The Horsley Drive

The Horsley Drive is a 13-kilometre (8.1 mi)^[1] urban sealed road located in the City of Fairfield in Greater Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The road's northwestern terminus is located at the entrance of Western Sydney Parklands in Horsley Park and its southeastern terminus at its intersection with Hume Highway in Carramar.^[3]

The Horsley Drive New South Wales
The Horsley Drive, near Westlink M7 exit, in Horsley Park
West end East end
Coordinates	33.841131°S 150.844676°E / -33.841131; 150.844676 (West end) 33.889077°S 150.969735°E / -33.889077; 150.969735 (East end)
General information
Type	Road
Length	14.7 km (9.1 mi)[1]
Gazetted	March 1970[2]
Major junctions
West end	Arundel Road Horsley Park, Sydney
	Wallgrove Road Westlink M7 Cumberland Highway
East end	Hume Highway Carramar, Sydney
Location(s)
Major suburbs	Horsley Park, Bossley Park, Wetherill Park, Smithfield, Fairfield, Fairfield East, Carramar, Villawood

Route

The Horsley Drive as it goes through Smithfield town centre, intersecting Cumberland Highway

The Horsley Drive commences at the intersection of Arundel Road and the entrance to Horsley House in Horsley Park and heads in an easterly direction as a two-lane, single-carriageway road, widening to a four-lane road at the intersection with Wallgrove Road and the interchange with Westlink M7, and further to a dual-carriageway road at the roundabout with Cowpasture Road through the Wetherill Park industrial area, before narrowing back to a single carriageway road through Smithfield, where it meets Cumberland Highway. It continues in a southeasterly direction through Fairfield, to eventually terminate at the intersection with Hume Highway in Carramar.

There are three main pedestrian and cycle access points to The Horsley Drive: at the intersections with Westlink M7, Ferrers Road, and the Upper Canal System. Recreational areas situated on the road include Wetherill Park Nature Reserve and several picnic spots in Western Sydney Parklands such as Western Sydney Regional Park. Educational facilities such as a TAFE college, Fairfield High School and Fairfield Public School are also situated on the road.

History

Eva Wesley Stone Pedestrian Bridge

Horsley Park was originally part of Colonel George Johnston's 2,000-acre (8.1 km²) property "Kings Gift". After his death it passed to his daughter Blanche who in 1829 married Major George Nicholas Weston. He built an Indian colonial style homestead on the property and named it "Horsley" after his birthplace in Surrey, England. In 1959, The Horsley Drive (so named because it leads to Horsley Park) opened up as a continuous route from Carramar. Fairfield Hospital was constructed on The Horsley Drive in Fairfield in September 1956, but was then relocated in 1988.^[4]

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924^[5] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (MRB). With the subsequent passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929^[6] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, the Department of Main Roads (having succeeded the MRB in 1932) declared Main Road 609 along the eastern half of The Horsley Drive, from the intersection with Hume Highway in Carramar to the intersection with Liverpool Road (today Cumberland Highway) in Smithfield, on 25 March 1970.^[2]

This was extended west along the western half of The Horsley Drive from Smithfield to the intersection with Wallgrove Road in Horsley Park on 15 February 1991.^[7] It was later re-aligned to run along Victoria and Elizabeth Streets through Smithfield and Wetherill Park respectively, instead of The Horsley Drive, on 12 March 2010.^[8]

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993^[9] updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, The Horsley Drive retains its declaration as part of Main Road 609.^[10]

On 15 March 2002, a A$2 million pedestrian bridge over The Horsley Drive was opened to link Fairfield High School and Fairfield Public School on the opposite side. The bridge was named the Eva Wesley Stone Pedestrian Bridge, after Eva Wesley Stone (1894–2001), who was Fairfield's oldest resident.^[11]

Major intersections

The Horsley Drive is entirely contained within the Fairfield City Council local government area.

Location	km[1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Horsley Park	0.0	0.0	Arundel Road – Horsley Park	Western terminus of road at entranceway to Horsley Home
	0.8	0.50	Wallgrove Road – Minchinbury, Cecil Hills
	1.0	0.62	Westlink M7 (M7) – Dean Park, Bella Vista, Prestons	Diamond interchange
	2.5	1.6	Ferrars Road – Eastern Creek
Wetherill Park–Abbotsbury–Bossley Park tripoint	3.5	2.2	Cowpasture Road – Hinchinbrook, Horningsea Park	Roundabout
Smithfield	9.5	5.9	Smithfield Road (Cumberland Highway) (A28) – Wahroonga, Pennant Hills, Parramatta, Liverpool
Fairfield	12.3	7.6	Old Main South railway line
Carramar–Fairfield East–Villawood tripoint	13.9	8.6	Main Southern railway line
Carramar–Villawood–Lansdowne tripoint	14.7	9.1	Hume Highway (A22) – Summer Hill, Liverpool	Eastern terminus of road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi        Tolled       Route transition

See also

Australian Roads portal