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Old Eyre Highway

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Former highway route in South Australia

Old Eyre Highway is a remnant part of the Eyre Highway that was abandoned in the construction of a route closer to the coast of the Great Australian Bight.

It has been known as the East West Road, and briefly in the 1940s as Forrest Highway. Portions of the old route now exist in a range of protected areas, Aboriginal lands, and National Parks and reserves on the South Australian side. Permits to access are required from Yalata, as well as SA National Parks for camping and access.

The sandy track and numerous cattle grids were experienced by traffic well into the late 1970s when the SA route was sealed and moved south.

The route can be seen in most online maps as being between Yalata, South Australia and Eucla, Western Australia.

Tanks

During the survey and construction of the Trans-Australian Railway, and after into the stages of working on the Eyre Highway, locations for water on the Nullarbor and vicinity of the Eyre highway were given a range of names:

  • Rain sheds and rain tanks - there was reference to locations as early as 1894
  • Transported water by train or truck
  • Underground water tanks
  • Watering stations
  • Water catchment

Existence of wells and springs across the area has been documented, with the water ranging from drinkable to undrinkable. At various stages in time, water rationing was required as travellers would seek water from stations on the route.

Named locations

Some of the named features on the route include:

  • Ivy Tanks - an abandoned locality in South Australia. Ivy Tanks was regularly identified in stories in the Walkabout magazine in the 1960s. It was also the location of a repeater station for the Australian telecommunication network. The locality is designated a postcode despite lack of habitation.
  • Mallabie Tank
  • No 2 Tank
  • Gundalabbie Tank
  • Yanganoobie Tank
  • Koonalda Homestead
  • Coompana Tank
  • Bunabie Tank

There were also a series of tracks linking the highway with locations on the Trans-Australian Railway to the north.

See also

References

  1. "EAST-WEST ROAD". Great Southern Herald. Vol. XL, no. 2, 074. Western Australia. 1 November 1941. p. 2. Retrieved 26 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "EAST-WEST ROAD". Coolgardie Miner. Vol. 7, no. 331. Western Australia. 6 November 1941. p. 6. Retrieved 26 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "FORREST HIGHWAY". The Northern Miner. Queensland, Australia. 29 January 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 26 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "FORREST HIGHWAY". South Western Advertiser. Vol. 32, no. 1638. Western Australia. 27 March 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 26 April 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Greig, John; Greig, Fran (2001). "The Old Eyre Highway" (PDF). TLCC News. pp. 38–43.
  6. "Tough Motoring Trial Starts On Saturday". The Newcastle Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 1 July 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 13 January 2020 – via Trove.
  7. "Smooth 340-mile run to Kalgoorlie". The Courier-mail. Queensland, Australia. 17 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 13 January 2020 – via Trove.
  8. "THE OVERLAND TRACK TO COOLGARDIE". South Australian Register. South Australia. 29 May 1894. p. 5. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  9. "Water-train smash on the Nullarbor". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 7 March 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  10. "NULLARBOR PLAIN". Lachlander And Condobolin And Western Districts Recorder. New South Wales, Australia. 1 September 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  11. "FROM NORSEMAN TO EUCLA". The West Australian. Western Australia. 5 December 1906. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  12. Photograph of Madura tank -"water catchment" -"Ten Thousand Miles Round Australia". The Herald. Victoria, Australia. 2 January 1937. p. 35. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  13. "Water-train smash on the Nullarbor". The Sun. New South Wales, Australia. 7 March 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  14. "THE NULLARBOR PLAIN". Great Southern Herald. Western Australia. 16 November 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  15. "WATER RATION IN NULLARBOR". The Daily Telegraph. New South Wales, Australia. 23 January 1952. p. 11. Retrieved 21 January 2020 – via Trove.
  16. Transport - Road - Ivy Tanks Cafe and petrol station stop for Truckies, Ivy Tanks, Eyre Highway, Western Australia, 1968 ( photograph by K. Fellowes ) CATEGORY: Photograph PRINCIPAL CREDIT: Australian News and Information Bureau FORMAT: b&w negative TYPE: cellulose acetate STATUS: preservation material, 1968, retrieved 12 January 2020
  17. Cities and towns - Township of Ivy Tanks, 1043 miles from Perth and 661 from Adelaide CATEGORY: Photograph PRINCIPAL CREDIT: Australian News and Information Bureau FORMAT: b&w negative TYPE: cellulose acetate STATUS: preservation material, 1968, retrieved 12 January 2020
  18. Hurley, Frank (1910), Tanks on the Nullarbor Plain [Western Australia], retrieved 12 January 2020
  19. Australian Geographical Society (1 April 1964), "FRIENDLY HIGHWAY (1 April 1964)", Walkabout, 30 (4), Australian National Travel Association, ISSN 0043-0064
  20. Australian Geographical Society (1 May 1974), "HENRIETTA AND THE TERROR (1 May 1974)", Walkabout, 40 (5), Australian National Travel Association, ISSN 0043-0064
  21. Hulme, Alan (2 August 1966), $8,000,000 transcontinental telecommunication link, retrieved 13 January 2020
  22. Australian Geographical Society (1 June 1969), "Communications Across the Nullarbor (1 June 1969)", Walkabout, 35 (6), Australian National Travel Association, ISSN 0043-0064
  23. "MALLABIE TANKS REPAIRED". The Advertiser. South Australia. 6 May 1930. p. 16. Retrieved 13 January 2020 – via Trove.
  24. Kennedy, Alexander Lorimer (1914), Tent pitched near Mallabie shed tank, South Australia, October 1914, retrieved 13 January 2020
  25. Gundalabbie shed and tanks on the Nullarbor Plains, 1958, retrieved 13 January 2020
  26. "Their home is on the East-West road". Sunday Times (Perth). Western Australia. 9 January 1955. p. 43. Retrieved 13 January 2020 – via Trove.
  27. "THE MAIL STEAMERS". The Advertiser. South Australia. 27 May 1898. p. 5. Retrieved 13 January 2020 – via Trove.
  28. "Untitled". The Observer. South Australia. 30 October 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 13 January 2020 – via Trove.
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