# Murchison Highway

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Highway in Tasmania, Australia

Murchison Highway Tasmania Northern end of the Murchison Highway in Somerset. General information Type Highway Length 147 km (91 mi) Opened 13 December 1963 (1963-12-13) Route number(s) A10 Zeehan — Somerset Former route number State Route 8 Major junctions South end Zeehan Highway Zeehan Highway Zeehan, Tasmania Anthony Road Ridgley Highway Waratah Road Mount Hicks Road North end Bass Highway Somerset, Tasmania Location(s) Major settlements Rosebery, Tullah, Parrawe, Yolla Highway system Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in Tasmania

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v t e Murchison Highway Legend km Bass Strait 0 Somerset / Bass Highway 10 Elliot 15 Yolla / Mount Hicks Road to Wynyard 30 Oonah 40 Hellyer River / Hellyer Gorge 64 Waratah Road to Waratah / Ridgley Highway to Burnie 80 Belvoir Road to Cradle Mountain 101 Pieman Road to Corinna 103 Mackintosh River 106 Tullah 108 Murchison River 109 Anthony Road to Lake Plimsoll 119 Rosebery 130 Renison Bell 142 Zeehan Highway

The **Murchison Highway** is a [highway](/source/Highway) located in the [West Coast](/source/West_Coast%2C_Tasmania) region of [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania), Australia. The 147-kilometre (91 mi) highway runs generally north–south, with [Somerset](/source/Somerset%2C_Tasmania), near [Burnie](/source/Burnie), as its northern terminus and [Zeehan](/source/Zeehan%2C_Tasmania) as its southern terminus. The highway was opened on 13 December 1963.[1][2][3][4] Part of the highway from [Waratah](/source/Waratah%2C_Tasmania) to Burnie was known as the Waratah Highway until 1973.

## Course

The highway is susceptible to ice and snow in winter. One of the notorious sections is at the edge of [Mount Black](/source/Mount_Black_(Tasmania)); numerous accidents have occurred in the area. Also the [Zeehan](/source/Zeehan%2C_Tasmania) to [Rosebery](/source/Rosebery%2C_Tasmania) section has hazardous sections which can be affected by cold and wet weather.[5]

Portions of the highway have been made redundant by extra roads built by [Hydro Tasmania](/source/Hydro_Tasmania) during their work on the upper [Pieman River](/source/Pieman_River) scheme and the [Henty River](/source/Henty_River) dam schemes. These provide short cuts from [Queenstown](/source/Queenstown%2C_Tasmania) straight through to [Tullah](/source/Tullah%2C_Tasmania) by going just west of the [West Coast Range](/source/West_Coast_Range).[6]

The highway crosses the [Mackintosh River](/source/Mackintosh_River) and the [Murchison River](/source/Murchison_River_(Tasmania)) near the town of Tullah, where the rivers form a [confluence](/source/Confluence) to form the [Pieman River](/source/Pieman_River).[7]

## History

Prior to the construction of the highway, the west coast of Tasmania could only be accessed by the [Emu Bay Railway](/source/Melba_Line%2C_Tasmania), or by ship to [Regatta Point](/source/Regatta_Point%2C_Tasmania) or [Strahan](/source/Strahan%2C_Tasmania) in [Macquarie Harbour](/source/Macquarie_Harbour).

## See also

- [Australian Roads portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Australian_Roads)
- [Australia portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Australia)

- [Highways in Australia](/source/Highways_in_Australia)

- [List of highways in Tasmania](/source/List_of_highways_in_Tasmania)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** "Road link heralds new era for west". *Tasmanian Motor News*. January 1964.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "Murchison Highway opens". *Launceston Examiner*. 13 December 1963.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "Special Supplement: Murchison Highway opens". *North West Advocate*. 13 December 1963.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** "Murchison Highway opens". *Hobart Mercury*. 14 December 1963.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Monery, Holly (4 July 2014). ["Concern over Murchison Highway condition"](http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/2395501/concern-over-murchison-highway-condition/). *The Advocate*. Retrieved 21 June 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** *Murchison Highway road links : report of the Select Committee of the Legislative Council, with minutes of proceedings.* Tasmania. Parliament. Legislative Council. Select Committee on Murchison Highway Road Links. Parliamentary paper; no.1 of 1975. Chairman: W.T. Young. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0724601562](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0724601562)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Map of Murchison Highway, TAS"](http://maps.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=172382&cmd=sp). *Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia*. Retrieved 21 June 2015.

## External links

- [Road Condition overview](http://www.discovertasmania.com/home/index.cfm?SiteID=175)

v t e Road infrastructure in Tasmania Main highways and roads Highway 1 Bass Highway Brooker Highway Midland Highway Bass Highway Tasman Highway Esk Highway Lake Highway Davey Street Huon Highway Macquarie Street Southern Outlet West Tamar Highway East Tamar Highway Arthur Highway Lyell Highway Murchison Highway Zeehan Highway Minor highways and roads Marlborough Highway Lyell Highway Anthony Road East Derwent Highway South Arm Highway Goodwood Road Domain Highway Gordon River Road Channel Highway Sandy Bay Road Batman Highway Bridges Batman Bridge Blair Street Bridge Bowen Bridge Bridgewater Bridge Jordan River Bridge McGees Bridge Red Bridge Richmond Bridge Ross Bridge Sorell Causeway Tasman Bridge Victoria Bridge, Devonport Victoria Bridge, Launceston Department of State Growth Highways in Tasmania Road routes in Tasmania

v t e Western region of Tasmania, Australia Cities and other settlements Queenstown Crotty Darwin Dundas Gormanston Guildford Linda Pillinger Regatta Point Rosebery Strahan Tullah Waratah Williamsford Zeehan Governance Braddon (federal) Braddon (state) Franklin Land District Montgomery Land District Montagu Land District West Coast Council Lyell Murchison Zeehan Mountains West Coast Range Black Darwin Dundas Heemskirk Huxley Jukes Lyell Murchison Owen Read Read Volcanics Sedgwick Sorell Strahan Zeehan Tyndall Geikie Tyndall Eldon Eldon Peak Engineer unnamed peak Raglan unnamed peak Sticht unnamed peak National parks Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Rivers Anne Anthony Franklin Gordon Henty King Lea Mackintosh Murchison Pieman Queen Sophia Lakes Beatrice Burbury Dora Gordon Mackintosh Murchison Pieman Rosebery Westwood Dams Anthony Crotty Darwin Gordon Henty Mackintosh Tullabardine Lake Margaret Murchison Reece Power stations Anthony Power Development Bastyan Gordon John Butters Lake Margaret Mackintosh Reece Tribute Transport Anthony Road Hercules Haulage Lyell Highway Murchison Highway Queenstown Airport Strahan Airport Railways Emu Bay Macquarie Heads breakwater Melba Mount Dundas-Zeehan North East Dundas North Mount Lyell Wee Georgie Wood West Coast Wilderness Zeehan-Strahan Railway stations and former railway stations Queenstown Zeehan Landmarks Natural Birchs Inlet Cape Sorell Darwin Crater Granville Harbour Hells Gates Iron Blow Kelly Basin Linda Valley Macquarie Harbour Montezuma Falls Nelson Falls Ocean Beach Trial Harbour Man-made Cape Sorell Lighthouse Gaiety Theatre Galley Museum Paragon Theatre Queenstown Oval People of note Convicts on the West Coast Crotty Davey Gould Joyce Long Moore Pearce Piguenit Piners Sticht Whitham Mining Comstock Mine Copper Mines Henty Gold Mine Mount Jukes Mine sites Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Company Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program North Mount Lyell North Mount Lyell Disaster (1912) Renison Bell Stichtite West Coast Tasmania Mines Books and newspapers For the Term of His Natural Life Gould's Book of Fish The Peaks of Lyell West Coast Miner Zeehan & Dundas Herald Other Darwin glass The Unconformity Round Earth Theatre Company Tasmanian West bioregion Western Tasmanian Football Association Western Tasmanian languages

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Murchison Highway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murchison_Highway) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murchison_Highway?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.