It’s been a long and bumpy road but those pushing for the sealing of the final sections of the 2,700-kilometre-long the Outback Way believe the finishing line may be in sight.
Linking WA’s Goldfields to central Queensland, the route has been in development for more than 20 years and is funded up until 2020. However, Outback Highway Development Council chairman Patrick Hill says $500 million is needed over five years to complete the road by 2025 and he is hopeful that the cash will be forthcoming.
After a recent trip to Canberra to lobby Federal MPs for the money, Mr Hill said feedback from both sides of politics had been positive and he was hopeful the final 1400 kilometres of dirt road would be sealed.
If and when the whole route between Laverton in the west and the Winton in Queensland is sealed, it will open up a whole host of options for grey nomads and other ‘around-Australia travellers’.
Mr Hill told Perth Now that the only option tourists currently had was to cross the Nullarbor Plain, but a fully sealed Outback Way would open a route that would enable motorists to drive a ‘figure eight’ around the country.
“It creates a figure eight around central Australia, rather than the one ring road,” Mr Hill said. “Once it’s a sealed road, it will be a new tourism product that you can sell internationally, to travel across … the only restriction at the moment is that it’s not sealed.”
Mr Hill, who is also Shire of Laverton president, said the highway would also be used by pastoralists, defence, mining trucks and people living in remote indigenous communities.
Perth Now reports that proponents of the road have also applied for government grants to turn the route into Australia’s longest art trail.
The end to requiring permits can’t come soon enough.
The sooner these roads are sealed the better for all, not just us Grey Nomads but also communities in these areas.
We are travelling from townsville to Alice
How much of the outback way is sealed at the moment
Ie:Winton to Alice ?
Great news, wont need to come through Norseman ever again.
Yeah seal all the dirt roads. How about the gun barrel and the canning stock route,..let’s make all the dirt roads more comfortable for everyone
It would be wonderful for this complete road to be finally sealed.. Travellers and Communities would certainly benifit. Can not come soon enough