Duckmaloi Road Explained

Road Name:	Duckmaloi Road
Road Name2:	Oberon Street
Type:	rural road
State:	nsw
Length:	25.7
Maintained:	Transport for NSW, Oberon Council, City of Lithgow
Gazetted:	March 1950
Gazetted Ref:	^[1]
Tourist:	Tourist Drive 1
Direction A:	West
Direction B:	East
Coordinates A:	-33.7037°N 149.8542°W
Coordinates B:	-33.6769°N 150.0509°W
Pushpin Label Position A:	left
Pushpin Label Position B:	right
End A:	Carrington Avenue
End B:	Jenolan Caves Road

Duckmaloi Road (and at its western end through Oberon as Oberon Street) is a 25.7km (16miles) rural road in Australia linking Oberon to Jenolan Caves Road just south of Hampton.

Route

Oberon Street starts at the intersection with Carrington Avenue and North Street in central Oberon and heads east, changing name to Duckmaloi Road at the intersection with Tarana Road in eastern Oberon, before descending to cross Fish River Creek. It passes to the north of the village of Duckmaloi, then crosses the Duckmaloi River and ascends up and passes the Hampton State Forest which lies north of the road. It terminates at the intersection with Jenolan Caves Road 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Hampton.

It is fully sealed with two lanes in each direction, with the occasional overtaking lane.

History

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924^[2] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 558 was declared along this road on 1 March 1950, from the intersection with Oberon-Tarana Road in Oberon to the intersection with Hartley-Jenolan Caves Road near Hampton).

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993^[3] updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Duckmaloi Road today retains its declaration as Main Road 558.^[4]

Upgrade

The road has seen some upgrades in its history including:

• A new two-lane concrete bridge over the Duckmaloi River, built by the Department of Main Roads, 1963.
• A new two-lane concrete bridge over Fish River Creek, built by the Roads & Traffic Authority, 1990.
• Upgrade of the Duckmaloi River bridge, done by Roads & Maritime Services and Transport for NSW, 2019.^[5]

In 2021, then Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole announced $1.5 million in upgrades for Duckmaloi Road including:^[6]

• vehicle-activated signs
• curve alignment markers
• improved sealed road shoulders on curves
• a full-width traversable clear zone
• roadside barriers and profile edge and centre lines

Notes and References

1. News: Main Roads Act, 1924-1949 . Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales . 46 . National Library of Australia . 17 March 1950 . 722 . 23 November 2022 .
2. http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/mra1924n24133/ State of New South Wales, An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board
3. https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-1993-033 State of New South Wales, An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes.
4. Web site: Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads . . August 2022 . Government of New South Wales . 1 August 2022 . 25 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220825104657/https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf . dead .
5. Web site: 2019-04-24 . Duckmaloi Bridge work on hold for now, but changed conditions still in place . 2022-11-15 . Oberon Review . en-AU.
6. Web site: 2021-05-12 . Road safety the focus as government announces almost $1.5 million for Duckmaloi Road . 2022-11-15 . Western Advocate . en-AU.