Midland Highway (Tasmania)
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Midland Highway Tasmania |
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| Midland Highway, at Dysart | |
| Type | Highway |
| Length | 176 km (109 mi) |
| Route number(s) |
 National Highway 1(Hobart-Launceston) |
| Former route number |
 State Route 1 |
| South end |
Brooker Highway Granton, Hobart
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| North end |
Bass Highway Launceston, Tasmania
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| Region | Tasmania |
| Major settlements | Perth, Epping Forest, Campbell Town, Ross, Oatlands, Bagdad, Brighton, Bridgewater |
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Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in Tasmania |
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Boyer Road
The Midland Highway (also known as the Midlands Highway) is one of Tasmania's major inter-city highways, running for 176 kilometres (109 mi) between Hobart and Launceston. It is part of the AusLink National Network and is a vital link for road freight to transport goods to and from the two cities. It represents a major north–south transportation corridor in Tasmania and has the route 1 designation as part of the National Highway. The highway consists of various traffic lane arrangements, the most common being two lanes – one in each direction, with overtaking options and at-grade intersections. At both the Launceston and Hobart sections of the highway there are small portions of grade-separated dual carriageway.
Surveyor Grimes marked out the track from Hobart to Launceston in 1807, and Governor Macquarie followed the route in 1811 when he visited the colony accompanied by his wife. The party took five and a half days to complete the journey.
Macquarie again visited the colony in 1821, when the road was fit for a carriage, but his journal records many different sections, and it was not until 1831 that the first regular coach service was operated by J. E. Cox.
The first mailman, Robert Taylor, was appointed in 1816, he walked, leaving Hobart and Launceston on alternate Sundays and carrying the mail in a pack.
The first record of movement between the two centres was in 1821 when then Governor Lachlan Macquarie selected sites for towns on the highway.
It was known as the 'Main Road' or 'Hobart Road' for most of its history. In the 1930s it became known as the Midland Highway, and in the 2000s - it also had 'The Heritage Highway' label applied to it.
The route of the highway originally ran between Hobart and Launceston, and passed through the localities which are now known as: Bridgewater, Brighton, Pontville, Mangalore, Bagdad, Dysart, Kempton, Melton Mowbray, Jericho, Oatlands, Antill Ponds, Woodbury, Tunbridge, Ross, Campbell Town, Conara Junction, Cleveland, Epping Forest, Perth, Breadalbane and Kings Meadows.
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Wikipedia