The Midland Highway is a major rural highway linking major towns in Victoria, beginning from Geelong and winding through country Victoria in a large arc through the cities of Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton, eventually reaching Mansfield at the foothills of the Victorian Alps. The Midland Link Highway links Barjarg (on the Midland Highway) and Maindample (on the Maroondah Highway), bypassing Mansfield and reducing the journey from Benalla to Alexandra by . History The passing of the Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924 through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads). The Midland Highway was declared a State Highway in 1933, cobbled together from roads between Geelong and Ballarat, between Shepparton and Benalla, and between Benalla to the turn-off road to Maindample in Barjang (for a total of 114 miles); before this declaration, these roads were referred to as Geelong-Ballarat Road, Shepparton-Nalinga Road and Benalla-Mansfield Road. In the 1947/48 financial year, another section from Shepparton via Stanhope to Elmore was added, along the former Shepparton-Elmore Road; with the realignment of the Northern Highway south of Elmore running to Kilmore instead of to Bendigo declared at the same time, the previous alignment of the Northern Highway between Elmore and Bendigo was also added to the Midland Highway. In the 1959/60 financial year, the last section from Ballarat via Creswick and Daylesford to Castlemaine was added, along the former Ballarat-Creswick Road, Creswick-Daylesford Road and Castlemaine-Daylesford Roads. With the deviation of the Calder Highway past Castlemaine declared at the same time, the previous alignment of the Calder Highway between Castlemaine and Harcourt was also added to the Midland Highway. With the highway running concurrent with Calder Highway between Harcourt and Bendigo, the Midland Highway had finally achieved its present-day alignment at this stage. The Midland Link Highway was later declared in June 1983 along the former Maindample-Benalla Road. The Midland Highway also had a separate, southern section through South Gippsland, declared in 1939, from Morwell through Boolarra to Welshpool (with the intention to be linked up in the future with the existing highway at Mansfield), along the former Morwell-Mirboo Road; this appears to have been extended to Port Welshpool by 1972, and a 9.6 km portion of highway through Yinnar was declared the Midland Freeway in 1975, despite being only a single-carriageway road. The highway was