Road Photos & Information: New South Wales
Silver City Highway (Unnumbered Section)
Statistics:
- Length:
- 387 km
- Termini:
- Northern: QLD Border (Warri Gate), 55 km north of Tibooburra
- Southern: Barrier Hwy (NR32) and Argent St (unnumbered), Broken Hill
- Miscellaneous:
- Continues as Warri Gate Rd (unnumbered) in Queensland
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:
- Packsaddle, Milparinka and Tibooburra
Route Numbering:
- Current: None
- Proposed: 79
- Road Authority Internal Classification: 1
- HW22
General Information:
The Silver City Highway is the western most highway in NSW running north / south for 660 km. Over half of the highway is sealed in areas that get the most use. 2 The Silver City Highway then continues from Broken Hill, unnumbered, to the Queensland border at Warri Gate and passes through generally arid country. 3
The name "Silver City Highway" was given to the road for the reason that its primary purpose is to connect the city of Broken Hill with points north and south and to serve the great silver-lead industry of the area. The road has a wider significance from an Australian point of view, as it connects directly with the road systems of Victoria and Western Queensland. At Broken Hill it intersects the Barrier Highway which, some 48 km to the west, connects with the South Australian road system. In effect therefore, the Silver City Highway serves to connect the road systems of four of the States of the Commonwealth, and because of this, consideration was given, at one stage, to naming it the "Four States Highway". 4
History:
- 12 November 1976: State Highway 22, later Highway 22, gazetted. 5
This page concentrates on photos of the unnumbered section of Silver City Highway between Broken Hill and the Queensland Border
Broken Hill to QLD Border
NEW Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign as the unnumbered segment of Silver City Hwy departs Broken Hill, 2003.
Image © Jamie Scuglia
Black Kilometre Plate:
Black kilometre plate at Broken Hill, December 2003.
Image © Michael Greenslade
Road Conditions Sign:
Road conditions sign at Broken Hill, December 2003.
Image © Michael Greenslade
QLD Border to Broken Hill
Warri Gate:
Warry Gate Rd as it crosses from QLD to NSW to become Silver City Highway via the Warri Gate at Cameron Corner, June 2012.
Image © Peter Renshaw
Services Sign:
Services sign on Silver City Hwy at Tibooburra, just south of Warri Gate, June 2012.
Image © Peter Renshaw
Middle Road:
Corner of Silver City Hwy and Middle Rd at Tibooburra, June 2012. This is the northernmost sign to feature the name Silver City Highway on it.
Image © Peter Renshaw
2 Broken Hill City Council, About The City, Accessibility.
3 NSW Government, Department of Main Roads, The Roadmakers, A History of Main Roads in New South Wales, ISBN 0724004394, page 236,1976.
4 NSW Government, Department of Main Roads, Historical Roads of New South Wales, Silver City Highway, an extract from Main Roads, September 1962.
5 NSW Government, Government Gazette, Issue 145, 12 November 1976.