The Midland Highway (also known as the Midlands Highway) is the main highway in Tasmania, Australia. It is a part of the National Highway, and runs through the Midlands of the state, connecting the two largest cities, Hobart and Launceston.

History

The first record of movement between the two centres was in 1821 when then Governor Lachlan Macquarie selected sites for towns on the highway. It was known as the 'Main Road' for most of its history. In the 1930s it became known as the Midland Highway, and in the 2000s - it also had 'The Heritage Highway' label applied to it.

The route of the highway originally ran between Hobart and Launceston, and passed through the localities which are now known as: Bridgewater, Brighton, Pontville, Mangalore, Bagdad, Dysart, Kempton, Melton Mowbray, Jericho, Oatlands, Antill Ponds, Woodbury, Tunbridge, Ross, Campbell Town, Conara Junction, Cleveland, Epping Forest, Perth, Breadalbane and Kings Meadows.

As part of the National Highway, there have been many on-going changes to the highway since the 1980s.

The southern outlet in Launceston was built, bypassing many Launceston suburbs, allowing motorists to travel from the Breadalbane roundabout, almost directly to the city centre, at full highway speed. Around the same time, the towns of Ross, Oatlands and Kempton were bypassed.

In 2002, a railway line underpass was constructed near Symmons Plains, south of Perth, to create a grade separated rail crossing on the highway itself. Significant numbers of overtaking lanes have also been extended or created.

There is also a plan to bypass an area immediately north of Hobart. This will involve possible bypasses of Pontville, Bagdad and Brighton. There is mounting pressure for Perth and Campbell Town to also be bypassed, but this is unlikely to occur in the near future.

See also

• Highways in Australia
• List of highways in Tasmania

References

• Alexander, Alison (2005) The Midland Highway in Alexander, A. Ed. The Companion to Tasmanian History. Hobart. Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies. ISBN 186295223X