155-535: Great Eastern Highway is a 590-kilometre-long (370 mi) road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie . A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields , it is the western portion of the main road link between Perth and the eastern states of Australia . The highway forms the majority of National Highway 94 , although
310-541: A dogbone interchange started in September 2019 as part of the progressive removal of at-grade signalised intersections along Roe Highway. This was formally completed in September 2021. A staged extension of the Principal Shared Path (PSP) is also being built between the existing Berkshire and future Kalamunda Road interchanges. The Berkshire–Maida Vale Road section was completed in September 2020, while
465-448: A reverse curve . It travels in between Acacia Prison and Wooroloo Prison Farm and then alongside Wooroloo Brook , for 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi), before crossing the waterway. The highway then heads in a north-easterly direction, passing to the south of Wundowie , through Bakers Hill , and reaching Clackline after 20 kilometres (12 mi). Another 12.4 kilometres (7.7 mi) takes Great Eastern Highway to Mitchell Avenue,
620-463: A 5 km (3 mi) extension from Nicholson Road to South Street was completed in 2004, with stage 7 being announced shortly afterwards. Prior to 2006, the exit to the freeway from the present Roe Highway Intersection was Hope Road. When the 4.5 km (3 mi), $ 75 million extension from South Street to Kwinana Freeway was completed in March 2006 (Roe Highway stage 7), this meant that Hope Road
775-683: A capacity of 23,200 cubic metres per day (146,000 barrels per day) until its closure in 2021, producing most of the state's petrol and diesel. Kwinana also hosts alumina and nickel processing plants, port facilities for grain and other bulk exports, and support industries for mining and petroleum such as heavy and light engineering, and metal fabrication. Shipbuilding (e.g. Austal ) and associated support industries are found at nearby Henderson , just north of Kwinana. Significant secondary industries include cement and building product manufacturing, flour milling, food processing, animal feed production, automotive body building and printing. Western Australia has
930-585: A charge per kilometre applied for vehicles travelling in the area between Muchea and North Fremantle . The extension would have taken the highway from its current terminus at Kwinana Freeway approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) further west to Stock Road, near Forrest Road in Coolbellup . The proposed route was along or within the vicinity of an existing road reserve in the Perth Metropolitan Region Scheme . In September 2015
1085-527: A comparative advantage in resource extraction and processing. As a consequence: In 2019 Western Australia's overseas exports accounted for 46% of the nation's total. The state's major export commodities included iron-ore, petroleum, gold, alumina , nickel, wheat, copper, lithium, chemicals and mineral sands. Western Australia is the world's largest iron-ore producer (34% of the world's total), and extracts 66% (6.9% of world production) of Australia's 306 tonnes (9.8 million troy ounces) of gold in 2022. It
1240-428: A cost of $ 10 million. Planning for a bypass around Northam began in the 1960s. The original route through the town centre functioned as both a local access road and primary traffic route, including for heavy vehicles. There were particular concerns with the amount of traffic congestion, frequency of crashes, and the noise and visual pollution of the highway's traffic. Twelve different alignments were considered for
1395-449: A dogbone interchange 1.1 kilometres (0.68 mi) later. Another 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) takes the highway to another half diamond interchange at Maida Vale Road, also with only northbound exit and southbound entrance ramps. 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) later, Roe Highway reaches Berkshire Road at a diamond interchange with a "tennis ball" configuration, with traffic cutting through the roundabouts rather than circulating around them. At
1550-538: A flyover bridge for the highway, and a single two-way ramp that connects to each road at a T junction. The highway heads east through the Wheatbelt as the region's main east–west route. The road passes by agricultural land and remnant native vegetation , intermittently encountering small settlements and towns such as Meckering , Cunderdin , Kellerberrin , and Merredin . Great Eastern Highway enters Southern Cross 265 kilometres (165 mi) out from Northam, near
1705-405: A four lane single carriageway to Midland , with the second carriageway reappearing after Roe Highway , and continuing all the way to The Lakes at Perth's eastern fringe. The remainder of the highway is a two-lane single carriageway until Kalgoorlie, where a dual carriageway exists. The speed limit is 60 kilometres per hour (35 mph) from The Causeway to Midland, 70 km/h (45 mph) near
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#17327760754761860-474: A freeway classification. In June 2012, the new grade-separated interchange opened at the Great Eastern Highway intersection, allowing free-flowing traffic on Roe Highway over Great Eastern Highway. The design includes a northbound to eastbound loop ramp to cater for heavy vehicles, and three pedestrian underpasses. Roe Highway was first proposed in 1955 by Gordon Stephenson as part of what
2015-459: A further 1,196 species currently recognised but unpublished. They occur within 1,543 genera from 211 families ; there are also 1,276 naturalised alien or invasive plant species, more commonly known as weeds. In the southwest region are some of the largest numbers of plant species for its area in the world. Western Australia's ecoregions include the sandstone gorges of the Kimberley on
2170-403: A lack of storage and refrigeration facilities favour live animals over imports of processed meat. About half of Australia's live cattle exports come from Western Australia. Resource sector growth in recent years has resulted in significant labour and skills shortages, leading to recent efforts by the state government to encourage interstate and overseas immigration. According to the 2006 census,
2325-413: A level crossing of the railway, and an adjacent set of traffic lights at Terrace Road, the name Great Eastern Highway is resumed. The highway continues north-east for 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) to Midland. Throughout Midland and the adjacent suburb of Midvale , it is at the centre of a commercial area , with two shopping centres located alongside the highway, and retail businesses fronting both sides of
2480-424: A limited-access bypass of Guildford and Midland town sites. The 5.6-kilometre (3.5 mi) bypass branches off the original highway alignment at South Guildford, proceeds around the northern edge of Perth Airport, and then heads east through Hazelmere . At the eastern end of Great Eastern Highway Bypass, traffic returns to the main highway by heading north on Roe Highway for three kilometres (1.9 mi). Plans for
2635-554: A major highway along a similar alignment date back to Gordon Stephenson and Alistair Hepburn 's 1955 "Plan for the Metropolitan Region", which was the precursor of Perth's Metropolitan Region Scheme . The road was constructed in the late 1980s, and was known as the Redcliffe–Bushmead Highway during construction. Great Eastern Highway Bypass was opened on 14 May 1988, after 21 months of construction, and at
2790-475: A new 4 km (2 mi) southwestern extension known as stage 4 was completed from Welshpool Road to the purpose-built Kenwick Link (an Albany Highway bypass built in 1998) – most of which replaced the overtaxed William Street in Beckenham . Work on the 3-kilometre-long (1.9 mi) stage 5 was undertaken simultaneously with stage 4, bringing the highway to Nicholson Road in 2002. Stage 6,
2945-660: A new name. This resolved Great Eastern Highway's route, with the local governments north of the river pursuing other names such as Main Highway. On 14 April 1938, the name Great Eastern Highway was gazetted, in accordance with section 10 of the Land Act, 1933–1937. It replaced the names previously used along the route: Ascot Road, Guildford Road, York Road, Guildford–Northam Road, Toodyay–Northam Road, Mitchell Avenue, Throsell Road, Sermon Road, Dreyer Road, Goldfields Road, Kalgoorlie Road, Woodward Street, and Coolgardie Road. By 1950,
3100-464: A partial ring road around the outer suburbs of the Perth metropolitan area . Roe Highway also forms part of National Highway 94 from Great Eastern Highway Bypass to Great Eastern Highway , and National Highway 95 from Great Eastern Highway to Great Northern Highway . Although planning for Roe Highway's route began in the 1950s, construction on the highway's first segment only began in 1981, which
3255-406: A pedestrian underpass for a heritage trail. Clackline Brook was realigned through a large box culvert, allowing a safer crossing than the narrow Clackline Bridge on the original alignment. The bypass was originally allocated $ 2.4 million of funding in 2006, but by January 2007 it was expected to cost almost $ 11 million. The final project value was $ 9.2 million. Issues and challenges in
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#17327760754763410-612: A previous decision to rename the road through Belmont as Great Eastern Highway was made after considering the facts, and at the request of the Main Roads Board. There was resentment and an objection over the name being "pinched" from the Perth Road Board. The minister disregarded the objection. He advised the representatives to see the Minister for Works to get the road declared a main road, and then approach him with
3565-451: A priority for Main Roads. The project was not in the forward works program, there was no indication of the expected starting date, and a cost–benefit analysis had not been performed recently. Plans are still in development, but the federal government is responsible for financing the project. Western Australian Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia . It
3720-517: A result, the South West region of the state has a higher concentration of rare, threatened or endangered flora and fauna than many areas of Australia, making it one of the world's biodiversity "hot spots". Large areas of the state's wheatbelt region have problems with dryland salinity and the loss of fresh water. The southwest coastal area has a Mediterranean climate . It was originally heavily forested, including large stands of karri , one of
3875-553: A scientific paper, General view of the botany of the vicinity of Swan River . It discusses the vegetation of the Swan River Colony . Europeans began to settle permanently in 1826 when Albany was claimed by Britain to forestall French claims to the western third of the continent. Perth was founded as the Swan River Colony in 1829 by British and Irish settlers, though the outpost languished. Its officials eventually requested convict labour to augment its population. By
4030-628: A significant fishing industry. Products for local consumption and export include western rock lobsters , prawns, crabs, shark and tuna, as well as pearl fishing in the Kimberley region of the state. Processing is conducted along the west coast. Whaling was a key marine industry but ceased at Albany in 1978. Western Australia has the world's biggest plantations of both Indian sandalwood (northern WA) and Australian sandalwood (semi-arid regions), which are used to produce sandalwood oil and incense . The WA sandalwood industry provides about 40% of
4185-459: A well-known landmark since the 1830s, and featured on an 1846 survey of the York Road . Part of this original eastern route remains as a separate road, now known as Old York Road. The highway diverges from this original route at a point 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) east of Roe Highway, bypassing residential properties that line the old road. The two routes meet again at the top of the main climb of
4340-490: Is 1,862 km (1,157 mi). There are 20,781 km (12,913 mi) of coastline, including 7,892 km (4,904 mi) of island coastline. The total land area occupied by the state is 2.5 million km (970 thousand sq mi). The bulk of Western Australia consists of the extremely old Yilgarn craton and Pilbara craton which merged with the Deccan Plateau of India, Madagascar and
4495-621: Is a 35-kilometre-long (22 mi) limited-access highway and partial freeway in Perth , Western Australia, linking Kewdale with the city's north-eastern and south-western suburbs. The northern terminus is at Reid Highway and Great Northern Highway in Middle Swan , and the southern terminus is with Murdoch Drive at the Kwinana Freeway interchange in Bibra Lake . Roe Highway, in addition to Reid Highway, form State Route 3 ,
4650-439: Is a diamond interchange, with free-flowing traffic on Roe Highway, and an additional looped ramp for northbound to eastbound traffic movements. Construction of the $ 101.5 million project began in late 2010, and the interchange was officially opened to traffic on 9 June 2012. Another project undertaken was the widening of the highway through the suburbs of Rivervale, Belmont and Redcliffe – between Kooyong Road, just north-east of
4805-450: Is a major world producer of bauxite, which is processed into alumina at four refineries providing 11% of total world production. Until 2020 diamonds were extracted from the world's largest diamond mine in the far north Kimberley region. Coal mined at Collie is the main fuel for baseload electricity generation in the state's south-west. Agricultural production in WA is a major contributor to
Great Eastern Highway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4960-469: Is attributed by historians as an important factor driving the state's population and economic growth. Following a campaign led by Forrest, electors of the colony of Western Australia voted in favour of federation with the five other Australian colonies, resulting in Western Australia officially becoming a state on 1 January 1901. Western Australia is bounded to the east by longitude 129°E,
5115-786: Is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia’s largest state, with a land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi), and is also the second-largest subdivision of any country on Earth, surpassed only by the Sakha Republic in eastern Russia, and formerly Northwest Territories in Canada, before
5270-573: Is currently tilted 10 degrees away from the South Pole towards Western Australia, allowing for aurora australis displays as far north as Geraldton . Western Australia is home to around 630 species of birds (depending on the taxonomy used). Of these around 15 are endemic to the state. The best areas for birds are the southwestern corner of the state and the area around Broome and the Kimberley. The Flora of Western Australia comprises 10,162 published native vascular plant species, along with
5425-537: Is not considered a priority. Great Eastern Highway commences at The Causeway , a river crossing that connects to Perth's central business district . Travelling north-east through the city to Greenmount Hill , and following a steep climb, the highway heads east through Western Australia's Wheatbelt to Kalgoorlie , in the state's Goldfields . Within Perth, the highway is a six-lane dual carriageway from The Causeway to Tonkin Highway near Perth Airport . It travels as
5580-549: Is notorious for Greenmount Hill, where the highway encounters a steep three-kilometre-long (1.9 mi) slope with a 7% gradient on Perth's eastern outskirts. The highway rises from the Swan Coastal Plain to the Darling Scarp to the north of Greenmount Hill, though it is commonly described as travelling "up Greenmount". The historic hill, with significant Aboriginal and European heritage sites, has been
5735-516: Is now Great Eastern Highway has existed since the convict era of Western Australia . The original road is thought to have been constructed in 1867, using convict labour , with a road base made of jarrah tree trunks cut into disc shapes. The use of wooden discs as a road base had been proposed by Western Australian Governor John Hampton , leading them to be known as "Hampton's Cheeses". The discs were approximately 30 centimetres (1 ft) thick and as large as 90 centimetres (3 ft) in diameter, and
5890-504: Is now known as Cape Inscription, Dirk Hartog Island . For the rest of the 17th century, other Dutch and British navigators encountered the coast of what Abel Tasman named New Holland in 1644, usually unintentionally as demonstrated by the many shipwrecks along the coast of ships that deviated from the Brouwer Route (because of poor navigation and storms). By the late 18th century, British and French sailors had begun to explore
6045-400: Is the northern tropical regions. The Kimberley has an extremely hot monsoonal climate with average annual rainfall ranging from 500 to 1,500 millimetres (20–60 in), but there is a very long almost rainless season from April to November. Eighty-five percent of the state's runoff occurs in the Kimberley, but because it occurs in violent floods and because of the insurmountable poverty of
6200-569: Is the state's worst section of National Highway , in terms of road safety. Casualty crash rates had decreased since 2007, although the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) still considered it a risky section of road needing close attention from road authorities. In 2013, Great Eastern Highway remained as a road of particular concern, with the Australian Automobile Association giving 67% of
6355-621: The City of Cockburn and bordering the suburbs of Leeming and Jandakot , reaching Karel Avenue 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) further west. After 900 metres (3,000 ft), Roe Highway reaches a partial combination interchange (originally a trumpet interchange) at the junction of the Kwinana Freeway (this interchange lacks southbound-to-westbound and eastbound-to-northbound movements) in Bibra Lake ; Roe Highway terminates at this interchange, continuing northwards as Murdoch Drive. Roe Highway
Great Eastern Highway - Misplaced Pages Continue
6510-455: The City of Gosnells LGA, 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) further south from Tonkin Highway. Within this stretch the highway is four lanes southbound and three lanes northbound. Roe Highway is thereafter within the suburb of Beckenham, with the freight railway line travelling alongside the highway's eastern side. Roe Highway reaches Kenwick Link (a bypass of Albany Highway) 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) further south. Midway through these interchanges,
6665-445: The City of Swan local government area (LGA) at Great Northern Highway at a traffic light controlled intersection as an eastern continuation of Reid Highway. Upon the highway's commencement it is carrying both State Route 3 (continuing from Reid Highway) and National Highway 95 (continuing from Great Northern Highway to the north). The highway then curves to the south, reaching Toodyay Road 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) later. From there
6820-1050: The Crown Perth entertainment complex in Burswood . After passing under the Armadale line , there is a diamond interchange with Graham Farmer Freeway to the north-west and Orrong Road to the south-east, with an additional south-westbound to north-westbound looped ramp. The highway continues north-east, parallel to the Swan River , through the residential and commercial areas of Rivervale , Belmont , Ascot , and Redcliffe . There are many at-grade intersections and driveway access crossovers in these high density suburbs. Major intersections are controlled by traffic lights, while many others are left-in/left-out . After 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi), Great Eastern Highway interchanges with Tonkin Highway, which connects to Perth's north-eastern and south-eastern suburbs. Until September 2018,
6975-788: The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) requested a more detailed environmental assessment. In 1985, a study into the primary east–west traffic routes in the area was commissioned by the Main Roads Department, Metropolitan Region Planning Authority, Shire of Mundaring , and Shire of Swan . It recommended a new alignment, known as the "Orange Route", be selected for the Perth to Adelaide National Highway. Alternative routes were identified using other colours as codenames. The new national highway would travel north-east along Toodyay Road from Roe Highway to beyond Gidgegannup , and then deviate east via
7130-641: The Group Settlement Scheme of the 1920s, which encouraged farmers to settle the southwest—increased awareness of Australia's western third as a destination for colonists. Led by immigrants from the British Isles, Western Australia's population developed at a faster rate during the twentieth century than it had previously. After World War II , both the eastern states and Western Australia received large numbers of Italians , Croatians and Macedonians . Despite this, Britain has contributed
7285-651: The Helena River , sending the highway into the suburb of Hazelmere , passing under Bushmead Road, and reaching the Great Eastern Highway Bypass another 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Clayton Street. At this intersection National Highway 95 continues west on the Bypass. After 1.7 kilometres (1.1 mi), Roe Highway enters the City of Kalamunda LGA, bordering the suburbs of High Wycombe and Maida Vale and then reaches Kalamunda Road at
7440-602: The Heritage Council of Western Australia 's Register of Heritage Places, in November 2008. There are long-term plans to bypass Great Eastern Highway's current ascent of the Darling Scarp. Planning for a new major road network in Perth's eastern corridor began in the 1970s. Early planning efforts between 1978 and 1981 for a new highway reservation from Mundaring to Wooroloo encountered community opposition, and
7595-588: The Kaapvaal and Zimbabwe cratons of Southern Africa, in the Archean Eon to form Ur , one of the oldest supercontinents on Earth (3 – 3.2 billion years ago). In May 2017, evidence of the earliest known life on land may have been found in 3.48-billion-year-old geyserite and other related mineral deposits (often found around hot springs and geysers ) uncovered in the Pilbara craton. Because
7750-496: The Swan River Colony with Perth as its capital in 1829. The Western Australian gold rushes of the late 19th century resulted in a significant population influx. The colony was granted responsible government in 1890, the last of the Australian colonies to become self-governing, and federated with the other colonies in 1901. Western Australia's mining sector is a key driver of the state economy . The late 20th century saw
7905-555: The Wheatbelt and temperate southern coastal regions, pastoralism in marginal grassland areas, forestry in the south-west and fishing (including pearling and, historically, whaling ). Western Australia has a geological history dating back to 4.4 billion years ago when Hadean zircons were formed. The earliest direct known life on land, known as stromatolites , started to be created by microbes at around 3.48 billion years ago. The first human inhabitants of Australia arrived from
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#17327760754768060-489: The tallest trees in the world. This agricultural region is one of the nine most bio-diverse terrestrial habitats, with a higher proportion of endemic species than most other equivalent regions. Thanks to the offshore Leeuwin Current , the area is one of the top six regions for marine biodiversity and contains the most southerly coral reefs in the world. Average annual rainfall varies from 300 millimetres (12 in) at
8215-601: The "natural entrance to the city", only crossing the Swan River once and not again at the Causeway. On 8 January 1935, representatives from the local governments north of the river urged Minister for Lands, Michael Troy , to rename the Perth–Guildford road through those areas as Great Eastern Highway. Despite the route being shorter and carrying more traffic, he refused. He said that it was not gazetted as main road, and
8370-576: The 1890s around Kalgoorlie . In 1887, a new constitution was drafted, providing for the right of self-governance of European Australians, and in 1890, the act granting self-government to the colony was passed by the British Parliament . John Forrest became the first Premier of Western Australia . In 1896, after discoveries of gold at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie , the Western Australian Parliament authorised
8525-468: The 1950s. These plans have been controversial amongst conservationist and community groups due to the highway's proposed route through the environmentally sensitive Beeliar Wetlands . The Western Australian state government commenced construction on the first stage of an extension of Roe Highway from Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road (known as Roe Highway Stage 8) in December 2016; construction of the extension
8680-482: The 1990s saw a second carriageway constructed from Mundaring to Sawyers Valley, and then extended to The Lakes at the edge of Perth. A dual carriageway was also constructed in Kalgoorlie, and a long overtaking lane was built near Clackline. More recent works have improved sections of the highway in Perth. Great Eastern Highway's intersection with Roe Highway was upgraded to a grade separated interchange. The design
8835-595: The 20-kilometre-long (12 mi) section of the highway from Tonkin Highway to Kwinana Freeway was constructed as a continuous freeway , with grade-separated interchanges and free traffic flow, and since 2012 several remaining at-grade intersections of the rest of the highway have been grade-separated. Six at-grade traffic-light controlled intersections remain on the highway today. Planning provisions have proposed for Roe Highway to be extended from its current south-western terminus in Bibra Lake towards Fremantle since
8990-433: The 2016 census, 75.2% of inhabitants spoke only English at home, with the next most common languages being Mandarin (1.9%), Italian (1.2%), Vietnamese (0.8%), Cantonese (0.8%) and Tagalog (0.6%). According to the 2021 census, Christianity is the major religious affiliation in WA, followed by 41.1% of its population. In 1971, Christianity was followed by 85.5% of the population and it has been declining since, while
9145-542: The EPA did not follow its published policies as it was legally obliged to, the approval of Roe 8 and the subsequent approval given by the environment minister Albert Jacobs were invalid. Noongar custodian Corina Abraham , on behalf of the local Whadjuk Noongar people filed writs against members of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs cultural committee and the current WA Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Peter Collier in
9300-476: The Fremantle Eastern Bypass. At the southern end of the proposed Fremantle Eastern Bypass, an 8 km (5 mi) east–west road reservation was proclaimed, and became known as Roe Highway stage 8 (or Roe 8). With a change of state governments in 2001, the planned Fremantle Eastern Bypass / Roe Highway stage 8 was cancelled, with a commitment by the government to sell the land reserved for
9455-513: The Fremantle Eastern Bypass. As part of the funding arrangement for Roe Highway stages 6 and 7, the federal government stipulated that the Roe Highway stage 8 reservation was to be retained. Following a change in state governments in September 2008, planning work commenced on an extension of Roe Highway from Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road . Parliamentary debate continued in 2012 as the state government continued its intention to implement
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#17327760754769610-684: The Graham Farmer Freeway interchange, and Tonkin Highway. Work commenced in June 2011, and was completed in February 2013, nine months earlier than scheduled. Prime Minister Julia Gillard opened the upgraded highway on 28 March 2013, participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The $ 280 million upgrade included construction of a median strip, widening the road to three lanes in each direction, bus priority lanes at several traffic light controlled intersections, and bicycle lanes. The upgrade
9765-511: The Guildford and Midland townsites, and in 2002 a new bypass diverted the highway around Northam. A future route to replace Great Eastern Highway's current ascent of the Darling Scarp has been identified. The planned route is a controlled-access highway along Toodyay Road to Gidgegannup , and then across to Wundowie via a new alignment. Though planning began in the 1970s, as of 2012, construction of this route has not been scheduled, and it
9920-608: The Highway is actually a road as it contains driveways, entrances and exits. At a 2019 Belmont council meeting interstate town planners attended and mentioned that with 60,000 to 80,000 vehicles a day in the section west or Roe Hwy they could not find a busier "road" (not Highway or Freeway) in the world. They looked at the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in France and Market Street in San Francisco. West of Roe Hwy. Great Eastern Highway
10075-550: The National Highway 94 allocation, continuing from Great Eastern Highway to the east. Following the Great Eastern Highway interchange Roe Highway is entirely within the suburb of Bellevue , getting to Clayton Street only 800 metres (2,600 ft) further on. It is a half diamond interchange with only a northbound exit and southbound entry ramp. Not any further from that interchange, the highway crosses
10230-488: The National Highway ;94 route. Great Eastern Highway, now signposted as Alternate National Route 94 , turns north-east, travelling through another 32 kilometres (20 mi) of scrubland to the outskirts of Kalgoorlie. The road continues its journey eastward within the grid of Kalgoorlie's road system, initially passing by the industrial district of West Kalgoorlie. After 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi),
10385-617: The Northam bypass began in January 2001, with the new road opened on 17 May 2002. A bypass of Clackline was also constructed, realigning 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) of Great Eastern Highway 100 metres (330 ft) north of the town. Works began in January 2007, and were completed in February 2008. The project also involved constructing overtaking lanes between Clackline and Bakers Hill, upgrading intersections in Clackline, and constructing
10540-477: The WA Supreme Court on 30 March 2016. The writs allege that they did not receive procedural fairness as both Abraham and her now deceased father were part of the group consulted in the original group consulted in the report which the committee later overturned to enable the project's approval. Abraham's lawyer Greg McIntyre QC (who had also been Eddie Mabo 's lawyer) also sought an injunction to prevent
10695-587: The Western Australian coast. The Baudin expedition of 1800–03 included the coast of Western Australia and resulted in the Freycinet Map of 1811 , the first published map featuring the full outline of Australia. The name New Holland remained in popular and semi-official use until at least the mid-1850s; that is, it was in use for about 206 years in comparison to the name Australia which to date has been in use for about 195 years. The origins of
10850-683: The alignment through the Perth suburbs of Guildford and Midland, and the eastern section between Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie are not included. Various segments form parts of other road routes , including National Route 1 , Alternative National Route 94, and State Route 51. There are numerous intersections in Perth with other highways and main roads, including Canning , Albany , Tonkin and Roe Highways , and Graham Farmer Freeway . There are also two rural highways that spur off Great Eastern Highway. Great Southern Highway begins near Perth's eastern metropolitan boundary, linking towns such as York , Brookton , Narrogin , and Katanning . Near
11005-400: The border between Ascot and Redcliffe, before reaching a traffic light controlled fork with Great Eastern Highway Bypass. The main traffic flow continues east on the bypass to Roe Highway, while the Great Eastern Highway runs north-east through South Guildford for 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), separating a narrow residential area along the Swan River from industrial development in the rest of
11160-536: The bottom of Greenmount Hill, and 80 km/h (50 mph) from Greenmount to Sawyers Valley . From the eastern edge of Perth it is generally 110 km/h (70 mph), but with lower limits for sections near the towns the highway encounters en route to Kalgoorlie. The highway runs mostly parallel to the Mundaring to Kalgoorlie water pipeline , which supplies the Goldfields with water from Mundaring Weir in
11315-443: The bottom of the hill. It has been used in emergencies several times since. In 1994, the federal government approved a $ 43.9 million project to upgrade substandard sections of Great Eastern Highway between Northam and Southern Cross. That portion of the highway was one of the oldest sections of the National Highway in Western Australia. The road was susceptible to failure due to poor drainage and frequent flooding. Further works in
11470-544: The bridge crossing the Roe Highway. Despite the interchange itself only opening in 2006, the $ 15 million upgrade was required due to the development of the Jandakot City project to the south of the interchange along with the construction of the Thornlie-Cockburn Link . This is due for completion in mid-2021. The $ 86 million project to convert the intersection of Roe Highway and Kalamunda Road to
11625-654: The bypass, which were narrowed down to three options by the 1990s. In 1993 the Environmental Protection Authority assessed the proposal, and found that only the route that deviated furthest away from the townsite would be environmentally acceptable. The closer routes were not acceptable due to the potential impact on the Avon River . The project gained the Minister for the Environment's conditional approval on 24 June 1994. Construction of
11780-805: The coast around the Margaret River wine-growing area. Going east along the Southern Ocean coast is the Goldfields-Esperance region, including the Esperance mallee and the Coolgardie woodlands inland around town of Coolgardie . Deserts occupy the interior, including the Great Sandy-Tanami desert , Gibson Desert , Great Victoria Desert , and Nullarbor Plain . In 1831 Scottish botanist Robert Brown produced
11935-626: The coast of Western Australia. On 7 March 1831 it was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony, and named Albany in 1832. In 1829 the Swan River Colony was established on the Swan River by Captain James Stirling . By 1832, the British settler population of the colony had reached around 1,500, and the official name of the colony was changed to Western Australia on 6 February that year. The two separate townsites of
12090-730: The coastal plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment (as with the Darling Range/ Darling Scarp near Perth). The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile and frequently laterised . Even soils derived from granitic bedrock contain an order of magnitude less available phosphorus and only half as much nitrogen as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sandplains or ironstone are even less fertile, nearly devoid of soluble phosphate and deficient in zinc , copper, molybdenum and sometimes potassium and calcium . The infertility of most of
12245-425: The colony developed slowly into the port city of Fremantle and the state's capital, Perth . York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia, situated 97 kilometres (60 mi) east of Perth and settled on 16 September 1831. York was the staging point for early explorers who discovered the rich gold reserves of Kalgoorlie. Population growth was very slow until significant discoveries of gold were made in
12400-471: The creation of Nunavut. It is also the largest proper subnational entity, being a state rather than a territory or an autonomous region. Western Australia has a diverse range of climates, including tropical conditions in the Kimberley , deserts in the interior (including the Great Sandy Desert , Little Sandy Desert , Gibson Desert , and Great Victoria Desert ) and a Mediterranean climate on
12555-557: The development by continuing east for 5.9 kilometres (3.7 mi) to The Lakes, where it curves around to the north to meet Great Southern Highway , at the edge of the Perth Metropolitan Region . Great Eastern Highway continues past The Lakes in a northerly direction, reduced to a single carriageway with one lane in each direction. Five kilometres (3 mi) later, the highway encounters the north-eastern end of Old Northam Road, and subsequently winds its way through
12710-432: The development of the state's significant iron ore mining industry – the world's largest – as well as primarily offshore petroleum and natural gas resources . Gold mining retains a significant presence and many other mineral commodities are mined, with Perth being a major centre for associated services. Outside of mining, primary industry is the other significant contributor to the state's economy, including agriculture in
12865-411: The eastern end of the highway, Coolgardie is the starting point of Coolgardie–Esperance Highway , connecting to the interstate route Eyre Highway at Norseman, as well as the coastal town of Esperance . The highway was created in the 1930s from an existing system of roads linking Perth with the Goldfields. Though the name Great Eastern Highway was coined to describe the route from Perth to Guildford on
13020-409: The eastern end, connecting with Great Eastern Highway, opened in 1952. In 1973 construction began on upgrading that intersection to a grade-separated partial cloverleaf interchange . The interchange opened on 8 March 1974, having cost AUS$ 1.3 million. A major accident occurred at the intersection with Roe Highway on 30 December 1993. A truck lost control coming down Greenmount Hill and rolled over at
13175-424: The eastern part of Perth. The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail is a tourist drive alongside the pipeline, with large sections of the trail following Great Eastern Highway. Various road routes are allocated to sections of Great Eastern Highway, with some overlap between some of the routes. It is mostly signed as National Highway 94, except for the section between Great Eastern Highway Bypass and Roe Highway, and
13330-569: The edge of the Wheatbelt region to 1,400 millimetres (55 in) in the wettest areas near Northcliffe , but from November to March, evaporation exceeds rainfall, and it is generally very dry. Plants are adapted to this as well as the extreme poverty of all soils. The central two-thirds of the state is arid and sparsely inhabited. The only significant economic activity is mining. Annual rainfall averages less than 300 millimetres (8–10 in), most of which occurs in sporadic torrential falls related to cyclone events in summer. An exception to this
13485-474: The edge of the Wheatbelt. The landscape changes to low shrubland, with few signs of human activity other than the highway itself, and the mostly parallel water pipeline and power line. The road continues eastwards in this fashion over a vast distance of 285 kilometres (177 mi) before reaching the town of Coolgardie. Three hundred metres (980 ft) beyond the townsite, traffic bound for South Australia turns south onto Coolgardie–Esperance Highway , following
13640-432: The existing Kwinana Freeway interchange, converting it from a trumpet to a modified combination interchange though with no access from Kwinana Freeway south to Murdoch Drive west nor Murdoch Drive east to Kwinana Freeway north due to the nearby Farrington Road interchange providing the same required movements to enter/exit the freeway. A modified half diamond interchange between Murdoch Drive and Farrington Road/Bibra Drive
13795-655: The existing asphalt, over a twenty-metre (66 ft) stretch. The name Great Eastern Highway was coined by the Perth Road Board in December 1933. It was suggested for the Perth to Guildford road on the north side of the Swan River (now known as Guildford Road), as an alternative to the Bassendean Road Board 's proposal, Perth Road. In February 1934, the Bassendean Road Board agreed to the name, as Perth Road would be too general, and
13950-631: The final 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie. It is also signed as National Route 1 between The Causeway and Morrison Road in Midland, State Route 51 between Johnson Street in Guildford and Roe Highway, Tourist Drive 203 between Terrace Road in Guildford and Morrison Road, Midland, and Alternate National Route 94 east of Coolgardie. Main Roads Western Australia monitors traffic volume across
14105-570: The first section between the Beechboro-Gosnells Highway and Bushmead Road opening in 1983. The next section, from Bushmead Road to Great Eastern Highway was opened in 1984. The third stage, linking the Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway opened on 14 December 1988, at the same time as the Great Eastern Highway Bypass opened. The state Minister for Transport, Bob Pearce was assisted in
14260-543: The future. Following the interchange at Tonkin Highway, Roe Highway now forms the boundaries of the City of Belmont and Kalamunda LGAs to the west and east, respectively, as well as their respective suburbs, Kewdale and Wattle Grove , before crossing freight railway lines and briefly entering the suburbs of East Cannington and Welshpool within the vicinity of the Orrong Road and Welshpool Road East interchange, within
14415-507: The gaps between pieces would have been filled with soil or lime. The same type of road is known to have existed along Stirling Highway , Guildford Road , Albany Highway and Wanneroo Road in the 1860s, and would have prevented horses and carts from getting bogged in wet weather. Evidence of this original road was found in Belmont in 1948 when widening works uncovered jarrah discs. During upgrade works in 2012, more discs were discovered beneath
14570-611: The generally shallow soils, the only development has taken place along the Ord River . Snow is rare in the state and typically occurs only in the Stirling Range near Albany , as it is the only mountain range far enough south and sufficiently elevated. More rarely, snow can fall on the nearby Porongurup Range . Snow outside these areas is a major event; it usually occurs in hilly areas of southwestern Australia. The most widespread low-level snow occurred on 26 June 1956 when snow
14725-415: The greatest number of immigrants to this day. Western Australia—particularly Perth—has the highest proportion of British-born of any state: 10.3% in 2011, compared to a national average of 5.1%. This group is heavily concentrated in certain parts, where they account for a quarter of the population. Perth's metropolitan area (including Mandurah ) had an estimated population of 2,043,138 in June 2017 (79% of
14880-619: The group Save the Beeliar Wetlands took legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arguing that the EPA did not follow its own policies. Preliminary works began on the project during November 2015, which drew protests with many people being given move-on orders preventing them from being in the area. On 16 December 2015 the Supreme Court handed down its findings: that because
15035-455: The highway a low one- or two-star rating (out of five), and 77% of the route between The Lakes and Northam a one-star safety rating. Great Eastern Highway begins at a grade separated interchange between the south-eastern end of The Causeway, north-eastern end of Canning Highway , and north-western ends of Shepperton Road and Albany Highway . It proceeds in a north-easterly direction between local parks for 1.3 kilometres (0.8 mi), south of
15190-453: The highway briefly borders the suburb of Stratton before entering Midvale, reaching another traffic light controlled intersection with Morrison Road 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) later. Only another 900 metres (3,000 ft) takes the highway to Great Eastern Highway at a modified diamond interchange with a northbound to eastbound loop ramp to cater for heavy vehicles. At this interchange, National Highway 95 terminates here, and simultaneously gains
15345-482: The highway continues to be lined by native trees and patches of remaining forest. It continues east for six kilometres (3.7 mi) between the low-density, rural residential areas of Hovea , Mahogany Creek , and Parkerville , before entering the Mundaring town centre. Continuing its journey east, the route leaves Mundaring and travels briefly through the north-eastern corner of Beelu National Park before coming to
15500-443: The highway had been sealed from Perth to Southern Cross, and from a few miles west of Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie. Traffic in the Goldfields was light, with an average daily traffic of 44 vehicles between Southern Cross and Coolgardie, and 33 from Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie. The road was completely sealed by 1953. Between 1954 and 1956, sections of the highway between Perth and Southern Cross were improved. The works included increasing
15655-529: The highway is mostly 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph); however, the section between Great Northern Highway and Morrison Road carries a 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), and it is 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) at the Great Eastern Highway Bypass intersection. Otherwise, the speed limit near at-grade intersections is 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph). A principal shared path (PSP) exists alongside most of Roe Highway, from Kalamunda Road to Kwinana Freeway. Roe Highway commences in Middle Swan within
15810-420: The highway once more becomes a dual carriageway, and travels past residential neighbourhoods. Following 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi), the highway takes on the name Hannan Street , and continues for 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) through to downtown Kalgoorlie, terminating at Goldfields Highway on Kalgoorlie's eastern edge. Alternate Route 94 turns south, back towards the National Highway route. A road along what
15965-568: The highway passes under Brixton Street and the bypassed section of Albany Highway. A further 600 metres (2,000 ft) southwest of the interchange takes the freeway to the Canning River , which Roe Highway crosses over as the Djarlgarra Bridge, after which the highway is now bordering the suburbs of Langford and Thornlie . Roe Highway passes under Spencer Road before reaching Nicholson Road, 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of
16120-418: The highway. A dual carriageway limited-access highway maintained by Main Roads Western Australia , most junctions along the road are grade-separated interchanges, though some are at-grade traffic-light controlled intersections; the 20 kilometres (12 mi) section between Tonkin Highway and the Kwinana Freeway (a little more than half the highway's entire length) is a continuous freeway. The speed limit for
16275-401: The hill, after 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi). From the sudden rise of Greenmount Hill through to Sawyers Valley, Great Eastern Highway has a series of rising and falling sections over rolling terrain. Along the way, the route follows the southern edge of John Forrest National Park for 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi), passing to the north of the suburb of Glen Forrest . Beyond the national park,
16430-500: The interchange was also connected to Brearley Avenue , which provided access to Perth Airport's domestic terminals. The connection was removed due to the construction of Redcliffe railway station as part of the Forrestfield-Airport Link . The main connection linking Great Eastern Highway to the precinct is now at Fauntleroy Avenue to the north-east. The road travels for another 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) along
16585-487: The international sandalwood oil market. In recent years, tourism has grown in importance, with significant numbers of visitors to the state coming from the UK and Ireland (28%), other European countries (14%) Singapore (16%), Japan (10%) and Malaysia (8%). Revenue from tourism is a strong economic driver in many of the smaller population centres outside of Perth, especially in coastal locations. Roe Highway Roe Highway
16740-404: The intersection, after crashing into six vehicles on the hill and another 14 at the intersection. One woman was killed, and another 12 people were injured, including four with serious injuries. It was Western Australia's worst accident that year, according to police, with the aftermath described by a witness as "like a battlefield". This accident led to the construction of a truck arrester bed near
16895-547: The local governments north of the river was held in December 1934. They decided to continue to pursue renaming the Perth–Guildford road to Great Eastern Highway, and having it gazetted as a main road. A letter from the Commissioner of Main Roads had stated that the road through Belmont was considered the principal highway to the eastern states. He therefore recommended that if the name Great Eastern Highway were to be applied west of Midland Junction, it should be to that road, as
17050-488: The median individual income was A$ 500 per week in Western Australia (compared to A$ 466 in Australia as a whole). The median family income was A$ 1246 per week (compared to A$ 1171 for Australia). Recent growth has also contributed to significant rises in average property values in 2006, although values plateaued in 2007. Located south of Perth, the heavy industrial area of Kwinana had the nation's largest oil refinery with
17205-426: The meridian 129 degrees east of Greenwich, which defines the border with South Australia and the Northern Territory , and bounded by the Indian Ocean to the west and north. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) designates the body of water south of the continent as part of the Indian Ocean; in Australia it is officially gazetted as the Southern Ocean . The total length of the state's eastern border
17360-448: The minister making any decisions based on the new recommendation until the matter is heard by the court. After the 2017 state election , the incoming McGowan Government stated it intended to scrap the entire project. On 12 March, Main Roads and the contractors agreed to suspend work on the project. In early 2018 plans were revealed to extend Roe Highway to curve northwards to meet Murdoch Drive instead, with modifications made to
17515-513: The north "over 50,000 years ago and possibly as much as 70,000 years ago". Over thousands of years they eventually spread across the whole landmass. These Indigenous Australians were long established throughout Western Australia by the time European explorers began to arrive in the early 17th century. The first Europeans to visit Western Australia were those of the Dutch Dirk Hartog expedition, who on 25 October 1616 landed at what
17670-470: The northern coast, and below that the drier Victoria Plains tropical savanna inland, and the semi-desert Pilbara shrublands , Carnarvon xeric shrublands , and Western Australian mulga shrublands to the southwest. Southwards along the coast are the Southwest Australia savanna and the Swan Coastal Plain around Perth, with the jarrah-karri forest and shrublands on the southwest corner of
17825-600: The northern side of the Swan River (modern-day Guildford Road ), it was actually used for the road through Belmont, south of the river. This section was constructed in 1867 using convict labour , with the road base made from sections of tree trunks. Over the years the road has been upgraded, with the whole highway sealed by 1953, segments reconstructed and widened, dual carriageways created in Perth and Kalgoorlie, and grade separated interchanges built at major intersections. Great Eastern Highway Bypass in Perth's eastern suburbs opened in 1988, allowing through traffic to avoid
17980-582: The only mountain-building since then has been of the Stirling Range with the rifting from Antarctica , the land is extremely eroded and ancient, with no part of the state above 1,249 metres (4,098 ft) AHD (at Mount Meharry in the Hamersley Range of the Pilbara region). Most of the state is a low plateau with an average elevation of about 400 metres (1,200 ft), very low relief, and no surface runoff . This descends relatively sharply to
18135-539: The opening ceremony by Jason and Rachael Roe, two of the sixth generation of the Roe family to live in Australia and descendants of John Septimus Roe. The new roads provided a limited access dual carriageway bypass of the historical Guildford and Midland districts that were much needed at the time. In 1994, the highway was extended 2 km (1.2 mi) further southwards from Tonkin Highway to Welshpool Road . Following seven years in hiatus, work recommenced, and in 2001
18290-443: The percentage of people who identified as having no religious affiliation has increased from 8.7% in 1971 to 42.9% in 2021. A small minority of the population are Muslims (2.5%), Buddhists (2.2%) and Hindus (2.0%). Western Australia's economy is largely driven by extraction and processing of a diverse range of mineral and petroleum commodities. The structure of the economy is closely linked to these natural resources, providing
18445-447: The plan, in 1974 Stirling Highway was extended from its then terminus north of the Swan River southwards to Canning Highway . Over a period of approximately 20 years, Main Roads Western Australia procured land, and in 1985, Stirling Highway was extended southwards from Canning Highway to High Street (the western continuation of Leach Highway ). The remaining 3 km (1.9 mi) strip of land south of High Street then became known as
18600-556: The plan. The plan was ultimately formalised as The Perth Freight Link in May 2014, a $ 1.6 billion project to improve the road freight link between Kewdale and Fremantle Harbour . In addition to the 5 km (3.1 mi) extension of Roe Highway, upgrades were also planned for Stock Road, Leach Highway, and High Street to provide a grade-separated route, bypassing fourteen sets of traffic signals. The plan included mandatory GPS tracking of all vehicles over an undisclosed size or weight with
18755-474: The present state began with the establishment by Lockyer of a convict-supported settlement from New South Wales at King George III Sound . The settlement was formally annexed on 21 January 1827 by Lockyer when he commanded the Union Jack be raised and a feu de joie fired by the troops. The settlement was founded in response to British concerns about the possibility of a French colony being established on
18910-467: The project's design and construction included extensive rock protection requirements for the Clackline Brook culvert, drilling and blasting close to the existing highway, and protecting heritage and environmentally sensitive areas. The Clackline community welcomed the bypass, but there were concerns that the historic Clackline Bridge would be lost. The bridge has since received a permanent entry on
19065-465: The proposed Orange Route to meet Great Eastern Highway near Wundowie. The ultimate design of the highway included grade-separated interchanges for all of the roads that it intersects. The Orange Route received environmental approval on 22 November 1989. Detailed planning for the Clackline to Wooroloo section of the Orange Route was to begin in 1998. As of 2012, construction of the Orange Route is not
19220-550: The raising of a loan to construct a pipeline to transport 23 megalitres (5 million imperial gallons) of water per day to the burgeoning population on the goldfields. The pipeline, known as the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme , was completed in 1903. C. Y. O'Connor , Western Australia's first engineer-in-chief, designed and oversaw the construction of the pipeline. It carries water 530 km (330 mi) from Perth to Kalgoorlie , and
19375-406: The renaming, but the others were supportive. Motions that passed included submitting a rename proposal to the state government, urging the government to construct a new bridge at Bassendean, and approaching the government to have the road declared a main road. In November 1934, the state government Land Council contacted the local governments on the south side of the Swan River, asking them to rename
19530-407: The request, reasoning that most traffic bound for Midland used The Causeway and travelled on the south side of the Swan River, and that therefore the Perth–Guildford road should not be part of the main highway. Despite this setback, the Perth Road Board organised a local government conference to consider renaming the road from Perth to Guildford. The issue was considered important, as losing the name to
19685-409: The river. The highway, which is now within the City of Canning and bordering the residential suburb of Parkwood and industrial suburb of Canning Vale , reaches Willeri Drive 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) further west, after which it is now bordering Willetton to the north, and then reaches South Street 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) further southwest. Following this interchange Roe Highway is now within
19840-646: The road as Great Eastern Highway, and the council wrote to the Main Roads Department , requesting the name change be gazetted . This prompted Main Roads to write to other local governments, advising of the request and soliciting their views. The Mundaring Road Board and Kellerberrin Road Board were supportive, while the Kalgoorlie Road Board suggested Great Eastern Goldfields Highway. The Kalgoorlie Municipal Council agreed that
19995-555: The road should be known as a highway, but thought the name was inadequate for a road that only connected Midland Junction with Coolgardie. The Midland Junction Municipal Council opposed the renaming, citing "sentimental and practical reasons for the continuance of the use of the old name". In August 1934, the Bassendean Road Board applied to the Lands Department to change the portion of the Perth–Guildford road within its district to Great Eastern Highway. The department refused
20150-401: The road through Bassendean was not considered a main road. Traffic counts collected by the Bassendean Road Board, however, showed that the north of river route, through Bassendean, carried more traffic in both directions than the southern route, through Belmont – 54% compared to 46%. The northern route was also shorter by about two miles (3.2 km), and considered by the local governments to be
20305-409: The road was considered the main artery serving eastern districts, all the way through to Kalgoorlie. Other local governments in the area considered the issue over the next few months. The Bayswater Road Board and Greenmount Road Board were in favour of the idea, but Guildford Road Board was opposed, as several local road names would be lost. Greenmount, and public advertising, thereafter referred to
20460-446: The road. As Great Eastern Highway enters Midland, traffic splits into a pair of one-way roads. Eastbound traffic continues on Great Eastern Highway, while westbound traffic travels along Victoria Street. The split ends after 1 kilometre (0.6 mi), and a further 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) takes the highway to an interchange with Roe Highway, meeting up with traffic that bypassed the Guildford and Midland areas. Most of this section of
20615-682: The roads that make up the Causeway–Midland route as Great Eastern Highway. Both the Perth City Council and Belmont Park Road Board agreed to the request. This created a "peculiar situation", as described by the RAC, with roads both north and south of the Swan River proposed to be renamed as Great Eastern Highway. Despite the name change not being official, some residents along the road through Belmont started describing their properties as located on Great Eastern Highway. Another conference of
20770-578: The rural community of Sawyers Valley, three and a half kilometres (2.2 mi) east of Mundaring. Beyond Sawyers Valley, Great Eastern Highway travels in a north-easterly direction, alongside and later within the northernmost part of the Jarrahdale State Forest . After 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi), the highway reaches the Old Northam Road turnoff, which offers an alternative route through Chidlow . The highway route bypasses
20925-411: The same time the highway enters the suburb of Forrestfield . Another 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) takes the highway to Tonkin Highway. This major junction was originally a diamond interchange favouring Tonkin Highway, but is now a partial freeway-to-freeway interchange, with the left turns from Roe Highway free-flowing. There are plans to upgrade this junction into being a fully free-flowing interchange in
21080-421: The seal width along 38 miles (61 km) of the road, reconstructing 3 miles (5 km) of road, and resealing 23.5 miles (37.8 km). Precast concrete structures were used to replace two old, narrow wooden bridges. In the 1950s, roundabouts were constructed at each end of The Causeway, to improve the flow of traffic on the bridges and the distribution of traffic back into the road network. The roundabout at
21235-401: The soils has required heavy application by farmers of fertilisers. These have resulted in damage to invertebrate and bacterial populations. The grazing and use of hoofed mammals and, later, heavy machinery through the years have resulted in compaction of soils and great damage to the fragile soils. Large-scale land clearing for agriculture has damaged habitats for native flora and fauna. As
21390-537: The south side of the river would divert traffic away from the old established centres to the north. The straightening of dangerous bends and the replacement of an old bridge between Bassendean and Guildford were also to be considered. The conference, held on 7 September 1934, was attended by representatives of the Perth, Bayswater, Bassendean, and Guildford road boards, and the Midland Junction Council. Guildford and Midland Junction were still opposed to
21545-533: The south-west and southern coastal areas. As of 2021, the state has 2.91 million inhabitants—11 percent of the national total. Over 90 percent of the state's population live in the south-west corner and around 80 percent live in the state capital Perth , leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated. The Trans-Australian Railway and the Eyre Highway traverse the Nullarbor Plain in
21700-555: The state and national economy. In the period 2010–2019 wheat production in WA has averaged nearly 10 million tonnes (22 billion pounds), valued at $ 2.816 billion in 2019, accounting for half the nation's total and providing $ 2–3 billion in export income. Other significant farm output includes wool, beef, lamb, barley, canola, lupins, oats and pulses. There is a high level of overseas demand for live animals from WA, driven mainly by southeast Asia's feedlots and Middle Eastern countries, where Islamic dietary laws and
21855-574: The state's road network, including various locations along Great Eastern Highway. In 2008/09, the busiest section was east of the Graham Farmer Freeway interchange, averaging 60,760 vehicles per weekday. The lowest volume was an average of 850 vehicles per day near Ryans Find Road, partway between Southern Cross and Coolgardie; however, this point also received the largest proportion of heavy vehicles, at 40.2% of all traffic. As of 2012, Great Eastern Highway between Mundaring and Northam
22010-431: The state's south-east, providing the principal connection between Western Australia and the population centres in the eastern states . Western Australia's Indigenous peoples have been present for tens of thousands of years. Dutch explorers visited Western Australia from the 17th century, with Dirk Hartog 's 1616 expedition the first Europeans to make landfall. The British claimed Western Australia in 1827 and established
22165-451: The state). Other significant population centres include Bunbury (73,989), Geraldton (37,961), Kalgoorlie-Boulder (30,420), Albany (33,998), Karratha (16,446), Broome (14,501) and Port Hedland (14,285). At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were: 3.1% of the population, or 75,978 people, identified as Indigenous Australians ( Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders ) in 2016. At
22320-526: The suburb. The highway crosses the Helena River via a two-lane bridge, and continues north into the historic townsite of Guildford, named as Johnson Street. After 800 metres (2,600 ft), Johnson Street terminates at a T junction, just south of the Midland railway line . The highway turns east onto James Street, which after 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) has a sharp 90 degree turn to the north, continuing as East Street for 450 metres (1,480 ft). Following
22475-492: The time transportation ceased in 1868, convicts outnumbered free settlers 9,700 to 7,300. In the 1890s, interstate immigration, resulting from a mining boom in the Goldfields region , resulted in a sharp population increase. Western Australia did not receive significant flows of immigrants from Britain, Ireland or elsewhere in the British Empire until the early 20th century. At that time, its local projects—such as
22630-542: The turnoff for Northam, and part of the highway's former route through the town. The highway takes an 11.7-kilometre (7.3 mi) curve around the northern edge of Northam, meeting up with the eastern section of the former alignment, known as Yilgarn Avenue. This section of highway, also known as the Northam Bypass, intersects three other roads at grade separated interchanges: Northam–Toodyay Road , Irishtown Road, and Northam–Pithara Road . Each interchange consists of
22785-503: Was also constructed to provide an upgraded southern access to the Murdoch activity centre. The project was completed on 20 April 2020. Gateway WA was a $ 1 billion project that upgraded the road network around Perth Airport . It was, at the time, the largest project Main Roads Western Australia had ever undertaken, covering the upgrade of Tonkin , Leach , and Roe Highways, and the construction of four new interchanges. The project
22940-523: Was expected to reduce congestion along the highway, which had been one of Perth's worst accident spots in 2011/12. However, the accidents were usually not serious, and roadworks were considered a "major contributing factor". In October 2013, the project was recognised with the Civil Contractors Federation National Earth Award for Excellence. Great Eastern Highway Bypass, together with Roe Highway, provides
23095-532: Was first proposed in 1955 by Gordon Stephenson as part of what was to become the Metropolitan Region Planning Scheme . The highway was intended to form the southern and eastern sections of a ring route around the Perth metropolitan area. It is named in honour of John Septimus Roe , who arrived in Western Australia in 1829 and served as the first state Surveyor General of Western Australia for 41 years. Work began in 1981, with
23250-693: Was jointly funded by state and federal governments, which provided $ 317.5 million and $ 686.4 million respectively. As part of the project, Roe Highway's interchange with Tonkin Highway was upgraded, noise walls were erected along Roe Highway in High Wycombe , and a new interchange between Roe Highway and Berkshire Road was constructed. The project was completed in April 2016. Work commenced in July 2019 to widen Karel Avenue to four lanes between Farrington Road and Berrigan Drive, including duplication of
23405-487: Was opened in 1983, concurrent with the construction of Tonkin Highway and development of the Kewdale industrial area. The highway remains a key heavy vehicle route in the Perth metropolitan area. In the 1980s and 1990s, most of the highway's interchanges with other roads were constructed as at-grade intersections with traffic lights, as were Perth's other arterial highways also constructed during that time. From 2002 to 2006,
23560-653: Was reported in the Perth Hills , as far north as Wongan Hills and as far east as Salmon Gums . However, even in the Stirling Range, snowfalls rarely exceed 5 cm (2 in) and rarely settle for more than one day. The highest observed temperature of 50.7 °C (123.3 °F) was recorded in Onslow on 13 January 2022. The lowest temperature recorded was −7.2 °C (19.0 °F) at Eyre Bird Observatory on 17 August 2008. The south geomagnetic pole
23715-501: Was severed to the connection of the freeway with the road east of Berrigan Drive being renamed to Karel Avenue. Hope Road is now a series of local streets with the east of the freeway accessing to the West Power Jandakot Distribution Centre. The 19 km (12 mi) of road built since 1994 between Tonkin Highway and Kwinana Freeway, is to a freeway standard. It may in the future be upgraded to
23870-423: Was suspended in March 2017 following a change of government in the 2017 state election . The new government has since reconfigured the extension to curve northwards to link with Murdoch Drive instead. Construction on this project commenced in 2018 and was completed in April 2020. Roe Highway is part of State Route 3 , Perth's partial outer ring road, though it also carries National Highways 94 and 95 for parts of
24025-453: Was to become the Metropolitan Region Planning Scheme . The highway was intended to form the southern and eastern sections of a ring route around the Perth metropolitan area. In the 1950s, Stephenson planned for Roe Highway to continue westwards towards Fremantle, through South Fremantle along Marine Terrace and then north to connect with Stirling Highway and the Port of Fremantle . As part of
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