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Historic Engineering Marker - Stuart Highway NorthPrint Page 
The Historic Engineering Marker commemorates the Stuart Highway.
Once a dirt track that serviced the original Overland Telegraph, the Stuart Highway is now a two lane bitumen highway that links the Southern Ocean to the Timor Sea. The building of the original highway was a feat of endurance and engineering skills. World War Two saw major improvements to the road as soldiers and supplies were transported up its spine to the northern port and military base of Darwin.
The Institution of Engineers Australia, through its Heritage Committees, established the Australian Historic Engineering Plaquing Program to acknowledge past engineering achievements and to draw public attention to the significant contributions they have made to society.The Plaquing Program is a means of bringing public recognition to significant historic engineering works and the engineers who created them. The Program is intended to contribute to the conservation of Australian engineering heritage.
Location
| Address: | Stuart Highway, Tropic of Capricorn Marker, 29 kilometres North, Alice Springs, 0870 |
|---|---|
| State: | NT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -23.441408 Long: 133.832718 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2007 |
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Historic Engineering Marker
Stuart Highway North
The 1500km highway connecting Alice Springs and Darwin began as the dirt track servicing the 1870s Overland Telegraph construction. Part of the dry-weather track served to link the railheads until the Second World War. Civil and military road agencies then combined to construct an all-weather sealed highway vital for the defence of Australia. Major upgrades between 1979 and 1992 created a national highway, a monument to the achievements of engineers, surveyors and workers in a remote region.
The Institution of Engineers Australia and Department of Planning & Infrastructure 2007
