| Road Name: | Richmond–Winton Road |
| State: | qld |
| Type: | rural road |
| Length: | 145 |
| Route: | no shield |
| Direction A: | North |
| End A: | Flinders Highway Richmond |
| Direction B: | South |
Richmond–Winton Road is a continuous 145km (90miles) road route in the Richmond and Winton local government areas of Queensland, Australia. It is a state-controlled district road (number 5803) rated as a local road of regional significance (LRRS).[1] [2] [3] It is part of the shortest route from the / area to and . It is also part of the inland freight network linking cattle properties to major freight routes on the Landsborough and Flinders highways.
The Richmond–Winton Road commences at an intersection with the Flinders Highway in, about 3.7km (02.3miles) west of the town. It runs generally south-west through Richmond and Albion, and then roughly follows the boundary between and, ending at an intersection with the Landsborough Highway at the Corfield / Kynuna midpoint. This intersection is about 80km (50miles) north-west of Winton.
Land use along this road is mainly stock grazing on native vegetation. There are no major intersections on this road.
Much of the road remains unsealed, but approximately 9.5km (05.9miles) was sealed in 2018-19 under an $4.7 million project funded by the Northern Australia Beef Roads Program.[4] [5] In July 2021 the Minister for Transport and Main Roads announced the following projects, funded by various other arrangements, for the road:[6]
As at April 2022 the road has approximately 140km (90miles) single lane sealed, split into sections, and approximately 88km (55miles) single lane unsealed.[7]
A project to pave and seal two sections of road, at a cost of $10.27 million, was completed in June 2022. It is unclear if this is part of the projects announced in July 2021.[8]
Richmond Downs pastoral run was established in 1864. Gold was discovered at, just north of Richmond, in 1880, and Richmond became a stagecoach stop for prospectors on the way to Woolgar. The town was surveyed in 1882, and the railway arrived in 1904.[9] Other pastoral runs were established in the area, and the town soon became the administrative centre for the district.
After a short attempt at settlement in 1866 the first European settler came to what is now Winton in about 1875 to set up a shop and public house. Winton began as a town about 1878 when a group of businessmen decided that a town site proposed by the government further west was unsuitable. The proposed site became a ghost town and Winton became the administrative centre for the district.[10] Pastoral runs were established in the area, including Corfield Downs, about 100km (100miles) to the north.[11]
Early roads were cut from both Richmond and Winton to provide access for wheeled vehicles to the pastoral runs and other settlements. Over time these tracks were improved and extended to eventually form a through road.
Although not yet fully sealed the road is used extensively by road trains carrying cattle, and by other large trucks conveying heavy goods.