Great Western Highway
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The Great Western Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sydney to Bathurst. The Great Western Highway is regarded as the oldest road in Australia. Starting as George Street in downtown Sydney, and becoming Parramatta Road, it heads due west across metropolitain Sydney to Penrith, where it crosses the Nepean River. It then crosses the Blue Mountains and the Great Dividing Range to Bathurst.
The road across the Blue Mountains was built by William Cox in 1815 shortly after a viable route across the mountains was discovered. An obelisk at Macquarie Place in Sydney records the construction of the road during the rule of Governor Lachlan Macquarie.
In 1994 the highway was terminated at Emu Plains with the closure of the Knapsack Gully Viaduct. An extension to the M4 motorway at Emu Plains was constructed which rejoined with the highway at Lapstone. The upper portion of the Great Western Highway from Russell Street is now only used by residents and cars coming from Blaxland via Mitchells Pass.