Sandover Highway

The Sandover Highway is an outback unsealed track in the Northern Territory between the Plenty Highway north of Alice Springs and the Northern Territory/Queensland border.[1]

Sandover Highway

Northern Territory
Map of central Australia with Sandover Highway (State Route 14) highlighted in red
Coordinates
  • 22°58′S 133°50′E (Southwest end)
  • 20°58′S 137°55′E (Northeast end)
General information
TypeTrack
Length561 km (349 mi)
Route number(s) State Route 14
Major junctions
Southwest end Plenty Highway
Northeast endAlpurrurulam,
NT/Qld Border
Restrictions
Fuel supply
FacilitiesArlparra, Ammaroo Station

Description

The highway's name is derived from the Sandover River because its alignment follows that of the river.[2]

At its western end the road branches north from the Plenty Highway 27 kilometres (17 mi) east of the Stuart Highway. Its total length is 561 kilometres (349 mi) and it passes through semi-arid spinifex deserts and blacksoil Mitchell grass plains. The designated highway finishes just east of Alpurrurulam at the Northern Territory/Queensland border, but the track continues into Queensland for 55 kilometres (34 mi) where it joins the Camooweal Urandangi Road, which runs north to Camooweal.[3]

Accessibility

The track crosses Urapuntja lands, which is an Aboriginal homelands area. No permits are needed to travel on the track; however, they are necessary for travellers wishing to visit Aboriginal communities off-track.

Although the first part of the track can be negotiated by conventional vehicles, use of a four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended after Ammaroo. Each year the wet season floods the black soil plains at the eastern end of the Sandover Highway and Alpurrurulam and Lake Nash become completely inaccessible, even to four-wheel drive vehicles. Flooding can also occur after brief but heavy thunderstorms during the dry season.

Stations and fuel

Ammaroo Station has a shop with basic supplies. Fuel is available but there are no camping facilities. Another fuel supply along the track can be found at Arlparra.

Woodgreen Station, also known as Atartinga, covers approximately 2,215 km2 (855 sq mi), and is located around 140 km (87 mi) north of Alice Springs on the Sandover Highway.[4]

See also

icon Australian Roads portal

References
  1. "NT Map - All Roads" (PDF). Northern Territory Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2020. National highways, primary roads & secondary roads
  2. "Place Names Register Extract for "Sandover River"". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  3. Hema, Maps (2005). Australia’s Great Desert Tracks NE Sheet (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. ISBN 978-1-86500-160-9.
  4. "Land Units of Woodgreen Station (Atartinga)". Spatial data and information management, Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics. Northern Territory Government. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2022.


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