The Outback Highway or Outback Way is a series of sealed and unsealed roads linking Laverton, Western Australia and Winton, Queensland. At , it crosses Central Australia (the heart of what is colloquially known as the Outback), passing through Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. The Outback Way is often dubbed “Australia’s longest shortcut” because it provides a shorter east–west route across central Australia.
Proposed upgrade to a sealed highway
The Outback Highway Development Council Inc. (OHDC) is a non-profit alliance of local governments formed in 1998 to lobby for the sealing and upgrading of the Outback Highway (OH). It has proposed that the OH be developed to provide an inland route between southern Western Australia and northern Queensland as an alternative to the National Highway 1 along either coast.
Sections of the Outback Highway
Existing roads that make up the highway are Parts of this road around Warakurna are concurrent with the Gunbarrel Highway.
- Kata Tjuta Road and Uluru Road in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park between Great Central Road and Lasseter Highway (48km). The OH route passes through the Park entry gate where Uluru Road divides into a lane to enter (westbound on the OH), controlled by a barrier and Park Pass payment office, and a separate exit lane (eastbound on the OH) with no barrier or stop sign. OH travellers should check with the National Parks office if a pass is required in either direction.
- Lasseter Highway, a sealed road between Yulara and Erldunda on the Stuart Highway (244km).
- Stuart Highway, the section between Erldunda and the Plenty Highway junction (268km), of the sealed road forming the major north-south route through Central Australia.
- Plenty Highway, a mostly unsealed highway between the Stuart Highway and Donohue Highway (498km).
- Donohue Highway, a mostly unsealed highway between the Plenty Highway and the Diamantina Developmental Road just north of Boulia (249km).
- Diamantina Developmental Road (also known as the Boulia-Mt Isa Highway) between the Donohue Highway junction and Boulia (7km).
- Kennedy Development Road, a sealed highway, section from Boulia to Winton (362km).
The Outback Highway project is in effect a series of coordinated but separately-funded projects of WA, NT and QLD. The largest is the Western Australian project between Laverton and the NT border with road sealing due to be completed in 2032 at a cost of $678 million.
As at May 2026 there is a total of 1161km of the Outback Highway remaining to seal.
For further information including fuel availabilty, tourist information and to links for road condition updates, see www.outbackway.org.au/faqs.