Great (Inland) Way to rebuild key transport route
Stretching from just south of St George in Queensland to Marrangaroo in New South Wales, the Castlereagh Highway holds immense value for south-west Queensland.
The 790-kilometre highway forms part of the iconic 3,000-kilometre Great Inland Way that links Cairns and Sydney.
One of Queensland's most sparsely populated areas, Balonne Shire depends on this transport route for supplies and stock movement.
Keeping the highway open is key for supporting the region’s primary producers and distributing sheep, cattle, cotton, wheat, fruit, and vegetables.
Unfortunately flooding from three protracted heavy rainfall events between November 2021 and May 2022 took a toll on the highway, causing extensive damage.
A 26-kilometre section of the road, approximately 11 kilometres south of Dirranbandi, was particularly hard hit with severe pavement damage on low-lying areas, scouring to road shoulders, and culvert damage.
Emergency repairs completed immediately after the disaster events allowed the highway to safely reopen while a substantial program of flood recovery works were planned.
In addition to general repairs, eight priority sites on Castlereagh Highway between Noondoo and Hebel were identified for Betterment works to reduce the impacts of future floods on communities and road users.
Detailed designs were completed in late 2023, preconstruction activities started in June 2024, and construction was in full swing by August 2024.
Completed in February 2025, the Betterment resilience improvements included altering road levels, installing concrete batter protection, replacing culverts, and constructing stronger road pavement.
Further Betterment upgrades also improved drainage and floodway run-off, mitigated erosion and scouring, and reduced the impacts of high-velocity flows on bridges and floodways.
Complementing this were pavement repairs undertaken on various sections of the road east and south of Dirranbandi.
With the project in the rear-view, Castlereagh Highway is now better able to withstand severe weather events, reducing future impacts on communities and road users.
All recovery works were jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Betterment works were delivered through the 2021-22 Betterment Program, with the extraordinary assistance provided via the DRFA.
Betterment projects allow roads and bridges to be built back in innovative ways to better withstand future damage and prevent major repair works from needing to be done after every weather event, a vital outcome for disaster-prone regions.
