The Wool Track is a name given to the road route between Balranald and Cobar, via Ivanoe, in New South Wales, Australia. It connects the Sturt Highway at Balranald to the Barrier Highway around 10 km west of Cobar. At Ivanhoe, it has an offset T-intersection with the Cobb Highway. It is 460 km long, 82 km shorter in length than the route via Hay and Hillston (Sturt Highway and Kidman Way).[1]
| The Wool Track | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length | 460 km (290 mi) |
| Location | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | New South Wales |
| Highway system | |
| Highways in New South Wales | |
Between Balranald and Ivanhoe, it is also known, at different localities, by several other names, including Ivanhoe Road and Balranald Road. Beyond Ivanhoe, it is also known as Cobar-Ivanhoe Road.[1] The road is partially-sealed, and another 40 km was sealed in 2023. Funding is being sought, with the objective of sealing the remainder of it, to make it suitable as an alternative route for heavy transport vehicles.[2][3][4]
The name of the road is associated with two non-fiction books about the Far West region of New South Wales, On the Wool Track, by historian, C.E.W. Bean—illustrated with photographs by George Bell (1862—1925)—[5][6][7] and Back on the Wool Track, by journalist and academic, Michelle Grattan.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b "The Wool Track". Google Maps.
- ^ "WOOL TRACK FUNDING STILL ON AGENDA". www.centraldarling.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "Funding to seal 40km of The Wool Track – The Cobar Weekly". cobarweekly.com.au. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "'Wool Track' sealing 'feasible'". ABC News. 4 May 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "On the wool track / by C. E. W. Bean ; illustrated with photographs by George Bell - Catalogue | National Library of Australia". catalogue.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "New Books". Hillston Spectator and Lachlan River Advertiser. 14 January 1926. p. 9. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "George Bell :: biography at :: at Design and Art Australia Online". www.daao.org.au. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Grattan, Michelle (2004). Back on the Wool Track. Random House Australia. ISBN 9781740511674.