Sturt Highway: What are the best towns and attractions on National Route 20?
The Sturt Highway is 947km long, passing through Wagga Wagga, Mildura and the Barossa Valley. Key attractions along National Route 20 include the Yanga National Park and the Murrumbidgee River.
The Sturt Highway is one of Australia’s big connecting highways. It runs from Tarcutta at the junction of the Hume Highway in New South Wales to Gawler in South Australia. Anyone driving the quickest route from Sydney to Adelaide will spend most of their time on the Sturt Highway.
How long is the Sturt Highway?
The Sturt Highway is 947km long. Also known as National Route 20, the Sturt Highway largely follows the Murrumbidgee River, then the Murray River. There are several reasonably-sized towns on National Route 20, with Wagga Wagga and Mildura being the biggest.
But for most of that 947km, the Sturt Highway passes through flat, uninspiring agricultural land.
Sturt Highway in New South Wales
The Sturt Highway in New South Wales links several regional towns. These include Wagga Wagga, Narrandera, Darlington Point, Hay, Balranald and Wentworth.
Attractions worth visiting along the way include Murrimbidgee River beaches in Wagga Wagga and the Altina Wildlife Park in Darlington Point. Nearer Balranald, the Yanga National Park offers a fascinating glimpse of Australia’s wool industry. Once a hugely profitable sheep station, the Yanga National Park is now given over to nature. But the Yanga Homestead and Yanga Woolshed give massively evocative glimpses of the past.
Sturt Highway in Victoria
The Sturt only enters Victoria for a short period, with Mildura the only town of any size. There’s plenty of wine-tasting to be done around Mildura, but it is best used as a jumping-off point for the surrounding national parks. The wildlife of the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, pink lakes of the Murray Sunset National Park and Aboriginal heritage of the Mungo National Park are all fascinating.
Mildura to the Barossa Valley
Once in South Australia, the Sturt hits Renmark and the Riverland region. Here you can try kayaking on Loch Luna with Canoe Adventures Riverland or camping at Lake Bonney. National Route 20 then enters its finishing straight. The Sturt Highway passes through Waikerie, Blanchetown and Nuriootpa before reaching Gawler, just north-east of Adelaide.
Of these towns, Nuriootpa is by far the most significant. It’s the gateway to the Barossa Valley, Australia’s most famous wine region.
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