View source for Eyre Highway

{{Short description|Highway in South Australia and Western Australia}}
{{good article}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox Australian road
| road_name    = Eyre Highway 
| state        = wa
| state2       = sa
| type         = highway
| image        = Eucla Pass, 2017 (08).jpg
| caption      = The Eyre Highway at [[Eucla|Eucla Pass]]
| location     = Eyre Highway route map.png
| loc_caption  = Map of South Australia and southern Western Australia with Eyre Highway highlighted in red
| length       = 1664
| length_ref   = <ref name="gmaps">{{google maps |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/-32.185302,121.778449/-32.480254,137.752895/@-32.2612107,121.772991,11.66z/data=!4m5!4m4!1m1!4e1!1m1!4e1?hl=en |title=Eyre Highway |access-date=29 June 2022}}</ref>
| est          = 1942
| route        = {{plainlist|
*{{AUshield|NH|1}} [[List of road routes in Western Australia#1|National Highway&nbsp;1]] {{small|(1974–present)<br />(Western&nbsp;Australia)}}
*{{AUshield|SA|A1}} A1 {{small|(2017–present)<br />(South&nbsp;Australia)}}
}}
| former       = {{plainlist|
*{{AUshield|NH|A1}} National Highway&nbsp;A1 {{small|(1998–2017)}}
*{{AUshield|NH|1}} National Highway&nbsp;1 {{small|(1974–1998)<br />(South&nbsp;Australia)}}
*{{AUshield|NR|1}} National Route 1 {{small|(1955–1974)<br />Entire route}}
}}
| direction_a  = West
| end_a        = {{AUshield|NH|94|NR|1}} '''[[Coolgardie–Esperance Highway]]'''<br />{{small|[[Norseman, Western Australia]]}}
| exits        = {{plainlist|
*{{AUshield|SA|B100}} [[Flinders Highway, South Australia|Flinders Highway]]
*{{AUshield|SA|B90}} [[Tod Highway]]
*{{AUshield|SA|B100}} [[Lincoln Highway, South Australia|Lincoln Highway]]
*{{AUshield|SA|A87}} [[Stuart Highway]]}}
| direction_b  = East
| end_b        = {{AUshield|SA|A1}} '''[[Augusta Highway]]'''<br />{{small|[[Port Augusta, South Australia]]}}
| through      = {{WAcity|Eucla}}, {{SAcity|Ceduna|Kyancutta|Kimba}}
}}

'''Eyre Highway''' is a {{convert|1664|km|mi|adj=on}} highway linking [[Western Australia]] and [[South Australia]] via the [[Nullarbor Plain]]. Signed as National Highways 1 and A1, it forms part of [[Highway 1 (Australia)|Highway&nbsp;1]] and the [[National Highway (Australia)|Australian National Highway]] network linking [[Perth]] and [[Adelaide]]. It was named after explorer [[Edward John Eyre]], who was the first European to cross the Nullarbor by land, in 1840–1841. Eyre Highway runs from [[Norseman, Western Australia|Norseman]] in Western Australia, past [[Eucla]], to the state border. Continuing to the South Australian town of [[Ceduna, South Australia|Ceduna]], it crosses the top of the [[Eyre Peninsula]] before reaching [[Port Augusta]].

The construction of the [[History of telegraphy in Australia#East-West Telegraph|East–West Telegraph]] line in the 1870s, along Eyre's route, resulted in a hazardous [[trail]] that could be followed for interstate travel. A national highway was called for, with the [[Government of Australia|federal government]] seeing the route's importance in 1941, when a [[Pacific War|war in the Pacific]] seemed imminent. The highway was constructed between July 1941 and June 1942, and was trafficable by January 1942. It was originally named Forrest Highway, after [[John Forrest]], by the [[War cabinet#Australia|war cabinet]]. It was officially named Eyre Highway, a name agreed upon by the states' nomenclature committees.

The finished road, while an improvement over the previous route, still was not much more than a track, and remained such throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Efforts to [[Sealed road|seal the highway]] began in Norseman in 1960, with the Western Australian section completed in 1969 and the South Australian section finished in 1976. Further improvement works have been undertaken since the 1980s, including widening and reconstructing portions of the road.

==Route description==
Eyre Highway is the only [[sealed road]] linking the states of [[Western Australia]] and [[South Australia]].<ref name="Goldfields-Esperance Region map" /> It is one of Western Australia's two sealed interstate roads, the other being the [[Victoria Highway]] linking Western Australia and [[Northern Territory]]. Eyre Highway runs east from [[Norseman, Western Australia|Norseman]] in Western Australia for {{Convert|1200|km}} across the [[Nullarbor Plain]] to [[Ceduna, South Australia|Ceduna]], South Australia. It crosses the top of the [[Eyre Peninsula]] as it continues eastwards for {{Convert|470|km}}, before reaching [[Port Augusta]].<ref name="gmaps via Ceduna">{{Google maps |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/-32.185302,121.778449/-32.1208745,133.673821/-32.480254,137.752895/@-32.204285,125.2754208,1974334m/am=t/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m7!4m6!1m1!4e1!1m0!1m1!4e1!3e0?hl=en |title=Eyre Highway: Driving directions from Norseman via Ceduna to Port Augusta |access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref>

Eyre Highway is part of the [[National Highway (Australia)|National Highway]] route between Perth and Adelaide, and forms part of Australia's [[Highway 1 (Australia)|Highway&nbsp;1]]. It is signed as [[List of road routes in Western Australia#1|National Highway&nbsp;1]] in Western Australia,<ref>{{cite web|title=Route Numbering System in Western Australia|url=http://www2.mainroads.wa.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/949EDA90-5549-41BB-B279-7711F36241C0/14082/Useful_Information999.pdf|publisher=Main Roads Western Australia|access-date=26 November 2012|pages=1–2|year=2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902133739/http://www2.mainroads.wa.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/949EDA90-5549-41BB-B279-7711F36241C0/14082/Useful_Information999.pdf|archive-date=2 September 2007}}</ref> and [[List of road routes in South Australia#NA1|National Highway&nbsp;A1]] in South Australia.<ref>{{cite sign |author=Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure  |title=Eyre Highway |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-31.6371652,129.004823,3a,23.7y,49.95h,86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdAGy05luGlDYgtQEl-Jvew!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 |location=Border Village, SA |publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=15 October 2015 |medium=road sign |via=[[Google Maps]] Street View}}</ref><ref>{{cite sign |author=Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure  |title=Eyre Highway |url=https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-32.4802999,137.7529529,3a,75y,173.65h,76.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1Dt205ZZptBwgU4o7y_-xw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 |location=Port Augusta, SA |publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=15 October 2015 |medium=road sign |via=Google Maps Street View}}</ref> The vast majority of the highway is a two-lane single carriageway<ref name="gmaps via Ceduna" /> with a speed limit of {{Convert|110|km/h}}, except in and around [[built-up area]]s.<ref>{{cite web |author=Main Roads Western Australia |title=Road Information Mapping System |url=http://gis.mainroads.wa.gov.au/roadinformationmap/ |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date=15 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928155909/https://gis.mainroads.wa.gov.au/roadinformationmap/ |archive-date=28 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Local Information|url=http://www.ceduna.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=486|website=Far West Coast – Eyre Peninsula – South Australia|publisher=Ceduna Business & Tourism Association|access-date=15 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318135020/http://www.ceduna.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=486|archive-date=18 March 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.ceduna.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=486 |title=Ceduna Business & Tourism Association - Local Information |access-date=15 October 2015 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310000333/http://www.ceduna.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=486 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Road train]]s (A-double or B-triple) up to {{convert|42.5|m}} are permitted on the Eyre Highway, with Quads up to 49.5 metres (163 feet) between Ceduna and Colona Station turnoff<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maps.sa.gov.au/ravnet/index.html |title=RAVnet online mapping system |publisher=Government of South Australia, Department of Planning, transport and Infrastructure |access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref> limited to {{convert|100|km/h}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/104236/DOCS_AND_FILES-8247592-v1-Road_Train_Gazette_Notice_Aug_2011.PDF |title=Operation of Road Train vehicles in South Australia |date=19 August 2011 |access-date=16 October 2015 |page=2 |author=Brian E Hemming, Director, Transport Safety Regulation |publisher=[[Department for Infrastructure & Transport|Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821175735/http://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/104236/DOCS_AND_FILES-8247592-v1-Road_Train_Gazette_Notice_Aug_2011.PDF |archive-date=21 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Western Australian section of Eyre Highway is on the western side of the Nullarbor Plain. The South Australian section crosses the eastern section of the Nullarbor Plain, and the top of the Eyre Peninsula. The Nullarbor gets its name from Latin for "no tree".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=[[Macquarie Dictionary]]|edition=2nd|year=1991|publisher=Macquarie University|isbn=0-949757-63-2|page=1220}}</ref> The typical view on the route is a straight highway and practically unchanging flat [[Atriplex|saltbush]]-covered terrain.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|id=aa1306|name=Nullarbor Plain xeric shrublands|access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref> The Eyre Peninsula has been extensively cleared for agriculture, although there are remnant corridors of native [[eucalyptus]] woodland alongside its roads.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Eyre and York mallee|id=aa1203|access-date=11 October 2015}}</ref>

[[Main Roads Western Australia]] and the [[Department for Infrastructure & Transport]] in South Australia [[Traffic count|monitor traffic volume]] across the states' road networks, including various locations along Eyre Highway.<ref name="traffic digest 15">{{cite web |title=Statewide Traffic Digest 2009/10 – 2014/15 |url=http://reportingcentreresources.mainroads.wa.gov.au/public/data/xrc4111/AADT/traffic_digest.pdf |publisher=Main Roads Western Australia |access-date=24 December 2015 |year=2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224073419/http://reportingcentreresources.mainroads.wa.gov.au/public/data/xrc4111/AADT/traffic_digest.pdf |archive-date=24 December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|3}}<ref>{{cite web |author=Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure |title=Traffic Volumes |url=http://dpti.sa.gov.au/traffic_volumes |publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=24 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404025612/http://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/traffic_volumes |archive-date=4 April 2015 |url-status=live}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/traffic_volumes |title=Traffic Volumes |access-date=24 December 2015 |archive-date=27 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127021713/http://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/traffic_volumes |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> In Western Australia, the recorded traffic volumes ranged between 430 and 760 vehicles per day in 2013/14.<ref name="traffic digest 15" />{{rp|5}} In South Australia, the estimated [[annual average daily traffic]] as of September 2015 varied between 500 and 1,500 vehicles west of [[Lincoln Highway, South Australia|Lincoln Highway]], and was 2,700 to the east.<ref name="AADT RT1">{{cite map |author=Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure |map=RT1 |url=http://www.dptiapps.com.au/traffic-maps/aadt_rt1_colour.pdf |date=14 September 2015 |scale=Scale not given |title=Annual Average Daily Traffic Estimates |publisher=Government of South Australia |cartography=Road Asset Management Section |format=PDF |access-date=24 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708140952/http://www.dptiapps.com.au/traffic-maps/aadt_rt1_colour.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2019 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

=== Safety ===
[[File:Nullarbor warning signs, 2012.jpg|thumb|The Eyre Highway crosses the flat terrain of the [[Nullarbor Plain]]]]

In 2011, the [[Australian Automobile Association]] considered the Eyre Highway to be among the lowest risk highways in the country, based on total number of casualty crashes{{efn|The Australian Automobile Association's ''How Safe are our Roads? Rating Australia's National Network for Risk'' report defines a [[casualty (person)|casualty]] crash as "any road crash in which at least one person is killed or injured and this includes serious injuries which typically represent one third of casualty crashes".<ref name="HowSafeRoads2011" />}} per length of road. The individual risk based on casualty crash rates per vehicle kilometre travelled was assessed as high for the 95&nbsp;km section east of [[Yalata]] to [[Fowlers Bay]]. It was medium for a {{convert|106|km|adj=on}} section from Fowlers Bay to Ceduna, low-medium between Ceduna and Port Augusta, and low west of Yalata.<ref name="HowSafeRoads2011">{{cite web |url=http://www.aaa.asn.au/documents/reports%2F2012%2FAusRAP-report-2011-How-Safe-Are-Our-Roads.pdf |title=How Safe are our Roads? Rating Australia's National Network for Risk, 2011 |publisher=Australian Automobile Association |access-date=22 June 2014 |date=19 January 2012 |author=Australian Road Assessment Program |pages=6, 24–31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202042054/http://www.racq.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/82578/AusRAP_-_Rating-Australias-National-Network-for-Risk_-_Benchmarking-the-performance-of-Australias-roads-in-the-Decade-of-Action.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2013, Eyre Highway similarly received a lower safety rating for the South Australian sections, compared to the Western Australian section. Out of five stars, approximately 10% was rated as one- or two-star in Western Australia, generally towards the Norseman end, and 91% was rated three- or four-star. In South Australia, 49% was rated as one- or two-star, mostly from Yalata to Ceduna, and across the Eyre Peninsula, with the remaining 51% rated as three- or four-star.<ref>{{cite web |title=AusRAP Star Ratings Report |url=http://www.mynrma.com.au/images/About-PDF/AAA_Star_Rating_Booklet_web.pdf |publisher=Australian Automobile Association |access-date=27 November 2013 |pages=24–27, 45–46 |year=2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131127050116/http://www.mynrma.com.au/images/About-PDF/AAA_Star_Rating_Booklet_web.pdf |archive-date=27 November 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.mynrma.com.au/images/About-PDF/AAA_Star_Rating_Booklet_web.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=24 December 2015 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231857/http://www.mynrma.com.au/images/About-PDF/AAA_Star_Rating_Booklet_web.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

===Western Australia===
Eyre Highway begins at the town of Norseman, on the [[Coolgardie–Esperance Highway]]. Apart from [[Eucla]], {{convert|12|km|mi}} from the South Australia border, [[Roadhouse (premises)|roadhouses]] serving the highway are the only settlements on the {{convert|720|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} stretch through Western Australia.<ref name="Goldfields-Esperance Region map" /> These are located {{convert|65|to|180|km|-1}} apart,<ref>{{Google maps |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/-32.352499,123.6172956/-32.2707377,125.4876747/-32.0375811,126.0971932/-31.8992864,127.0198738/-31.8177031,128.2252663/@-31.8528735,124.9839486,8.29z/am=t/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en |title=Eyre Highway: Balladonia Hotel to Mundrabilla Roadhouse |access-date=22 January 2016}}</ref> at [[Balladonia]], [[Caiguna]], [[Cocklebiddy]], [[Madura, Western Australia|Madura]], and [[Mundrabilla, Western Australia|Mundrabilla]].<ref name="Goldfields-Esperance Region map">{{cite MRWA map|GE|access-date  = 22 September 2015}}</ref>[[File:90mile video gn.mov.webm|thumb|Australia's longest straight stretch of road. Known as ''90 mile straight'', it is 146.6km without a bend. This timelapse video vehicle's speed was 110km driving east starting at sunset.]] The section between Balladonia and Caiguna includes what is regarded as the longest straight stretch of road in Australia and one of the longest in the world. The road stretches for {{convert|146.6|km|mi|1}} without turning, and is signposted and commonly known as the "90&nbsp;Mile Straight".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Moon |first1=Ron |last2=Finlay |first2=Hugh |last3=O'Byrne |first3=Denis |last4=Williams |first4=Jeff |title=Outback Australia: a Lonely Planet Australia guide |date=1994 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-0-86442-239-2 |page=328 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-QpxXwmHM8C&q=%2290+mile+straight%22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sign at the start of 90 mile straight, Australia's longest straight road |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-10-13/sign-at-the-start-of-90-mile-straight-australias/1102102 |access-date=8 October 2015 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=13 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907090124/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-10-13/sign-at-the-start-of-90-mile-straight-australias/1102102 |archive-date=7 September 2014 |url-status=live}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-10-13/sign-at-the-start-of-90-mile-straight-australias/1102102 |title=Sign at the start of 90 mile straight, Australia's longest straight road |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-date=26 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226063522/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-10-13/sign-at-the-start-of-90-mile-straight-australias/1102102 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> Travelling east, the highway descends through the Madura Pass just before the Madura roadhouse from the Nullarbor Plain to the coastal [[Roe Plains]]. It skirts the bottom of the escarpment, climbing back through the Eucla Pass just before Eucla.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Waddell |first1=PA |last2=Gardner |first2=AK |last3=Hennig |first3=P |title=An inventory and condition survey of the Western Australian part of the Nullarbor region |url=http://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=1&article=1009&context=tech_bull&type=additional|journal=Technical Bulletin |number=97 |publisher=Department of Agriculture and Food|location=Western Australia |isbn=978-0-9806315-2-4 |page=7 |format=PDF |date=December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001074909/http://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=1&article=1009&context=tech_bull&type=additional |archive-date=1 October 2015 |url-status=live}} {{Cite web |url=http://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=1&article=1009&context=tech_bull&type=additional |title=Archived copy |access-date=1 October 2015 |archive-date=1 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001074909/http://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=1&article=1009&context=tech_bull&type=additional |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

Because of its remoteness, some widened sections of the highway serve as emergency airstrips for the [[Royal Flying Doctor Service]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sweeney |first1=Peter |title=Nullarbor: Take the long way to Western Australia |department=Escape |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/travel-old/take-the-long-way-to-wa/story-fn3025r5-1226405689980 |access-date=8 October 2015 |work=The Australian |date=24 June 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527134526/https://www.webcitation.org/6c7sqxXoD?url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/travel-old/take-the-long-way-to-wa/story-fn3025r5-1226405689980%3Fnk=924064a177d0a8d05a0fa002e2140a51-1444309845 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> These airstrips are signposted, have runway pavement markings painted on the road, and turnaround bays for small aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Main Roads Western Australia |title=5.3.1 Design Requirements |work=Emergency Landing Strips |url=https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/StandardsTechnical/RoadandTrafficEngineering/GuidetoRoadDesign/Pages/Emergency_Landing_Strips.aspx |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008131850/https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/StandardsTechnical/RoadandTrafficEngineering/GuidetoRoadDesign/Pages/Emergency_Landing_Strips.aspx |archive-date=8 October 2015 |url-status=dead |date=13 May 2015 |df=dmy-all }} {{Cite web |url=https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/StandardsTechnical/RoadandTrafficEngineering/GuidetoRoadDesign/Pages/Emergency_Landing_Strips.aspx |title=Archived copy |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008131850/https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/BuildingRoads/StandardsTechnical/RoadandTrafficEngineering/GuidetoRoadDesign/Pages/Emergency_Landing_Strips.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===South Australia===
[[File:26 Eyre Hwy 02.JPG|thumb|Driving north along the Eyre Highway between [[Iron Knob]] and [[Port Augusta]]]]

After crossing the border at the settlement of [[Border Village]], the highway passes through the [[Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area]] and through the localities of [[Yalata]], [[Penong]] and Ceduna. Before arriving at Ceduna, it enters the [[Eyre Peninsula]]. After Ceduna, the highway passes the intersection with [[Flinders Highway, South Australia|Flinders Highway]] and heads south-east towards [[Kyancutta]].  After passing through [[Wirrulla]], [[Poochera]], Yanninee and [[Wudinna]], the highway arrives at Kyancutta where it meets the north end of the [[Tod Highway]].

After Kyancutta, the highway turns to the east towards the town of [[Kimba, South Australia|Kimba]].  Before arriving at Kimba, it turns to the north-east.  After Kimba, the highway passes through the southern end of the [[Lake Gilles Conservation Park]] and to the immediate north of both the town of [[Iron Knob]] and the [[Cultana Training Area]] before meeting the [[Lincoln Highway, South Australia|Lincoln Highway]]. It continues north-east until it intersects with the [[Augusta Highway]] and [[Stuart Highway]],<ref name="SAlocs" /><ref name="PA2014">{{cite web|title=Protected Areas of South Australia September (Map) 2014 Edition|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/bf6977cb-f1f9-4700-9b5f-a35500fda94f/protected-areas-of-south-australia-map.pdf|publisher=Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources|access-date=15 April 2015}}</ref><ref name=ellis>{{cite web|last= Ellis |first= Stuart |title= Army Presence in South Australia, 'Maintaining the Momentum' |url= http://www.defencesa.com/upload/brochures/def-4121_Army%20Report_FA_LR.pdf |publisher= Leading by Example Pty Ltd |access-date=25 August 2015|date=2011|pages=59–60}}</ref> north-west of the [[Joy Baluch AM Bridge]] which crosses [[Spencer Gulf]] at Port Augusta.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bridge named in honour of Joy Baluch AM |work=News Release |url=http://www.premier.sa.gov.au/images/news_releases/13_05May/joybaluch.pdf |access-date=22 January 2016 |publisher=Government of South Australia |date=17 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122025451/http://www.premier.sa.gov.au/images/news_releases/13_05May/joybaluch.pdf |archive-date=22 January 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }} {{Cite web |url=http://www.premier.sa.gov.au/images/news_releases/13_05May/joybaluch.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=22 January 2016 |archive-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122025451/http://www.premier.sa.gov.au/images/news_releases/13_05May/joybaluch.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Ryan |title=Joy Baluch AM Bridge officially unveiled |url=http://www.transcontinental.com.au/story/1518974/joy-baluch-am-bridge-officially-unveiled/ |access-date=22 January 2016 |work=The Transcontinental |location=Port Augusta |date=22 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221124530/http://www.transcontinental.com.au/story/1518974/joy-baluch-am-bridge-officially-unveiled/ |archive-date=21 December 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

An alternative route between Ceduna and Port Augusta, formerly signed Alternate National Route&nbsp;1<ref>Transport SA. [http://www.ozroads.com.au/SA/Old/Alt-1/eyrepeninsula.htm Flinders Highway and Lincoln Highway road signs] (photographs) – via Ozroads. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150301013129/http://www.ozroads.com.au/SA/Old/Alt-1/eyrepeninsula.htm Archived] from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.</ref> and now signed B100,<ref name="SAroadroutes">{{cite web |url=https://location.sa.gov.au/viewer/?map=hybrid&x=136.19383&y=-32.61774&z=7&uids=135 |title=Location SA Map viewer with road route layers |publisher=[[Government of South Australia]] |accessdate=16 June 2022}}</ref> follows Flinders Highway and Lincoln Highway down the western and eastern sides of the peninsula respectively.<ref name="SAlocs" />

<gallery>
File:Caiguna Roadhouse, 2017 (02).jpg|[[Caiguna]] Roadhouse, a typical Nullarbor roadhouse
File:Nullabor sign wp.JPG | Nullarbor roadhouse distances sign in 2008
File:Eyre Highway RFDS.jpg|A [[Royal Flying Doctor Service]] emergency airstrip
</gallery>

==History==
===Background===
[[File:Routes of Eyre (1840 and 1841) retouched.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Edward John Eyre]]'s expeditions, including along the coastline of the [[Great Australian Bight]] and the [[Nullarbor Plain]]]]
In 1840–1841, [[Edward John Eyre]] was the first European to traverse the coastline of the [[Great Australian Bight]] and the Nullarbor Plain by land, on an almost {{convert|2000|mi|adj=on}} [[Edward John Eyre#Overland to Albany|trip from Adelaide to Albany, Western Australia]].<ref>{{cite web |first1=Geoffrey |last1=Dutton |title=Eyre, Edward John (1815–1901) |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/eyre-edward-john-2032/text2507 |year=2006 |orig-year=First published 1966 |access-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

Three decades later, the [[History of telegraphy in Australia#East-West Telegraph|East–West Telegraph]] line was installed. Constructed between 1875 and 1877, it followed the same route across the Nullarbor and along the Great Australian Bight, after [[John Forrest]] retraced Eyre's route in 1870 and confirmed its suitability. Repeater stations were installed at [[Port Lincoln]], [[Streaky Bay]], [[Smoky Bay]], [[Fowlers Bay]], [[Eucla]], [[Israelite Bay]], [[Esperance, Western Australia|Esperance]] and [[Bremer Bay]]. Stations were later added at Franklin Harbour ([[Cowell, South Australia|Cowell]]) in 1885, [[Yardea]] in 1896 and [[Balladonia]] in 1897.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/portal/system/files/engineering-heritage-australia/nomination-title/East-West%20Telegraph.pdf |title=Nomination of the East-West Telegraph Line for a National Engineering Landmark |publisher=The Institute of Engineers, Australia |date=2 June 2001 |access-date=24 September 2015 |author=South Australia and Western Australia Divisions, The Institute of Engineers, Australia}}</ref>

From 1912 to 1917 an inland route across the Nullarbor was established with the construction of the [[Trans-Australian Railway]], from [[Port Augusta railway station|Port Augusta]] via [[Tarcoola railway station|Tarcoola]] to [[Kalgoorlie railway station|Kalgoorlie]]. With few roads or tracks encountering the line, most of it is only accessible by rail.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/Trans_Australian_Railway_Nomination.pdf |title=The Trans-Australian Railway: Nomination For Award As A National Engineering Landmark |publisher=The Institute of Engineers, Australia |date=May 2001 |access-date=24 September 2015 |author=South Australia and Western Australia Divisions, [[Engineers Australia|Institute of Engineers Australia]] |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925111721/https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/Trans_Australian_Railway_Nomination.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Highway planning and construction===
[[File:On the road to Ceduna 1929.jpg|thumb|The trail heading west to [[Ceduna, South Australia|Ceduna]] in 1929]]
The construction of the telegraph had resulted in a [[trail]] that could be followed for interstate travel, but it was a haphazard route which only the more adventurous motorists would take.<ref name=VL>{{cite book |first=Leigh |last=Edmonds |title=The Vital Link: A History of Main Roads Western Australia 1926–1996 |publisher=[[UWA Publishing|University of Western Australia Press]] |location=Nedlands, WA |year=1997 |isbn=1-875560-87-4}}</ref>{{rp|93}} Many travellers were unprepared for the harsh conditions and lack of services. They would cause a nuisance for [[Station (Australian agriculture)|station]] owners and other travellers by scrounging petrol, contaminating water supplies, leaving gates open, and committing acts of vandalism.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139835097 |title=Trouble on the East–West Road |newspaper=[[Cootamundra Herald]] |location=NSW |date=9 September 1938 |access-date=26 September 2015 |page=6 |via=[[NLA Trove|Trove]] (National Library of Australia)}}</ref>

In 1938 the [[Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia]] (RAC) called for a national highway to be constructed by the federal government, as it would be a strategic defence road, provide another link between Western Australia and other states, and improve the tourist experience.<ref name="trans road 1938">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article83551334 |title=East–West Trans Road Urged |newspaper=[[Daily News (Perth, Western Australia)|The Daily News]] |location=Perth, WA |date=30 July 1938 |access-date=26 September 2015 |page=5 |edition=Fields Green |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> The federal government did not see the road as important enough for its involvement.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87497450 |title=Australian Defence |newspaper=[[Kalgoorlie Miner]] |date=5 November 1938 |access-date=26 September 2015 |page=6 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref>

In May 1941, following the construction of the central north–south [[Stuart Highway]], the federal government announced its decision to build the east–west highway between Norseman and Port Augusta.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47325835 |title=The East–West Road |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Perth, WA |date=22 May 1941 |access-date=26 September 2015 |page=8 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> A northerly route, close to the Trans-Australian Railway, had been considered, but extensive limestone [[outcrop]]s made it impractical. Taking a route east from Norseman, with some detours around [[limestone]] ridges, would allow a road to be formed quickly and easily. With a [[Pacific War|war in the Pacific]] seemingly imminent, construction began in July 1941. The [[Australian Army|Army]] was responsible for fuel, food, and communications, while the state government departments of [[Main Roads Western Australia|Main Roads]] (Western Australia) and Highways (South Australia) managed the construction.<ref name=VL />{{rp|93–96}}

[[File:Madura Pass Has Now Lost Its Terror, 1941.jpg|thumb|The Madura Pass section in 1941, before (top) and after (bottom) construction]]
The road was completed in June 1942. Construction cost twice the initial £125,000 estimate over a period of four months.<ref name=VL />{{rp|95–96}} The road was sufficiently trafficable and in use by January 1942.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47178287 |title=Forrest-Highway |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, WA |date=23 January 1942 |access-date=27 September 2015 |page=4 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> The finished road, while an improvement over the previous route, still was not much more than a track. The only sections with a [[bitumen]] surface were the Madura and Eucla Passes. The formed width was {{convert|30|ft|0}}, with some sections{{efn|In Western Australia, approximately 280 out 452 miles ({{convert|280|mi|km|disp=number}} out of {{convert|452|mi|km|disp=out}})<ref name=VL />{{rp|96}}}} lightly [[gravel road|gravelled]] over a {{convert|16|ft|adj=on}} width.<ref name=VL />{{rp|96}}

By the middle of the century, several water tanks with up to {{convert|44000|impgal}} capacity were located alongside the highway, including at Madura Pass, Moonera, Cocklebiddy, and {{convert|28|mi}} east of Mundrabilla.<ref name="KM21April1949">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95741363 |title=Eyre Highway |newspaper=[[Kalgoorlie Miner]] |location=Western Australia |date=21 April 1949 |access-date=13 January 2020 |page=4 |via=Trove }}</ref> In some cases the tanks were accompanied by amenity such as a shed,<ref>{{Citation | title=Gundalabbie shed and tanks on the Nullarbor Plains | date=1958 | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/208489597 | access-date=12 January 2020 }}</ref> or a hut and stove,<ref name="KM21April1949"/> or even petrol and cafes at Ivy Tanks.<ref>{{Citation | title=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 | date=1968 | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/231177273 | access-date=12 January 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title=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 | date=1968 | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/231279991 | access-date=12 January 2020 }}</ref> The establishment of Ivy Tanks in any form was being lost by the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article240787142 |title=COMPANIES (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) CODE |newspaper=[[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette]] |location=Australia|date=16 August 1983 |access-date=12 January 2020 |page=2535 |via=Trove }}</ref>

===Naming===
In the 1930s and 1940s, the Western Australian Nomenclature Advisory Committee{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Now the [[Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia#Official authorities|Geographic Names Committee]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Geographic Names Committee|url=http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/Geographic+Names+Committee|publisher=Government of Western Australia|access-date=22 March 2014|author=Western Australian Land Information Authority|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802165311/http://www.landgate.wa.gov.au/corporate.nsf/web/Geographic+Names+Committee|archive-date=2 August 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}} had been choosing directional names for the state's main arterial roads, such as [[Great Eastern Highway]].<ref name="Origin of Title 1943">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46755926 |title=Eyre Highway: Origin of Title |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, WA |date=13 May 1943 |access-date=27 September 2015 |page=2 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> The South Australian Highways Department had been naming the major roads to other states after explorers, such as Flinders Highway, named after [[Matthew Flinders]]. In 1938, the historical memorials committee of the [[Royal Geographical Society of South Australia|Royal Geographical Society]] in South Australia was disappointed that no road had been named after Eyre, despite its suggestion that the road from Port Augusta towards Perth should be Eyre Highway.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article137467491 |title=Eyre's Name Not Included |newspaper=[[The News (Adelaide)|The News]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=17 June 1938 |access-date=27 September 2015 |page=5 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> In the same year, the RAC suggested that the proposed new highway be named Forrest Highway, after John Forrest. The Assistant Minister for Commerce, [[Allan MacDonald (Western Australian politician)|Senator Macdonald]], concurred.<ref name="trans road 1938" />

On 21 January 1942, Prime Minister [[John Curtin]] announced the [[War cabinet#Australia|war cabinet]] decision to name the newly constructed road Forrest Highway,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91520157 |title=East–West Road Named Forrest Highway |newspaper=[[The Examiner (Tasmania)|The Examiner]] |location=Launceston, Tas. |date=22 January 1942 |access-date=27 September 2015 |page=5 |edition=Late News |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> for military purposes.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160519910 |title=Forrest Highway |newspaper=[[The National Advocate]] |location=Bathurst, NSW |date=22 January 1942 |access-date=27 September 2015 |page=3 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> Separately, the states' nomenclature committees were considering names for the road. A proposal for a single name to be used in both states was put by the Western Australian committee to the South Australian committee when the highway was completed. Two names were suggested: Great Western Highway, in line with similar directional names in Western Australia, and Eyre Highway, after the explorer. After several communications between the committees, both decided to use the name Eyre Highway.<ref name="Origin of Title 1943" /> After receiving a letter from the South Australian Premier in May 1943, supporting the nomenclature committee's recommendation, Curtin agreed to the name, subject to approval from the Western Australian government.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46755808 |title=News and Notes |newspaper=The West Australian |location=Perth, WA |date=12 May 1943 |access-date=27 September 2015 |page=2 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref>

The South Australian section was named Eyre Highway on 20 May 1943, with the portion from Murat Bay (Ceduna) to the state border declared a main road.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127030777 |title=Murat Bay Road |newspaper=The News |location=Adelaide, SA |date=20 May 1943 |access-date=7 October 2015 |page=3 |via=Trove (National Library of Australia)}}</ref> Eyre Highway was [[Western Australian Government Gazette|gazetted]] in Western Australia on 11 June 1943, and included the road from Coolgardie to Norseman until [[Coolgardie–Esperance Highway]] was gazetted on 16 August 1957.<ref>{{Gazette WA
| title = Eyre Highway
| file = 798/42
| page = 600
| date = 11 June 1943
| url = https://www.slp.wa.gov.au/gazette/GAZETTE.NSF/searchgazette/5ADA41A7F9BA24F34825773C0026BE5E/$file/gg027.pdf
| format = PDF
}}</ref><ref>{{Gazette WA
| title = Land Act, 1933–1956: Naming and Change of Name of Roads in the Coolgardie, Dundas and Esperance Road Districts
| file = 798/42
| page = 2469
| date = 16 August 1957
| url = https://www.slp.wa.gov.au/gazette/GAZETTE.NSF/searchgazette/78A9F3BB13784F0EC82576270032FAB5/$file/gg073.pdf
| format = PDF
}}</ref>

===Sealing===
[[File:A167, Western Australia, Eyre Highway, longest straight road section in Australia, 2007.JPG|thumb|A sealed surface at the west end of "90 Mile Straight", looking east]]
The state of Eyre Highway remained relatively unchanged throughout the 1940s and 1950s. The road received yearly maintenance, but further, more expensive works were not warranted due to the low traffic volume of approximately fourteen vehicles per day.<ref name=VL />{{rp|152–153}} The maintenance and grading was hindered by a lack of rainfall – the road was smoothed out each year, and small sections were gravelled, but the soil the road was made from was too weak to be an effective road surface.<ref name=VL />{{rp|186–7}} When it did rain, even in small amounts, the road would become boggy, from patches that had broken down into a powdery substance, known as "bulldust", during dry periods.<ref name=VL />{{rp|223}} Large numbers of vehicles travelling the highway in 1962, for the [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games in Perth]], damaged the road in numerous locations, and the lack of moisture required salt water to be pumped from {{convert|350|ft}} below the surface for use in repairs and maintenance.<ref name=VL />{{rp|186–7}}

Work to [[sealed road|seal]] Eyre Highway was undertaken in the 1960s and 1970s. As the federal government refused requests from Western Australia and South Australia for a special allocation to fund the sealed road, the work was left for the states to finance, over a number of years.<ref name=VL />{{rp|223}} Construction began in 1960, at the Norseman end. By the end of that year {{convert|spell=in|5|mi|0}} had been reconstructed, and was ready to be sealed over a {{convert|20|ft|0|adj=on}} width. {{convert|14|mi|spell=In}} were sealed in 1961, another {{convert|67|mi}} were completed by 1963, and in 1964 the seal reached {{convert|111|mi}} out from Norseman.<ref name=VL />{{rp|187}} By the mid-1960s, approximately {{convert|60|mi|-1}} were being sealed each year. With increased priority given to the project from 1966, Western Australia's portion of the highway was completed in 1969, with a ceremony held in Eucla on 17 October.<ref name=VL />{{rp|223–225}}<ref>{{cite book|title=The Roadmakers Eyre Highway|date=September 1969|publisher=Main Roads Department Western Australia}}</ref>

[[File:Great Australian Bight Marine Park.jpg|thumb|The [[Great Australian Bight]] is a short detour away at several places along the highway]]
In South Australia, a decade-long program to seal the highway began in the mid-1960s. The first section completed was the {{convert|462|km|adj=on}} route between Port Augusta and Ceduna, in December 1967. In October 1972 the Ceduna to Penong seal was completed. The final link to be sealed, between Penong and the state border, was completed with a ceremony held in September 1976 near Wigunda Tank, South Australia.<ref name=jan1977>Eyre Highway (January 1977). Western Roads: official journal of the Main Roads Department, Western Australia, 2(1), p. 2–6. Perth: Main Roads Department.</ref>

Between Yalata and the state border, the highway was realigned and deviated considerably from the original unsealed route. In deciding the new alignment for the South Australian section of the highway between Yalata and the state border, long, straight, flat sections were purposely avoided to prevent driver boredom and consequent fatigue, as well as sun-glare and glare from oncoming headlights. The new alignment also took into consideration the potential tourism opportunities provided along the coast of the Great Australian Bight.<ref name=jan1977 />

The older route, [[Old Eyre Highway]],<ref>{{cite web |author1=Nullarbor Parks Advisory Committee |title=Nullarbor Parks Management Plan 2019 |url=https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/sharedassets/public/park_management/nullarbor-parks-management-plan.pdf |publisher=Government of South Australia |access-date=12 January 2020 |page=7 }}</ref> runs from Border Village to the Nullarbor Homestead, approximately {{convert|15|to|20|km|0}} away from the coast.<ref name="Whyte 20014 Readymix">{{cite journal |last=Whyte |first=Brendan |title=The Diamond in the Desert: The Story of the Giant Readymix Logo on the Nullarbor |journal=The Globe |issue=55 |year=2004 |page=2 |via=[[State Library of Western Australia]] access to [[RMIT Informit|Informit]] |url=http://0-search.informit.com.au.catalogue.slwa.wa.gov.au/documentSummary;dn=852426262057772;res=IELAPA |issn=0311-3930 |access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref> Another section from the Nullarbor Homestead to Nundroo Motel also travelled further inland than the new alignment, past Ivy Tank Motel and Yalata Roadhouse.<ref name="Whyte 20014 Readymix" />

===Further improvements===
The 1960s standard of a {{convert|6.2|m|ft|adj=on|order=flip|sigfig=1|spell=in}} sealed width<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202732006|title=Work on Eyre Highway|newspaper=The Beverley Times|date=11 March 1966|page=7|access-date=29 January 2016}}</ref> with {{convert|1.2|m|ft|adj=mid|4=-wide|order=flip|sigfig=1|spell=in}} gravel shoulders was proving to be inadequate by the 1980s. Increasing numbers of truck and tourist coaches caused fretting, and reduced the actual sealed width to {{convert|5.6|m}} along much of Eyre Highway. Main Roads in Western Australia spent around a million dollars a year on rehabilitating {{convert|50|to|100|km|-1|adj=on}} sections. A major project to improve Eyre Highway, rather than just repair the damage, began in 1984 with federal government providing funding to reconstruct {{convert|300|km}} in Western Australia.<ref name=VL />{{rp|367}}

The highway was rebuilt with a {{convert|7|m|adj=mid|4=-wide|spell=in}} pavement, with shoulders partially sealed to a width of {{convert|1|m|spell=in}}. Work began in mid-1985 near Cocklebiddy, with a {{convert|58|km|adj=mid|4=-long}} section completed in 1986. Work undertaken from 1987 to 1988 reached out {{convert|110|km}} east of Cocklebiddy, and {{convert|225|km}} had been completed by June 1990.<ref name=VL />{{rp|367}} The upgrade from Cocklebiddy to the state border was completed in October 1994.<ref name=VL />{{rp|388}}

Since the 1990s, regular maintenance and minor improvements have been an ongoing effort. There have been larger-scale works including reconstruction of sections near Caiguna, Balladonia, and the Frazer Range in Western Australia,<ref name=VLTTY>{{cite book|last1 = Edmonds|first1 = Leigh|title = The Vital Link: The Transition Years 1996–2006|date = 2008|publisher = Main Roads Western Australia|location = East Perth, WA|isbn = 978-0-7309-7692-9|pages = 24–25, 28}}</ref> as well as Cungena and Kyancutta in South Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eyre Highway |url=http://www.catcon.com.au/projects/view/53/Eyre_Highway |website=CATCON |publisher=Civil & Allied Technical Construction Pty Ltd |date=2011 |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319080504/http://catcon.com.au/projects/view/53/Eyre_Highway |archive-date=19 March 2015 |url-status=live}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.catcon.com.au/projects/view/53/Eyre_Highway |title=CATCON - Projects - Eyre Highway |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-date=26 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126101527/http://www.catcon.com.au/projects/view/53/Eyre_Highway |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

==Major intersections==
{{AUSinttop|state_col=State|LGA_ref=<ref name="SALGAs">{{cite web |url=https://location.sa.gov.au/viewer/?map=hybrid&x=136.19383&y=-32.61774&z=7&uids=11 |title=Location SA Map viewer with LGA layers |publisher=[[Government of South Australia]] |accessdate=16 June 2022}}</ref>|location_ref=<ref name="gmaps" /><ref name="SAlocs">{{cite web |url=https://location.sa.gov.au/viewer/?map=hybrid&x=136.19383&y=-32.61774&z=7&uids=19 |title=Location SA Map viewer with suburb layers |publisher=[[Government of South Australia]] |accessdate=16 June 2022}}</ref>|length_ref=<ref name="gmaps" />|dest_ref=<ref name="Goldfields-Esperance Region map" />
}}
{{AUS-WAint
|sspan=4
|LGAS=Dundas
|LGAspan=4
|location=Norseman
|lspan=2
|type=trans
|km=0.0
|road={{AUshield|NH|94|NR|1}} [[Coolgardie–Esperance Highway]] (National Highway&nbsp;94 north, National Route&nbsp;1 south){{WAcity|p=on|Coolgardie|Kalgoorlie|Perth|Esperance}}
|notes=Western terminus of highway and National Highway 1
}}
{{AUS-WAint
|km=0.3
|bridge=''[[Esperance branch railway]]''
}}
{{AUS-WAint
|location=Eucla
|lspan=2
|km=707
|road={{AUshield|+|airport}} Eucla–Reid Road{{WAcity|p=on|Eucla}}, [[Eucla Airport]]
|notes=
}}
{{AUS-WAint
|type=trans
|km=720
|uspan=3
|road={{AUshield|NH|1}} Eyre Highway (National Highway 1)
|notes=Eastern terminus of National Highway 1
}}
{{SAint
|location_special=State border
|lcspan=3
|lcalign=center
|km=none
|place=Western Australia – South Australia state border
}}
{{SAint
|sspan=14
|LGA=[[Pastoral Unincorporated Area]]
|location=Nullarbor
|type=trans
|km=none
|road={{AUshield|SA|A1}} Eyre Highway (A1)
|notes=Western terminus of route A1
}}
{{SAint
|LGADC=Ceduna
|LGAspan=3
|location=Ceduna
|lspan=3
|km=1196
|bridge=''[[Eyre Peninsula Railway]]''
|bspan=2
}}
{{SAint
|km=1200
|bridge=none
}}
{{SAint
|km=1204
|road={{AUshield|SA|B100}} [[Flinders Highway, South Australia|Flinders Highway]] (B100){{SAcity|p=on|Streaky Bay|Port Lincoln}}
|notes=
}}
{{SAint
|LGADC=Streaky Bay
|location=Poochera
|km=1337
|road=Streaky Bay Road{{SAcity|p=on|Streaky Bay}}
|notes=
}}
{{SAint
|LGA-DC=Wudinna
|LGAspan=2
|location=Kyancutta
|lspan=2
|km=1422
|road={{AUshield|SA|B90}} [[Tod Highway]] (B90 south){{SAcity|p=on|Lock|Port Lincoln}}
|notes=T-junction: Eyre Highway continues east
}}
{{SAint
|km=1423
|bridge=''[[Eyre Peninsula Railway]]''
|bspan=2
}}
{{SAint
|LGADC=Kimba
|LGAspan=2
|location=Kimba
|lspan=2
|km=1509
|bridge=none
}}
{{SAint
|km=1510
|road=Cleve Road{{SAcity|p=on|Cleve|Arno Bay}}
|notes=
}}
{{SAint
|LGA=[[Pastoral Unincorporated Area]]
|LGAspan=3
|location=Iron Knob
|km=1598
|road=Iron Knob Road{{SAcity|p=on|Iron Knob|Whyalla}}
|notes=
}}
{{SAint
|location=Lincoln Gap
|km=1640
|lspan=2
|road={{AUshield|SA|B100}} [[Lincoln Highway, South Australia|Lincoln Highway]] (B100 southwest){{SAcity|p=on|Whyalla|Port Lincoln}}
|notes=T-junction: Eyre Highway continues northeast
}}
{{SAint
|km=1651
|bridge=''[[Whyalla railway line]]''
}}
{{SAint
|LGAC=Port Augusta
|LGAspan=2
|location=Port Augusta West
|lspan=2
|km=1664
|uspan=2
|road={{AUshield|SA|A87}} [[Stuart Highway]] (A87 north){{SAcity|p=on|Coober Pedy}}, {{NTcity|Alice Springs|Darwin}}
|notes=
}}
{{SAint
|type=trans
|km=none
|road={{AUshield|SA|A1}} [[Augusta Highway]] (A1 east){{SAcity|p=on|Port Wakefield|Snowtown|Adelaide}}
|notes=Eastern terminus of highway, route A1 continues east along Augusta Highway
}}
{{jctbtm|col=7|keys=trans|conv=no}}

==See also==
{{portal|Australian Roads|South Australia|Western Australia}}
* [[Highway 1 (South Australia)]]
* [[Highway 1 (Western Australia)]]
* [[List of roadhouses in Western Australia]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Main Roads, Western Australia (2006) ''Distance book: distances to towns and localities in Western Australia'' East Perth, W.A. Main Roads {{ISBN|0-7309-7668-8}}
* Western Australia. Dept. of Tourism. (1978) ''Eyre highway traveller survey, 1978 : a study of travellers prior and subsequent to sealing of the highway'' Perth: Western Australian Dept. of Tourism. {{ISBN|0-7244-7800-0}}  (Roads. Use. Australia. Eyre Highway. Reports, surveys (ANB/PRECIS SIN 0061603)
* {{Cite book | last1=Saunders |first1=B. A. | title=Spirit of the Desert: The Story of Eucla, WA, After the East–West Telegraph Era | year=2005 | publisher=Eucla History Project | isbn=978-0-646-44583-0 }}

==External links==
{{maplink|display=title|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Eyre Highway}}|text=Route map}}
{{mapbox raw data|data={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Eyre Highway}}|above='''[[Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Eyre Highway|GeoJSON file]]'''|text-left=yes}}
{{Attached KML|display=inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline}}
* [http://travography.com/nullarbor/ Across the Nullarbor] Driving Guide by Roderick Eime

{{Towns Nullarbor}}
{{Road infrastructure in South Australia}}
{{Road infrastructure in Western Australia}}
{{WA road routes
|route=National Highway 1
|shield={{AUshield|N|1}}
|roads={{WA road routes/R|H1}}
}}

[[Category:Eyre Highway| ]]
[[Category:Highways in rural Western Australia]]
[[Category:Highways in South Australia]]
[[Category:Nullarbor Plain]]
[[Category:Highway 1 (Australia)]]
[[Category:Eyre Peninsula]]
[[Category:Goldfields–Esperance]]