Former State Route 65 McGraths Hill to Maroota

State Route 65 ID sign at the junction with Millers Road, Cattai, which has since been coverplated. Photo taken: March 2004.

Lifespan: 1974-98 (24 years)

Length: 27km

Northern Terminus: Old Northern Rd & Wisemans Ferry Rd, Maroota

Southern Terminus: Windsor Rd & Pitt Town Rd, McGraths Hill

Route taken: Pitt Town Rd, Bathurst St, Chatham St, Eldon St, Cattai Rd, Wisemans Ferry Rd

Focal Points: Windsor, Wisemans Ferry

Roads Act 1993 Classification: Main Road No. 181

Route Overview:

State Route 65 was a circumferential route through Sydney's semi-rural north west. Proclaimed in 1974, the route was officially decomissioned in 1998 along with a bunch of other western Sydney state routes, however signage was not fully removed until August 2004 when another spate of state route decomissionings took place.

The route is entirely 2-lane undivided, most parts without a formed shoulder or edgelines. It is rather lightly trafficked although volumes are rising between Pitt Town and McGraths Hill. Possible reasoning for the decomissioning of this route is the fact that it was duplexed in its entirity with Tourist Drive 15 so there isn't much point having two routes that go the exact same place.

Up until August 2004 there were plenty of SR65 remnants, all of which i managed to capture on camera below.

Notable events in the history of SR65:

1974 - SR65 proclaimed
1998 - SR65 decomissioned (although many signs weren't removed)
August 2004 - All SR65 signs removed

Photos of State Route 65
	First distance sign north-east bound on SR65 at McGraths Hill. Photo taken March 2004.
	Opened 'flood sign' with a remnant SR65 shield, northbound on Pitt Town Road at Charles Street, McGraths Hill. This sign is normally seen in the blank closed position; probably why it survived the coverplating program in 2004. Source: Dean Jones, May 2012.
	ID sign at Old Hawkesbury Rd, McGraths Hill. Photo taken March 2004.
	ID sign at Saunders Rd, Oakville. Photo taken March 2004.
	AD sign northbound into Pitt Town. Note the unusual diagram design. Photo taken March 2004.
	ID sign at Bathurst St & Chatham St, Pitt Town. Photo taken March 2004.
	Same intersection, this time Windsor-bound. Photo taken March 2004.
	Chatham St & Eldon St, Pitt Town. Photo taken March 2004.
	Same intersection. Photo taken March 2004.
	Southbound entering Pitt Town. Photo taken March 2004.
	Eldon St & Cattai Rd, Pitt Town. Photo taken March 2004.
	Eldon St & Cattai Rd, Pitt Town. Photo taken March 2004.
	Looking south into Pitt Town. This is typical of the road quality along SR65. Photo taken March 2004.
	ID sign at Pitt Town-Dural Rd. Photo taken March 2004.
	Millers Rd, Cattai. Photo taken March 2004.
	Halcrows Rd, Cattai. Photo taken March 2004.
	Northbound approaching O'Briens Rd, Cattai. Photo taken March 2004.
	Very old and unique AD sign coming out of Riverside Oaks on O'Briens Rd approaching SR65. Photo taken March 2004.
	Southbound approaching O'Briens Rd. Photo taken March 2004.
	ID sign at O'Briens Rd. Photo taken March 2004.
	Improved road quality north of O'Briens Rd. Photo taken March 2004.
	Northbound approaching Sackville Ferry Rd, South Maroota. Photo taken March 2004.
	Sackville Ferry Rd approaching SR65. Photo taken March 2004.
	Southbound approaching Sackville Ferry Rd. Photo taken March 2004.
	ID signs at Sackville Ferry Rd intersection. Photo taken March 2004.
	Northbound RD sign from Sackville Ferry Rd. Photo taken March 2004.
	Poor road quality again through Maroota. Photo taken March 2004.
	Northbound Old Northern Rd approaching the former northern terminus of SR65. Note that SR36 is now decomissioned too. Photo taken March 2004.
	Southbound SR36 approaching SR65. Photo taken March 2004.
	ID sign at Old Northern Rd intersection, Maroota. Photo taken March 2004.
	Incorrect SR65 shield on Old Northern Rd, Maroota. This coverplate was probably mistakenly put on the wrong sign when TD15 was being signposted in 1995. Photo taken March 2004.
	The first distance sign south-west bound on SR65 at Maroota. Photo taken March 2004.