The Sturt Highway Taskforce has appealed for urgent and meaningful investment in the Sturt Highway following a recent crash near the NSW town of Euroley which claimed two lives and left three others injured.
The Sturt Highway is an important east-west route which is well used by tourists travelling between New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, including many caravanners and grey nomads exploring regional Australia. It is also heavily used by trucks.
Road safety data reveals that between July 2019 and June 2024, 277 crashes were recorded on the Sturt Highway, with almost one in five of them resulting in serious injury and more than 5% proving fatal.
Calls are growing for more investment in the Sturt Highway. PIC: Sturt Highway Taskforce
Sturt Highway Taskforce Chair and Murrumbidgee Council Mayor, Ruth McRae, told the Grey Nomads that caravans and motorhomes were a familiar sight on the corridor, particularly during peak travelling periods and throughout the cooler months.
Council Mayor, Ruth McRae
“Travellers using the Sturt Highway support local towns through overnight stays, fuel purchases, dining, shopping and visits to local attractions,” she said. “The highway plays an important role in connecting visitors with regional communities and experiences, and our towns greatly value the contribution that travelling visitors make.”
Councillor McRae said that while there was no specific local crash data relating solely to caravans and motorhomes, the taskforce was keen to ensure infrastructure continued to evolve alongside increasing traffic volumes and changing transport demands.
The taskforce would like to see improvement including: additional overtaking opportunities and duplication of key sections; significant investment in pavement repairs; upgraded intersections; bypasses to improve town safety and reduce travel time for through traffic; wider road shoulders and lane improvements; additional rest areas and pull-over opportunities for travellers; improved signage, line marking and lighting at key locations.
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Recently I went on that particular road on my way to Broken Hill. It was the day that a B double jackknifed and closed the highway for approx 7 hrs. The highway wasn’t closed at Narrandera when we left there but was already closed at Darlington Point for those coming from Hay. Luckily we were allowed through after explaining to police that there were no road closed signs behind us.
A couple of days later whilst we were at Broken Hill the 2nd accident happened with loss of life. What isn’t being said here is what was reported by police after that accident was it was a high speed accident. 100 kph in that area and goes to 110 further up the road. People just have to drive to the road conditions, not speed to get there quicker
It is in a disgraceful condition for a major hwy. The worst part is from Euston through Mildura and on to the SA border. Very few overtaking lanes or places to stop. Many accidents and lives lost on the section from Mildura, past the airport and onto Merbein South.