From Albury to Byron Bay, Wollongong to Broken Hill, Roads and Maritime Services is facing the challenge of the increasing number of vehicles on rural and regional roads. This means that our regional staff are vital to maintaining the safety and quality of the road system. In fact, half of our staff are based in rural and regional areas!

Why work in a regional office?

As well as living and working in some of the most interesting and beautiful parts of New South Wales, Roads and Maritime’s regional staff have access to a range of extra benefits.

Staff in some areas of NSW qualify for extra recreational leave and public holidays. Staff who live or work in remote areas may also qualify for extra allowances.

If you come from regional NSW, our network of offices gives you the chance to achieve a better work/life balance, work closer to home and reduce your cost of living.

NSW Regions

Roads and Maritime divides NSW into six regions, each of which is responsible for the road and the road users in their region.

• Hunter
• Northern
• Western
• South West
• Southern

The Hunter region

The Hunter region has a million people living within its boundaries and road issues have a high profile in the community. One of Roads and Maritime's biggest road projects, the Pacific Highway Upgrade, has an important impact on the Hunter region.

The Hunter is a diverse area with a mix of light and heavy manufacturing, mining and technology industries as well as agriculture, wineries and tourism. The region has one of the state's major ports.

The region's activities are strongly influenced by the urban centres from Gosford to Newcastle, industrial activity around the port of Newcastle, mining in the Hunter valley and rural areas to the west. The M1 Pacific Motorway, and the Pacific, New England and Golden Highways are major long distance routes for interstate and intrastate travel.

Northern region

Northern Region makes up 12.3 per cent of NSW, with 9 per cent of the NSW population. It covers the coastal area from south of Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads, the New England area from Tamworth to Tenterfield, and the slopes and plains in the Quirindi, Gunnedah, Warialda and Inverell areas.

The Northern Region is one of the fastest growing areas in country NSW, particularly along the northern coast, with many people choosing to retire or relocate to this beautiful area.

The North Coast experiences a large increase in traffic during summer as tourists flock to the area's beaches, holiday towns and national parks.

Roads and Maritime's regional office is located in Grafton with other offices in Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Glen Innes and Ballina.

Western region

The Western Region covers most of the sparsely populated parts of western NSW, from west of a line from Boggabilla to Mt Victoria across to the South Australian border. While the region covers 54 per cent of NSW, it has only 333,000 people or 5.5 per cent of the State's population.

The challenges are significant. Western Region has more kilometres of road network and a higher number of bridges than any other Roads and Maritime region. The roads in the region represent about 36 per cent of the State road network and are valued at $4.3 billion.

The region is responsible for 1176 bridges and bridge-sized culverts and 45 sets of traffic signals. With the inclusion of local roads maintained by Roads and Maritime as well as National, State and regional roads, Western Region manages more than 16,278 km of road network.

The climate and countryside is very diverse, from flat arid plains to mountain ranges, high summer temperatures and winter snow and ice. These conditions pose considerable challenges in managing the roads and traffic network.

South West region

South West Region includes 22 per cent of NSW, from the ACT border to the South Australian border and from West Wyalong to the Victorian border. Covering the South West Slopes, Riverina and Riverina Plain, South West Region has a major strategic role in the rural economy. The large inland cities of Wagga Wagga, Albury and Griffith are important centres for government, defence, education and industrial infrastructure and services. The region's grain, sheep, cattle and timber industries account for a large proportion of Australia's primary production for export. The Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers supply 80 per cent of NSW's irrigation holdings.

South West Region manages 4004km of State Roads and national highways. We also administer funding for maintenance and rehabilitation carried out by councils on 4224km of regional roads. The region is responsible for 673 bridges and bridge-sized culverts, and 55 sets of traffic signals.

In managing the network, South West Region faces a number of challenges, including border crossings of the Murray River which link with the Hume, Sturt and Newell highways all crucial routes for the national economy.

The region is diverse, from baking hot plains to mountain ranges. Three major rivers the Murray, Murrumbidgee and the Lachlan require crossings to meet the needs of the community.

Southern region

Southern Region covers a zone from the Wollongong local government area in the north, to the Upper Lachlan local government area and the ACT border in the west, and to the Victorian border in the south. The region includes the Snowy Mountains and about 95 per cent of the region is classified as rural.

The topography of the region is diverse, ranging from the eastern highlands of the Great Dividing Range, Mt Kosciusko and the snowfields, and a beautiful coastline that includes many areas covered in rainforest.

The economy of the region is based on tourism and primary production including coal and agriculture. The region's road network serves the movement of these products to export terminals and caters to a complex mix of freight and passenger-car trips.

Approximately 620,000 people live in the region with 506,500 registered vehicles. Southern Region manages 2395km of State Roads and National Highways and also administers funding for maintenance and rehabilitation carried out by councils on 1655km of regional roads. The region is responsible for 672 bridges and 218 sets of traffic signals.