist destination. The highway was subsequently improved, being fully sealed in 1958, and the last road ferry crossing was bridged in 1966.
However it is still hilly and winding in many stretches. With increases in traffic, towns and villages are gradually being bypassed. As late as in the 1970s, overtaking lanes or climbing lanes were rare, hence traffic slowed down in peak seasons. The increase in traffic particularly during holidays combined with the dangerous stretches resulted in many fatalities.
Two major coach accidents on the Pacific Highway in 1989 near Grafton (in which 20 people died) and Kempsey (in which 35 people died) resulted in a public outcry over the poor quality of the road and its high fatality rate. It was clear that the road, built when the North Coast was merely an agricultural area, could not handle the amount of traffic in the rapidly growing region. However, the Pacific Highway has never been part of the Federally-funded system of National Highways. Yet the highway was undeniably heavily used by interstate traffic and its upgrade was beyond the resouces of the New South Wales Government alone. The NSW Government and the Commonwealth Government argued for years about how the responsibility for funding the highway's upgrade should be divided between themselves, only coming up with a mutually acceptable upgrade package in the middle of the 1990s.
From then onwards, the complete Tweed Heads to Newcastle stretch has been partially converted to motorway or dual carriageway standards. Many towns have been bypassed by motorway-standard stretches though the highway still snakes through several large towns such as Coffs Harbour and Kempsey. Overall, the highway has become safer and travelling times have been substantially reduced, particularly during holiday periods. However, as of 2005 there are still vast stretches which have only two lanes and no controlled access. It is unlikely that the Pacific Highway will become a dual carriageway or motorway for its entire length in the foreseeable future.
From time to time, there are proposals in the media for the private sector to build a fully controlled-access high-speed tollway between Newcastle and the Queensland border, possibly using the BOOT system of infrastructure provision. Nothing has eventuated of these proposals.
Track
From Sydney the original stretches start from the Harbour Bridge, immediately north of the Sydney Central Business District (CBD), and continues until Sydney suburb of Wahroonga. This section is designated as Sydney Metroad 1. From Wahroonga the Pacific Highway is superseded by the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway, known formerly and until today colloquially as the F3. The present designation of this road is National Highway 1. The freeway ends at New England Highway (National Highway 15) between Maitland and Hexham. Vehicles turn right to rejoin the Pacific Highway at Hexham.
The old section (State Route 83) of Pacific Highway continues from Wahroonga, follows a scenic winding route until Gosford and then rejoins the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway. Slightly towards north, a spur from the freeway connects to another bypassed stretch of Pacific Highway (State Route 111) near Doyalson. This stretch functions more as a regional highway than the winding, scenic State Route 83 section. It passes Lake Macquarie and through Newcastle and onwards to Hexham.
From Hexham, the Pacific Highway (now National Route 1) passes through NSW's North Coast region until the Queensland's border at Tweed Heads and onwards through the Gold Coast, Queensland. From here the now-named Pacific Motorway (designated M1) leads to Brisbane.
Cities and towns
The Pacific Highway passes through some of Australia's fastest growing regions, the NSW's Central Coast and North Coast and also the Brisbane-Gold Coast corridor with tourism and leisure being the primary economic activity. Hence the traffic is heavy, particularly during holiday seasons resulting in massive congestions. For direct Sydney-Brisbane travel, New England Highway is preferred. The NSW government is currently upgrading the Hexham-Tweed Heads stretch to motorway standards.
Major cities and towns along the Pacific Highway include: Gosford, Wyong, Newcastle, Taree, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Ballina and Byron Bay, all in New South Wales; Coolangatta and Gold Coast in Queensland.
Gosford, New South Wales
A huge commuter town and half of Newcastle's size. Although technically the main town for NSW Central Coast, Sydney-Newcastle Freeway and Sydney commuter rail network virtually made it an extension of Sydney. It has mild climate, good beaches and pretty bushland areas.
Newcastle
Newcastle is the second largest city in New South Wales and the sixth-largest in Australia with a population of over 400 000. It is the gateway to the Hunter Valley and is the commercial, administrative and industrial centre of the region. Once a major industrial city, now an elegant destination full of historic buildings, beaches, interesting sights and cultural activities.
The preferred method of reaching Newcastle from the freeway is to take the Newcastle Link Road (the Newcastle/Wallsend exit) from the freeway. Alternatively, Newcastle may be reached by taking the Doyalson exit and following through the old Pacific Highway (route 111), or by continuing to the end of the freeway and turning right on to the New England Highway, travelling through Hexham.
Taree
Taree is a major North Coast rural town. It is a major regional centre and stopover point rather than as an actual tourist destination. Among the attractions apart from forests and waterways is the 'Big Oyster' structure.
Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is the major resort in the Mid North Coast. It is located slightly off the Pacific Highway via the Oxley Highway. It has historic buildings, a fine museum, superb nature reserves, good surfing beaches, good fishing locations and a good variety of accommodations.
Kempsey
Kempsey is a large rural town located near a beautiful river makes it a popular stopping point for people making the journey north along the Pacific Highway. It is located approximately halfway between Sydney and the Queensland border. It serves the surrounding region and grows rapidly with the growth of Pacific Highway traffic.
Akubra Hats are made in Kempsey and that beautiful river is the Macleay.
Coffs Harbour
In the Coffs Coast Sub-region, Coffs Harbour is the major coastal resort city on the North Coast with subtropical climate, Coffs Harbour is popular with retirees and tourists. This is evident by suburban-style developments, more akin to big cities like Sydney rather than other North Coast towns. It is also famous for its banana plantations celebrated by 'The Big Banana' monument. Apart from this fishing is important here. The Jetty area of the city includes a marina, a large harbour with an accessible jetty, shops, restaurants and cafes, as well as the Muttonbird Island reserve, famous for its muttonbird population residing on the large island. South is Sawtell which is a fast developing coastal resort with attractive beaches and its famous main street with cafes, clubs and shops. As is to the north, Woolgoolga, which has similar attractions, including a culture different to those on the North Coast.
Grafton
Grafton is a very beautiful and very gracious city. It has wide streets, elegant Victorian buildings, a superb location on the banks of the Clarence River and many ornamental parks. The ciy is particularly proud of its jacarandas which are spectacular when in full bloom.
Ballina
Ballina is a major stopover for traffic moving through to Queensland. It is located amongst the sugarcane plantations and the coast. It is also holiday destination . A famous piece of kitsch, 'The Big Prawn' advertises Ballina as a desirable fishing spot.
Tweed Heads
Tweed Heads is a twin town with Coolangatta, Queensland and together they sprawl across the NSW-Queensland border. Both towns developed independently but by the 1960s, as the Gold Coast began to expand, the line between the two centres began to blur. As it is in New South Wales, it is spared somewhat from the uncontrollable growth of Gold Coast and still manages to retain its small-town charm.
Gold Coast
From Coolangatta to Beenleigh all towns have merged into a massive conurbation known as City of Gold Coast. It is characterised by touristy high-rises, expensive waterfront developments, casino, theme parks, amusement parks and numerous kitschy tourist attractions. It attracts tourists from around the world. Next to Sydney, it is Australia's premier tourist destination. It is bypassed by Pacific Motorway (M1 Motorway) which continues onto Logan City, where its designation becomes Brisbane Metroad 3. From there, this section of the Pacific Motorway (known before 2003 as the South East Freeway) continues straight into Brisbane City.
The former Gold Coast section of the Pacific Highway is thus renamed as Gold Coast Highway and the former stretch from Logan to the CBD is now Logan Road.
