They are also useful reference points in any response to accidents, floods, crime and other emergencies.
[1] North-western roadhouses are found next to river crossings or close to station homesteads.
In the event of flooding of the North West Coastal Highway, they are locations where vehicles including road trains can be safely encamped and accounted for when a sudden deluge may make the road impassable.
The following list is of roadhouses that exist in isolation, having little or no adjacent community infrastructure.
Due to the high incidence of fatalities and accidents attributed to driver fatigue, some locations have opted into a program of providing free coffee to encourage drivers to take a break or rest on long journeys - in some cases some of the roadhouses above have become involved in that programme.