PRINCES HIGHWAY (SA)
A1 section of Princes Highway leaving Mt Gambier towards Portland. Jan 2005.
Length: 461km
Eastern Terminus: Vic/SA Border, 16km west of Mt Gambier
Western Terminus: Portrush Rd & Glen Osmond Rd & Cross Rd, Glen Osmond
Interstate Continuation: Continues east through Victoria to Melbourne and on to Sydney via coast
Focal Points: Adelaide, Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend, Meningie, Kingston S.E, Millicent, Mt Gambier, Portland
The Princes Highway forms a coastal highway route between Sydney and Adelaide, 461km of which lies within South Australia. The Princes Highway was named between Melbourne and Adelaide in 1938, although the section between Sydney and Melbourne had carried that name since October 1920. It carries highway one for its entire length in South Australia, first as an A route, then as a B route, then an A route again and finally a M route between Murray Bridge and Adelaide.
The original alignment of the Princes Highway varies greatly to today's alignment, especially between Adelaide and Murray Bridge and between Millicent and Kingston. In 1927, at the time of inception of the Highways Department, the Princes Highway passed through the town of Glencoe (bypassed in the 1970s), along the Southern Ports Highway route (bypassed 1933) and through the town centres of Tailem Bend and Murray Bridge. West of Murray Bridge to Mount Barker, the old highway is to the north of the current route, passing to the north of Monarto South and Callington and through Nairne and Littlehampton. East of Mt Barker the old highway is known as Mount Barker Road and is generally south of the existing highway. For more information on the former alignments and the history and development of the Adelaide-Murray Bridge corridor please follow the links.
Explore Princes Highway:
A1/B1 Section (Victorian Border to Tailem Bend)
M1/A1 Section (Tailem Bend to Adelaide)
Former Alignment: Glen Osmond Road (1938-74)
Further Reading (off-site):
South Eastern Freeway - Michael Greenslade