NSW STATE ROUTE 85
Very old fingerboard sign with peeling legend at the turnoff to Ariah Park, 4km north of Olympic Highway. Feb 2006.
Length: 117km
Northern Terminus: Newell Highway, Wyalong
Southern Terminus: Olympic Highway, 8km west of Junee
Route taken: From the Olympic Highway, 8km west west of Junee, via Old Junee, Temora and Barmedman to the Newell Highway at Wyalong
Focal Points: Wagga Wagga, Temora, West Wyalong
RTA Internal Classification: Main Road No. 57
State Route 85 is north-south route in mid-southwestern New South Wales, linking the Olympic Highway, Burley Griffin Way and the Newell Highway. Its main purpose is to serve Temora, a large rail centre for the rich wheathlands of the Riverina, and it also provides a useful link between Albury/Wagga Wagga and the Newell Highway. Whilst fairly innocuous, NSW"s rural road network would be much poorer without its services. Traffic volumes are steady along the length of the route, hovering between 1500 and 2000 vehicles per day.
State Route 85 was introduced with the rest of the NSW state routes in 1974. There have been no changes to this route since its inception.
State Route 85 follows Main Road No. 57, which was one of the original Trunk Roads declared by the Main Roads Board in August 1928. (Trunk Roads were abolished by the enactment of the State Roads Act 1986 and included in the ordinary Main Roads classification). Trunk Road 57 originally extended south via Wagga Wagga and Culcairn to the Hume Highway north of Albury (along the route of today's Olympic Highway) but was truncated at its current southern terminus on 5 July 1963.
Unusually, there is no declared road name along any part of State Route 85 - most rural state routes have been given a consistent name along all or part of their length (e.g. Waterfall Way, Fossickers Way, Kidman Way). Perhaps the lack of tourist attractions in the area played a role in the route not being named. Interestingly, some signs in Temora have a blank white patch on them (one that would normally contain a road name), hinting that the RTA may one day give the route a name.
Photos of State Route 85 |
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AD sign northbound on Olympic Highway approaching the beginning of State Route 85. Note the missing panel line on the sign add-on on the right hand side, probably needed after a stray vehicle hit the sign. Jan 2004. |
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Double chevron ID sign at the Olympic Hwy/SR85 junction. Note that traffic must turn to remain on Olympic Hwy (NR41). Jan 2004. |
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Southbound on SR85 approaching the Olympic Highway junction. No END SR85 sign here :-( Jan 2004. |
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The first northbound distance sign on State Route 85. The lack of focal points indicates how little there is along this relatively short route. Feb 2006. |
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Distance sign heading south at Old Junee. Note the focal points read like a NR41 distance sign would - with the inclusion of Holbrook as well. Feb 2006. |
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Looking south at the turnoff for Coolamon (Main Road No. 243) in Old Junee. Feb 2006. |
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AD sign approaching State Route 85 from the Junee turnoff (also Main Road No. 243) in Old Junee. Feb 2006. |
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Distance sign heading north from Old Junee. Unfortunately because the sign was set so far off the road I couldn't get a nice shot of the road as well. Jan 2004. |
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Distance sign heading south from Temora. Note the incorrect font which makes this sign look quite feral. Feb 2006. |
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Incorrect SR94 shield on SR85 at Cootamundra Rd, Temora. Feb 2006. |
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Northbound AD sign on Hoskins Street (SR85) approaching Burley Griffin Way (Victoria Street/SR94) in Temora. Feb 2006. |
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Eastbound AD sign on Burley Griffin Way approaching SR85 in Temora. Feb 2006. |
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Looking south along Temora's main street (Hoskins Street). Feb 2006. |
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Distance sign heading north from Temora. Feb 2006. |
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Distance sign heading south from Newell Highway at Wyalong. Feb 2006. |
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AD sign northbound on SR85 approaching Newell Hwy at Wyalong. Note the lack of a NH39 shield left. Feb 2006. |
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It is unusual that such an important junction is marked with a fingerboard - but southbound Newell Hwy traffic doesnt even get an AD sign! Feb 2006. |
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North/eastbound Newell Hwy approaching the junction with SR85 at Wyalong. Feb 2006. |