Betterment builds resilience for key southern Queensland route
Although one of Queensland’s shorter state highways, the Barwon Highway is a key route for southern Queensland communities.
Named after the nearby river which forms part of the Queensland-New South Wales border, the Barwon Highway connects the Goondiwindi Region and the Shire of Balonne.
The 155-kilometre stretch of road links the Leichhardt Highway at Goondiwindi with the Carnarvon Highway at Nindigully, 44 kilometres south of St George.
Like many regional roads, the Barwon Highway follows a declared stock route, an authorised thoroughfare for the walking of domestic livestock such as sheep or cattle from one location to another.
Livestock feed on the vegetation that grows on the highway’s grassy verges as they travel, especially in times of drought making the verges much wider than other country roads.
However, this key part of southern Queensland infrastructure suffered compounding damage from multiple heavy rainfall and flooding events between late 2021 and late 2022.
Prolonged inundation caused deep ruts, shoving, large potholes and ‘crocodile cracking’ on many areas along the highway’s Goondiwindi to Talwood section.
Emergency works undertaken by Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) after each disaster event ensured the road could continue to be safely used until full reconstruction works could be completed.
Subsequent reconstruction works throughout 2024 addressed the extensive pavement, culvert and concrete batter damage.
Due to the extensive damage, the Barwon Highway was also identified as a priority site for resilience works to mitigate against the impacts of future flooding.
Works delivered through the 2021–22 Betterment Program commenced in July 2024 to replace a bitumen floodway with a cement modified road base with an asphalt surface to improve the resilience of the road.
Completed in January 2025, the works included strengthening the subgrade and batters to improve resilience during periods of inundation.
These betterment works, jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), have made the Goondiwindi to Talwood stretch of the Barwon Highway more resilient to future severe weather events.
