Place Names Register Extract

Dorat Road

Extract date: 24/11/2024

Name Dorat
Type Designation Road
Place Id 5914
Place Type Road
Status Registered
Date Registered 3 June 1987
Locality / Suburb  
  Adelaide River
Local Government Area  
  Coomalie Community Council
History/Origin Named after the acronym Darwin Overland Road Authorities Transport (DORAT) which was a collective name used to describe the transport arm of the various state authorities who constructed the Stuart Highway in the early 1940s.

Michael Terry in his 1945 book Bulldozer: the war role of the Department of Main Roads, NSW (p166) mentions the combined effort of the state road builders and writes " got together, planned and instituted their own transport organisation and called it DORAT - abbreviation for "Darwin Overland Road Authorities Transport" and started business in March 26th." (1942)

DORAT was formed by the Victorian, South Australian and New South Wales state transport construction agencies to transport road and bridge building material north from the Alice Springs railhead as DOMF (Darwin Overland Maintenance Force) the Army's transport division was working at capacity transporting Army supplies let alone road building material.

The road was formerly a section of the Stuart Highway, named under the Military Roads Act of 1942.

Register & Gazettal information

Date Gazettal Comment
03/06/1987 NTG22

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