Leichhardt / Newell Highway

The Leichhardt Hwy is quieter than other highways in the region. Less towns and less traffic.

The Newell is Australia's major trucking route and VERY busy.

Not sure what you mean by safe?

the newell hwy is very busy as willem said. full of trucks. and if the shadows are long or gone watch out for all the skippy's.
other than that its pretty direct and in reasonable condition.

No probs on those roads you mentioned. That is the prefered route by most trucks coming and going from Townsville to Melbourne.

Cheers, Trevor.

for the last 30 years, on and off, I have churned up and down the Newell every couple of weeks for work in Sydney and Canberra, and points south.

110k speed limit most of the way. Reasonable two lane bitumen road (one each way). Long open straights in the north. Starts getting a little hillier south of Narrabri.

Prefer it to the New England for going to western Sydney, from Brisbane.

Remember to fill up at the border at Goondiwindi with the cheaper Qld fuel.
There is a truck stop on the north side of town now that the bypass has been in for a few years.