The Barwon Highway is one of the shorter state highways of Queensland, Australia, connecting the Goondiwindi Region and the Shire of Balonne. It starts at the Carnarvon Highway in Nindigully, 44 kilometres south of St George, and travels east for about 155 kilometres until it reaches Goondiwindi, where it terminates at the Leichhardt Highway. The highway travels north of and roughly parallel to the Barwon River, after which it is named. The river forms part of the border between Queensland and New South Wales.

State route 85

This highway is part of State Route 85, which extends for over 570 km from Bribie Island to Nindigully, duplexing with the Brisbane Valley Highway (National Route 17) from the D'Aguilar Highway to Esk, the New England Highway (State Route A3) from Hampton to Toowoomba, the Gore Highway (National Route A39 - formerly 85) from Toowoomba to the Leichhardt Highway, and the southern 19 km section of the Leichhardt Highway (also National Route A39) to Goondiwindi.

Stock route

Like many Australian roads, the Barwon Highway follows a declared stock route. The road reserve for most stock routes is wider than for other roads (up to 1600 metres). When seen from the air (or in the Satellite view of Google maps) the substantial width of the western end (from Nindigully to Talwood) can be clearly seen due to the difference in colour between roadside brigalow scrub and adjacent cropland.

Upgrades

Pavement widening

A project to widen sections of pavement on the highway, at a cost of $6.75 million, was expected to complete in June 2022.

Major intersections