NT government conducting Sandover Highway speed review after inquest into fatal rollover
The single-vehicle rollover happened 112km south of Arlparra on the Sandover Highway. (ABC News: Samantha Jonscher)
In short:
The NT government is reviewing the speed limit on the Sandover Highway following the death of an art centre worker in a high-speed rollover in 2023.
The government is conducting the review in response to coronial inquest findings following 27-year-old Grace Moulding's death.
Since the accident, her workplace, Artists of Ampilatwatja, has implemented all five recommendations made by the coroner.
The death of a remote art centre worker in a rollover north-east of Alice Springs has led to a Northern Territory government review of speed limits on an outback highway.
British national Grace Moulding died in June 2023 after a high-speed rollover on the Sandover Highway when she and her colleague were commuting from Alice Springs back to the community of Ampilatwatja.
Grace Moulding died in June 2023 on her drive back to Ampilatwatja community for work. (Supplied: NT Courts)
The Sandover Highway is a mostly unsealed remote thoroughfare running from the Plenty Highway, north-east of Alice Springs, to the Queensland border, with a default speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour.
The crash investigators' report found the accident happened 42 kilometres from the Plenty Highway turn-off, after the troop carrier hit a rough section on the unsealed road and rolled about 70 metres.
Urge to address remote driving danger
The inquest explored whether Ms Moulding's workplace, Artists of Ampilatwatja Corporation, had properly mitigated remote driving risks, whether its cars were safe and registered, if highway maintenance was up to scratch and whether the highway speed limit was appropriate.
Ampilatwatja lies 300 or so kilometres down a red dirt road north-east of Alice Springs. (ABC News: Chris Kimball)
In her findings, delivered in August 2025, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage said three earlier single-vehicle rollovers in Artists of Ampilatwatja cars should have alerted the art centre to the risks of remote driving and a lack of four-wheel drive experience.
"[Ms Moulding] should never have been placed in a position that permitted her to drive a large 4WD on the Sandover Highway," Ms Armitage said.
Speed limits to mitigate road deaths
Ms Armitage highlighted that the NT had "the highest rate of road deaths in Australia", and said while most states and territories had a default speed limit of 100km/h on regional and remote roads, the NT and Western Australia were outliers, with 110km/h limits.
The Sandover Highway is a mostly unsealed remote thoroughfare. (ABC News: Katrina Beavan)
She said based on the evidence she had heard, particularly from an expert witness, the default maximum speed of the highway was too high.
"When she crashed, Grace was not travelling at a safe speed for the conditions. There was no evidence that she was a reckless person or a risk taker,"Ms Armitage said.
In addition to five recommendations urging the arts centre to put in place better organisational driving and work safe policies, she also recommended the NT Department of Logistics and Infrastructure conduct a comprehensive speed limit review of the highway within 12 months.
Last week, the government tabled its response in parliament, stating it would accept the recommendation.
"A review of the Sandover Highway has been initiated and will be completed within the 12-month timeframe," the department said.
"The review will be undertaken in accordance with Safe Systems principles and will prioritise the safety of road users by minimising the risk of death or serious injury."
Toll of death on community
Artists of Ampilatwatja manager Megan Jacobs told the ABC that since the accident, multiple changes to improve worker safety had been implemented.
Megan Jacobs says the community's thoughts are still with Grace Moulding's family. (ABC News: Chris Kimball)
"Firstly, I would like to say that our thoughts continue to be with Grace's family," Ms Jacobs said.
"This accident took a great emotional toll on the Ampilatwatja community.
"Since 2024, the art centre has implemented all five of the coroner's recommendations, and we continue to look at ways to implement health and safety procedures — we want our people safe.
"We welcome the news that the government is completing a review of speed limits on the Sandover Highway so that an accident like this doesn't happen again."