Road Photos & Information: New South Wales
Snowy Mountains Highway (B72)
Stony Creek to Cooma
Statistics:
- Length:
- 332 km (Stony Creek to Cooma: 105 km)
- Termini:
- Northern: Hume Hwy (M31), Mundarlo
- Southern: Princes Hwy (A1), Stony Creek
- Miscellaneous:
- Route is co-signed with Monaro Hwy (B23) between Steeple Flat and Cooma
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:
- Stony Creek, Coopers Gully, Numbugga, Morans Crossing, Bemboka, Steeple Flat, Nimmitabel, Rock Flat, Middle Flat and Cooma
Route Numbering:
- Current: B72
- Multiplexed with: B23
- Road Authority Internal Classification: 1
- HW4 (Stony Creek to Nimmitabel and Cooma to Mundarlo)
- HW19 (Cooma to Steeple Flat)
General Information:
Snowy Mountains Highway is a route that connects the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales with the far south coast via the Great Dividing Range and Snowy Mountains. it's mostly a 2-lane undivided rural highway, passing through farmland, residential and commercial regions. Large tracts of the route pass through national parks and traverse very hilly and steep terrain.
The route links the Princes Hwy (A1), Monaro Hwy (B23) and Hume Hwy (M31). The highest town along the highway is Kiandra, at a height of 1400 metres. 2
- B23 (Monaro Hwy), for 43 km, between Steeple Flat and Cooma.
History:
- 1936: Work commences on the bridge over Bemboka River at Morans Crossing. 3
- 1955: Monaro Highway between Tumut to Tathra renamed Snowy Mountains Highway. 4
- 13 July 1955: Snowy Mountains Highway between Tathra to Nimmitabel and then Cooma to Mundarlo proclaimed as State Highway No. 4. 5
- 1957: A proposal to raise the road height between the fifth and sixth mile posts east of Bega at Jellat Jellat gazetted. 6
- October 1958: Snowy Mountains Highway between Cooma and Nimmitabel declared Monaro Highway. 4
- 1960: Current alignment of Snowy Mountains Highway in the Stony Creek area near Bega opened to traffic. 7
- 1964: Construction commenced on the Hanson Creek deviation, 10 miles from Bega, eliminating a longer and winding stretch of road. 1 new bridge was included in the construction, eliminating 2 existing ones. Sealing of 2.5 miles of highway on the Cooma side of Nimmitabel completed a sealed route between Cooma and Nimmitabel. 8
- February 1965: Work started on a six-mile deviation on the Snowy Mountains Highway from Nimmitabel to the McLachlan River. The scope of works included a high level bridge constructed over the McLachlan River. The deviation eliminated a level crossing, two high level bridges and a railway underground by-pass. 9 Reconstruction and sealing of highway between Bega and Nimmitabel announced. 10
- July 1966: The then divisional engineer of the NSW Department of Main Roads, Mr J, Neeson, announced a new route would of the Snowy Mountains Highway would reduce road closures due to snow. The deviation started at Big Bog, on Brown Mountain in a westerly direction, skirting the southern side of Pole Hill, joining the existing highway a few miles south of Nimmitabel. The new road section ascended to an altitude of 3700 ft, 400 ft lower than the old highway. 11
- April 1980: Tenders invited for the construction of a new bridge over Nunnock River, 41 km west of Bega. 12
- 1980s: A deviation of the route in the Nunnock River area at the base of Brown Mountain. 13
- 2003: Replacement of the bridge Butlers Creek, 18 km west of Bega. 14
- 2013: National Route 18 replaced by B72 route number.
Stony Creek to Cooma
NEW Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign at the corner of Princes Hwy (A1) and Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72), Stony Ck, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Services Sign:
Services sign showing distance to next available fuel, Stony Creek, December 2018. This sign is incorrect, as there is fuel available at Nimmitabel, 68 km away.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Advance Directional Sign:
AD sign on Monaro Hwy (B23) approaching Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72 and B72 / B23), Steeple Flat, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Intersection Directional Signs:
ID sign assembly, facing Monaro Hwy (B23) at the junction with Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72 and B72 / B23), Steeple Flat, December 2018. The B23 duplex begins at this location.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Great Dividing Range:
Snowy Mtns Hwy (B23 / B72) as it crosses the Great Dividing Range, Nimmitabel, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign as Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72) leaves Cooma, October 2013.
Image © Paul Rands
Mount Gladstone Road:
Corner of Mt Gladstone Rd and Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72) at Cooma, October 2013.
Image © Paul Rands
Cooma to Stony Creek
NEW Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign at Cooma, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Great Dividing Range:
Snowy Mtns Hwy (B23 / B72) as it crosses the Great Dividing Range, Nimmitabel, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Entering Nimmitabel:
Snowy Mtns Hwy (B23 / B72) as it enters the town of Nimmitabel, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Springfield Road:
Corner of Snowy Mtns Hwy (B23 / B72) and Springfield Rd, Nimmitabel, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign at Nimmitabel, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign at Steeple Flat, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Fingerboard:
Fingerboard at the corner of Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72) and Steeple Flat Rd, Steeple Flat, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign at Bemboka, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
NEW Intersection Directional Sign:
ID sign facing Snowy Mtns Hwy (B72) at its junction with Princes Hwy (A1), Stony Ck, December 2018.
Image © Paul Rands
2 NSW Government, Department of Main Roads, Main Roads of New South Wales, undated brochure.
3 NSW Government, State Library of NSW, Manuscripts, Oral History & Pictures, Bridge construction over Bemboka River at Morans Crossing.
4 Canberra Times, Page 3, 21 October 1958.
5 NSW Government, Government Gazette of the State of NSW, Issue 99, Page 2645, 9 September 1955.
6 NSW Government, Government Gazette of NSW, Issue 171, Page 4278, 27 December 1957.
7 NSW Government, Department of Main Roads, The Roadmakers, A History of Main Roads in New South Wales, ISBN 0 7240 0439 4, page 218.
8 Canberra Times, Page 11, 1 September 1964.
9 Canberra Times, Page 12, 15 February 1965.
10 Canberra Times, Page 26, 18 February 1965.
11 Canberra Times, Page 20, 7 July 1966.
12 Canberra Times, Page 3, 20 April 1980.
13 Sam Laybutt (OzRoads).
14 NSW Government, Roads and Traffic Authority, Road activity update - Southern NSW, May 2003.