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The Murchison Highway is a
highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
located in the West Coast region of
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
, Australia. The highway runs generally north–south, with
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, near
Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...
, as its northern terminus and
Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan and neighbouring mining towns of Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater Zeehan a ...
as its southern terminus. The highway was opened on 13 December 1963. Part of the highway from to Burnie was known as the Waratah Highway until 1973.


Course

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 Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan and neighbouring mining towns of Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater Zeehan a ...
to Rosebery section has hazardous sections which can be affected by cold and wet weather. Portions of the highway have been made redundant by extra roads built by
Hydro Tasmania Hydro Tasmania, formerly the Hydro-Electric Commission (HEC), is a Tasmanian Government business enterprise which is the main electricity generator in Tasmania, Australia. Originally oriented towards hydro-electricity, owing to Tasmania's dr ...
during their work on the upper
Pieman River The Pieman River is a major perennial river located in the west coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Mackintosh River and Murchison River, the Pieman River rises in what is now known as La ...
scheme and the
Henty River The Henty River is a perennial river in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The river generally lies north of and south of . Location and features Formed by the confluence of the Dobson and Newton Creeks, the river rises below Lake ...
dam schemes. These provide short cuts from Queenstown straight through to
Tullah Tullah is a town in the northern part of the West Coast Range, on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia, about 111 km south of Burnie. The town has a population of approximately 202 people. Town The town is roughly divided into two "subu ...
by going just west of the
West Coast Range The West Coast Range is a mountain range located in the West Coast, Tasmania, West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. The range lies to the west and north of the main parts of the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. The range has h ...
. The highway crosses the
Mackintosh River 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 ...
and the Murchison River near the town of Tullah, where the rivers form a
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
to form the
Pieman River The Pieman River is a major perennial river located in the west coast region of Tasmania, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Mackintosh River and Murchison River, the Pieman River rises in what is now known as La ...
.


History

Prior to the construction of the highway, the west coast of Tasmania could only be accessed by the
Emu Bay Railway 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 Lye ...
, or by ship to Regatta Point or Strahan in
Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by th ...
.


See also

*
Highways in Australia Highways in Australia are generally high capacity roads managed by states and territories of Australia, state and territory government agencies, though Australia's federal government contributes funding for important links between capital cit ...
*
List of highways in Tasmania The Highways in Tasmania generally expand from Hobart and other major cities with secondary roads interconnecting the highways to each other. Functions of these highways include freight, personal travel and tourism. The AusLink Network curren ...


References


External links


Road Condition overview
{{Western Tasmania , state=autocollapse Highways in Tasmania Pieman River Power Development Roads in Western Tasmania