Omeo Highway
The Omeo Highway[2] is a 163 kilometre road in eastern Victoria, Australia, connecting north-east Victoria to Gippsland over parts of the Victorian Alps.
Omeo Highway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Omeo Highway crossing the Cobungra River at Anglers Rest, Victoria | |
| General information | |
| Type | Highway |
| Length | 163 km (101 mi)[1] |
| Route number(s) |  C543 (1998–present) |
| Former route number |  State Route 195 (1986–1998)(Tallangatta–Bairnsdale) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end |  Murray Valley HighwayTallangatta, Victoria |
 Benambra–Corryong Road | |
| South end |  Great Alpine RoadOmeo, Victoria |
| Location(s) | |
| Major settlements | Eskdale, Mitta Mitta, Anglers Rest |
| Highway system | |
There are no substantial settlements between Mitta Mitta and Omeo, and therefore fuel is unavailable. There is no mobile phone communication from Mitta Mitta to the south of Anglers' rest although there is an emergency roadside phone at the base of Mt Wills. There is some CB repeater coverage including Ch1 (Mitta). Monitor other traffic and log trucks on Ch 40.
Police and ambulance services are available at Mitta Mitta and Omeo.
Conditions in the mountains can change quickly and be harsh, particularly during winter. Snow is not uncommon in the winter season and may cause the road to be closed for short periods.
As probably one of the most impressive scenic routes in Australia, there are excellent views along most of the road, making it very popular with tourists. Due to the winding nature of the road along the Omeo Highway, it is a common place for large groups of motorcycles to go riding. The Victorian Government completed the sealing of the road in March 2014 and the official opening of the completed highway took place at "The Walnuts" in May 2014.
There are some interesting stories of the highway that can be downloaded.[3]
History
The passing of the Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924[4] through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads). The Omeo Highway was declared a State Highway on 11 February 1925 - Victoria's first gazetted State Highway[5] - cobbled from a collection of roads from Bairnsdale through Bruthen, Omeo, and Tallangatta to Wodonga; before this declaration, the road between Bairnsdale and Tallangatta was referred to as Bairnsdale-Bruthen Road, Bruthen-Omeo Road or simply Omeo Road;[6] the Omeo Highway was later reclassified to terminate in Tallangatta when the Murray Valley Highway (with a section running between Wodonga and Tallangatta) was declared a few years later in 1932.[7]
The Omeo Highway was signed as State Route 195 between Tallangatta and Bairnsdale in 1986. The alignment between Omeo and Bairnsdale was subsumed into the Great Alpine Road with its declaration in 1998: the present-day Omeo Highway runs a truncated route between Tallangatta and Omeo. With Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s, the remainder of the highway was assigned route C543.
Major intersections
| LGA | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towong | Tallangatta | 0.0 | 0.0 | Murray Valley Highway (B400) – Tallangatta, Wodonga, Corryong, Jindabyne | Northern terminus of highway and route C543 |
| Tallandoon | 27.1 | 16.8 |  Lockharts Gap Road (C537) – Wodonga | ||
| Eskdale | 39.3 | 24.4 | Mitta North Road – Eskdale | ||
| Mitta Mitta | 52.6 | 32.7 |  Dartmouth Road (C544) – Dartmouth | ||
| East Gippsland | Glen Valley | 122.8 | 76.3 | Bogong High Plains Road – Falls Creek, Mount Beauty | |
| Anglers Rest | 133.7 | 83.1 | Callaghans Road – Anglers Rest | ||
| Omeo | 158.8 | 98.7 | Benambra–Corryong Road (C545) – Benambra, Corryong | ||
| 162.8 | 101.2 | Great Alpine Road (B500 northwest, southeast) – Bruthen, Bairnsdale, Mount Hotham, Wangaratta Bilton Street (southwest) – Omeo | Southern terminus of highway and route C543 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
References
- Google (26 June 2014). "Omeo Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- "Map NE Victoria" (PDF). Vic Roads]. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - State of Victoria, An Act to make further provision with respect to Highways and Country Roads Motor Cars and Traction Engines and for other purposes 30 December 1924
- "Country Roads Board Victoria. Twelfth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1925". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 31 December 1925. p. 3.
- "Country Roads Board Victoria. Second Annual Report". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 1 November 1915. pp. 29, 40, 43, 47, 49.
- "Country Roads Board Victoria. Twentieth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1933". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 10 November 1933. pp. 4, 6.
External links
Media related to Omeo Highway at Wikimedia Commons
