Road Photos & Information: Tasmania
Bass Highway (A2)
Statistics:
- Length:
- 131 km
- Termini:
- Eastern: Bass Hwy (NH1), Mount St (B18 and unnumbered), Burnie
- Western: Arthur River Rd (C214) and Comeback Rd (C215), Marrawah
- Miscellaneous:
- Continues as Bass Highway (NH1), Burnie
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:
- Burnie, Cooee, Ocean Vista, Camdale, Somerset, Wynyard, Boat Harbour, Sisters Creek, Montumana, Rocky Cape, Detention, Hellyer, Edgecombe Beach, Crayfish Creek, Port Latta, Cowrie Point, Black River, Wiltshire, Smithton, Broadmeadows, Christmas Hills, Brittons Swamp, Redpa, and Marrawah
Route Numbering:
- Current: A2
- Former: 2
- Road Authority Internal Classification: 1
- A0249
General Information:
A2 is an east-west route linking the city of Burnie with smaller towns to the west. The route is named after explorer George Bass, an English surgeon and sailor who confirmed that Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania) was separated by a body of water from the rest of Australia, by sailing along the strait and returning via the southern coast of the island. 2
For quite a length of the route it generally follows the coast, before heading inland towards the western end. The route services mostly commercial, residential and rural areas, and is the key link for freight, tourism and people movement between the far north west of Tasmania and the key ports of Burnie and Devonport and further to Launceston and Hobart. 3
History:
- 1860s: The first bridge, a horse bridge, constructed over Detention River, 37 km east of Smithton in the village of Detention. 4
- 1906: Timber bridge over Detention River constructed. 4
- 1929: Bridge over Detention River damaged by floods. 4
- 1940: Construction commenced on replacement bridge over Detention River due high cost maintenance and repairs of the earlier 1906 timber bridge. 4
- December 2020: Completion of construction of right-turn facilities on the Bass Highway to provide safer access to and from Boat Harbour Primary School, Dobsons Lane, Fists Lane and the Boat Harbour store. 5
- 2023: Completion of the widening and realignment of the Bass Highway between Somerset and Doctors Rocks. The project addressed sharp corners and bends, provided overtaking lanes, and included the installation of flexible safety barriers to prevent head-on collisions. 6
- May 2024: Completion of project to replace Cam River Bridge at Somerset. 7
- 04 June 2024: New traffic signals at the intersection of the Bass and Murchison Highways in Somerset became operational. 7
Marrawah to Burnie
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign at Rocky Cape approaching Pollards Rd, 2008.
Image © Jamie Scuglia
Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign at Stanley approaching Stanley Hwy (B21) and Mengha Rd (C219), 2008.
Image © Jamie Scuglia
Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign at Stanley, 2008.
Image © Jamie Scuglia
Burnie to Marrawah
Eastern Terminus:
Looking westbound from Mount Street Burnie. October 2007.
Image © Peter Renshaw
Eastern Terminus:
Looking northbound on Mount Street in Burnie. October 2007.
Image © Peter Renshaw
Intersection Directional Sign Assembly:
ID signs facing traffic of West Park Grove in Parklands. October 2007.
Image © Peter Renshaw
NEW Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign on Bass Hwy (A2) approaching Arthur River Rd (C214) and Comeback Rd (C213), Marrawah, February 2023.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign assembly at the corner of Bass Hwy (A2), Arthur River Rd (C214) and Comeback Rd (C213), Marrawah, February 2023. This is the western terminus of A2.
Image © Paul Rands
2 Australian National University, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Bass, George (1771-1803) by Keith Macrae Bowden.
3 TAS Government, Parliament of Tasmania, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, Bass Highway Upgrade – Wynyard to Marrawah, No. 20, 20 September 2021.
4 TAS Government, Parliament of Tasmania, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, Bass Highway – Detention River Bridge: Bridge Replacement and Realignment of its Approaches, 03 December 2001.
5 TAS Government, Transport Services, North West completed road projects, Boat Harbour Primary School - Improved Turning Facilities.
6 TAS Government, Transport Services, North West completed road projects, Bass Highway - Somerset to Wynyard Realignment and Overtaking Improvements.
7 TAS Government, Transport Services, North West completed road projects, Cam River Bridge Replacement and Murchison Highway Signalisation.