Horror Highway, 1974

Every year for the Christmas holidays, thousands of Australians head to our beautiful beaches for some well-earned rest and relaxation. For Canberrans, not having a beach can mean a two-hour drive down the Clyde Mountain to the South Coast of New South Wales.

While local councils battled with state and federal governments over funding for the Kings Highway, users began to protest its poor condition. Kevin Watson of Ainslie had his letter to The Canberra Times published on 2 November 1974 under the title 'Horror highway’. In describing his bad experience in riding to Batemans Bay on his motorbike, he also implies that the use of the word ‘highway’ does not reflect the actual status of the road.

This story by CTC-TV reporter Jenny Hill was included in a compilation film reel of news stories that she made for the station around 1974. The black-and-white reversal 16mm film with mag stripe has been preserved by the NFSA.