Barrier Highway

Barrier Highway South Australia –New South Wales
Highway sign, Yunta
Coordinates	34.231740°S 138.738964°E / -34.231740; 138.738964 (West end) 31.554085°S 147.179334°E / -31.554085; 147.179334 (East end)
General information
Type	Highway
Length	1,012 km (629 mi)[1]
Gazetted	August 1928 (NSW, as Main Road 8)[2]
Route number(s)	A32 (1998/2013–present)
Former route number	National Route 32 (1955–1998/2013)
Major junctions
West end	Horrocks Highway Giles Corner, South Australia
	Saddleworth Road Goyder Highway Wilmington–Ucolta Road Silver City Highway Cobb Highway Kidman Way
East end	Mitchell Highway Nyngan, New South Wales
Location(s)
Region	Yorke and Mid North, Far North,[3] Far West
Major settlements	Saddleworth, Burra, Peterborough, Yunta, Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Cobar
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in South Australia Highways in New South Wales

Barrier Highway is a highway in South Australia[4] and New South Wales, and is designated part of route A32. The name of the highway is derived from the Barrier Ranges, an area of moderately high ground in the far west of New South Wales, through which the highway traverses.

Barrier Highway near Cobar

Route

Barrier Highway branches off Horrocks Highway at Giles Corner, between Riverton and Tarlee and heads northeast, crossing the border into New South Wales and passing through Broken Hill. It continues further east to Wilcannia where it crosses the Darling River, past Cobar to eventually end in Nyngan, where it joins Mitchell Highway. The area traversed by the highway is remote and very sparsely settled.

History

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[5] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later Transport for NSW). Barrier Highway was declared (as Main Road No. 8) on 8 August 1928, from the intersection with North-Western Highway (today Mitchell Highway) in Nyngan, via Cobar, Willcannia, and Broken Hill, to the border with South Australia;[2] with the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[6] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, this was amended to State Highway 8 in April 1929.

The highway was fully sealed in October 1972.[7]

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[8] through the Parliament of New South Wales, updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Barrier Highway today retains its declaration as Highway 8, from Nyngan to the state border with South Australia.[9]

Barrier Highway was signed as National Route 32 across its entire length in 1955. With both states' conversion to their newer alphanumeric systems in 1998 and 2013, its former route number was updated to A32 for the highway within South Australia in 1998, and within New South Wales in 2013.[10]

Major intersections

State	LGA[11]	Location[1][12]	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
South Australia	Clare and Gilbert Valleys	Giles Corner	0	0.0	Horrocks Highway (B82) – Tarlee, Auburn	Western terminus of highway and route A32
		Saddleworth	17.6	10.9	Saddleworth Road (B84 east) – Marrabel, Eudunda	Concurrency with route B84
			18.3	11.4	Saddleworth Road (B84 west) – Auburn, Port Wakefield
	Goyder	Hanson	56.9	35.4	Farrell Flat Road – Farrell Flat, Clare
		Burra	71.6	44.5	Goyder Highway (B64 east) – Morgan, Waikerie	Concurrency with route B64
			78.4	48.7	Goyder Highway (B64 west) – Spalding, Crystal Brook
		Hallett	102	63	Wilkins Highway (B78 west) – Jamestown Jessie Street (east) – Hallett
	Peterborough	Ucolta	156	97	Petersburg Road (B79) – Peterborough, Wilmington, Port Augusta
			157	98	Crystal Brook–Broken Hill railway line
	Pastoral Unincorporated Area	Yunta	227	141	Yunta–Waukaringa Road – Waukaringa
		Bindarrah	339	211	Crystal Brook–Broken Hill railway line
		Cockburn	373	232
State border			377	234	South Australia – New South Wales border
New South Wales	Broken Hill	Broken Hill	423	263	Brookfield Avenue, to Silverton Road (northwest) – Silverton Galena Street (southeast) – Broken Hill	Roundabout
			425	264	Williams Street (northeast) – Tibooburra Iodide Street (northwest) – Broken Hill
			426	265	Iodide Street (B79 southeast) – Wentworth, Mildura Argent Street (southwest) – Broken Hill
			427	265	Menindee Road – Menindee
	Central Darling	Wilcannia	620	390	White Cliffs Road – White Cliffs
			621	386	West Wilcannia Road (west) – Menindee West Tilpa Road (east) – Tilpa, Louth, Bourke
	Darling River		622	386	Bridge over river
	Central Darling	Wilcannia	641	398	Cobb Highway (B75) – Ivanhoe, Hay, Echuca
	Cobar	Cobar	882	548	Kidman Way (B87 north) – Bourke	Concurrency with route B87
			883	549	Kidman Way (B87 south) – Hillston, Griffith
	Bogan	Hermidale	947	588	Cobar railway line
			966	600	Hermidale–Nymagee Road – Nymagee
		Nyngan	1,011	628	Cobar railway line
			1,012	629	Mitchell Highway (A32 southeast, B71 northwest) – Bourke, Charleville, Dubbo, Bathurst	Eastern terminus of highway Route A32 continues southwest along Mitchell Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Route transition

See also

• Highways in Australia
• List of highways in New South Wales
• List of highways in South Australia

References

1. "Barrier Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
2. "Main Roads Act, 1924-1927". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 110. National Library of Australia. 17 August 1928. pp. 3814–20. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
3. "Location SA Map viewer with regional layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
4. Barrier Highway (SA) Archived 8 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, South Australia Central. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
5. State of New South Wales, An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
6. State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 8 April 1929
7. The Barrier Highway: Bitumen Sealed from End to End Main Roads December 1972 pages 34-40
8. State of New South Wales, An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes. Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
9. Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
10. "Road number and name changes in NSW" (PDF). Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
11. "Location SA Map viewer with LGA layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
12. "Location SA Map viewer with suburb layers". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.