Kevin Sullivan gets Threeways Roadhouse to the top of country music ARIA charts

Just 20 minutes north of Tennant Creek, a roadhouse has received national recognition, thanks to one country music artist.

Threeways Roadhouse. Picture: Supplied

The roadhouse at the Barkly Highway and Stuart Highway intersection – just “15 miles out of Tennant Creek” – has reached the top of the ARIA country music charts, thanks to a namesake song and album by a country musician – who was once a cop.

Threeways by Kevin Sullivan is a tribute to the Threeways Roadhouse, which is roughly a 20 minute drive north of Tennant Creek along the Stuart Highway.

The song, released in February, is on Sullivan’s album of the same name, which has now been at the top of the ARIA country music chart for two weeks.

Sullivan has beat Australian country stalwarts Troy Cassar-Daley, Lee Kernaghan and James Johnston for the top, something he said was a “dream come true”.

“When it came out, we were in Threeways. We were driving out of Tennant Creek. We’ve done the launch like, a week earlier, we were driving out of Tennant Creek, and my wife started screaming,” Sullivan said.

“I thought she’s been bitten by one of the many snakes out there.

“And then she said ‘we’ve just been notified we’re number one in the ARIA chart, top 20 Australian country albums’.

“We were so excited – nearly drove off the road.”

Sullivan said he was born into a musical family, but working in NSW police for 27 years saw him put music on the backburner – until he fell off his bike and broke his arm in seven places.

Kevin Sullivan performs at the Threeways Roadhouse in the Northern Territory.

While some would have been happy with the early retirement, Sullivan decided to get a guitar and caravan and travel the country.

This travel led him into the Territory, and subsequently Threeways – where he stayed as an artist in residence.

Threeways roadhouse owner Nigel Stevens said it was great having Sullivan there, and seeing the namesake album get to the top of the charts was the icing on the cake.

“It’s good for the roadhouse, it’s good for the Barkly region, and then it’s good for the whole of the NT,” he said.