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List of roadhouses in Western Australia

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General highways map of Western Australia

Western Australia has extensive long-distance highways with few localities along them. Privately owned general stores known as roadhouses have been established at strategic points as an important utility for petrol, food, accommodation, emergency facilities and general supplies. They are also useful reference points in any response to accidents, floods, crime and other emergencies.[1]

North-western roadhouses are found next to river crossings or close to station homesteads. In the event of flooding of the North West Coastal Highway, they are locations where vehicles including road trains can be safely encamped and accounted for when a sudden deluge may make the road impassable.[2]

On the Nullarbor or Eyre Highway, places designated as roadhouses are in some cases also vested as localities and, in some cases, known as roadhouse communities.

The following list is of roadhouses that exist in isolation, having little or no adjacent community infrastructure. It does not include roadhouses which are in country towns.

Roadhouses

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Kumarina Roadhouse, on the Great Northern Highway, north of Meekatharra.

Driver fatigue

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Due to the high incidence of fatalities and accidents attributed to driver fatigue, some locations have opted into a program of providing free coffee to encourage drivers to take a break or rest on long journeys - in some cases some of the roadhouses above have become involved in that programme.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ e.g., this report of a missing person
  2. ^ Record breaking deluge floods Carnarvon ABC News 17 December 2010
  3. ^ Doon Doon Roadhouse construction underway. Woolah people will call the store "Djuwarlu" and will sell crafts and supplies and hope to run tours. Kimberley echo, 9 Nov. 2000, p.9
  4. ^ Underwood, Gus (12 October 2011). "Thriving on Isolation". Kyabram Free Press. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  5. ^ Johnson, Genine. (2001) Roadhouse reopens after community rift. A rift in the Kupungarri Aboriginal community has left the community deserted for 6 months, and led to the closure of the roadhouse and Manning Gorge. Broome advertiser, 23 May 2001, p.1,2,
  6. ^ Laud, Peter (1998) Rough and ready. Life at the Roadhouse features one of WAs oddest golfcourses. Sunday times (Perth, W.A.), 22 August 1998, Sunday Section, p.7
  7. ^ Rovis-Hermann, Tom.(1997) Roadhouse jewels of the north. (Roadhouse owners talk about their lives and work - including Nanutarra, Overlander and Billabong road houses).Sunday times (Perth, W.A.), 6 July 1997, Sunday Section, p. 3
  8. ^ Taylor, Nick.(2000)Dusting off the city. Therese Long talks about her life running the roadhouse. Pardoo Roadhouse (W.A.) Sunday times (Perth, W.A.), 12 March 2000, p.22
  9. ^ Taylor, Nick.(2002) Spirit of our bush. Pardoo Roadhouse destroyed by Cyclone Chris; volunteering locals help Graham and Suzanne Farmer get their business started again. Sunday times, 10 Feb. 2002, p.21
  10. ^ "'Four hours of hell': Roadhouse owner feels 'lucky to be alive' after Ilsa slams into WA coast". ABC News. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  11. ^ Western Australia. Main Roads Dept. Graphic Services. (1995) Coffee stops [cartographic material] : a project to reduce driver fatigue designed by Graphic Services, Main Roads, Western Australia, Traffic Board of Western Australia, WA Police. East Perth, W.A. : Main Roads, Scale [ca. 1: 10 000 000]. Scale [ca. 1: 3 333 333 (E 114°--E 121°/S 027°--S 035°30') Maps of major highways showing locations of participating roadhouses."Free coffee for driver" - Traffic sign logo in title cartouche. "31/3/95"
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