Road Photos & Information: Australian Capital Territory: Northbourne Avenue, Vernon Circle, Commonwealth Avenue, State Circle, Capital Circle, Canberra Avenue, Hume Place and Monaro Highway (National Route 23)

Statistics:

Length: 45 km (Full length (ACT, NSW and Vic): 320 km) (Fyshwick to Gilmore: 10 km)
Northern Terminus: Corner of Barton Highway (NH25), and Federal Highway (NH23) at Downer and Lyneham
Southern Terminus: NSW Border at Williamsdale
Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Fyshwick, Symonston, Hume and Gilmore

Route Numbering:

Current:
Multiplexed with:

General Information:

In the ACT, NR23 serves as the main connector route from Canberra to the snowfields in southern NSW and northern Victoria. Large numbers of motorists travel the 2.5 hour trip from Sydney to Canberra, and then continue through Cooma and beyond.

The route varies from multi laned dual carriageway in the urban areas of North and South Canberra to rural highway further south of the city. It passes directly past Australia's Parliament House and other significant areas containing offices for the administration of the country. It also passes through suburban areas, industrial areas at Fyshwick and Hume, plus farming zones and bushland.

National Route 23 shares its path with several Tourist Drives, which are 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Between the spans on the southern side of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge over Lake Burley Griffin, there's two granite stones from the 1817 Waterloo Bridge across the River Thames in London. These were presented to Australia after the 1817 Waterloo Bridge was demolished in the 1940s and replaced by a modern structure. A plaque reads, in part, "Stones such as these from the bridge were presented to Australia and other parts of the British world to further historic links in the British Commonwealth of Nations".

History:

11 November 1992: Monaro Highway name gazetted. 1

Fyshwick to Gilmore (Southbound)		Gilmore to Fyshwick (Northbound)
Preview:	Description:	Preview:	Description:
	Distance Sign: RD sign in Symonston, just after the Canberra Avenue interchange on Monaro Highway. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign in Gilmore approaching Isabella Drive. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Hindmarsh Drive Interchange: Southbound on Monaro Hwy in Symonston at the Hindmarsh Dr interchange. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Isabella Drive Roundabout: Northbound on Monaro Hwy at the Isabella Dr roundabout. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign in Symonston, just after the Hindmarsh Drive interchange on Monaro Highway. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign assembly at the Isabella Dr roundabout. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Hume approaching the Alexander Maconochie Centre, which is a prison and remand centre. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Trailblazer: Tourist Drive 5 trailblazer just northeast of the Isabella Dr roundabout at Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Andrew Maconochie Centre Entrance: Southbound at Hume at the entance to the Alexander Maconochie Centre. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Directional Sign Near Mugga Lane: Directional sign at Hume near Mugga Lane. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Approaching Lanyon Drive: Intersection directional sign acting as an advance directional sign as Monaro Hwy approaches Lanyon Dr in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Mugga Lane Junction: AD sign approaching Mugga Ln in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on Lanyon Drive in Hume, approaching Monaro Highway. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Approaching Tralee Street: AD sign approaching Tralee St in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Corner of Lanyon Drive & Monaro Highway: Lanyon Drive southbound slip lane onto Monaro Highway in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Tralee Street Junction: ID sign at the intersection with Tralee St in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Kangaroo Accident Zone: Sign at Hume indicating the area is a high crash area between vehicles and kangaroos. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Odometer Check Length Ahead: Sign indicating there will be signs ahead at 1 km intervals which can be used to check the accuracy of a vehicles odometer. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Sheppard Street Junction: AD sign approaching Sheppard St in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Distance Sign: Looking northwest at Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Tralee Street Junction: AD sign approaching Tralee St in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Sheppard Street Junction: AD sign approaching Sheppard St in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Mugga Lane Junction: AD sign approaching Mugga Ln in Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Start Odometer Check Length: Sign at Hume, which can be used to check the accuracy of a vehicles odometer. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign in Hume approaching Isabella Drive. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Approaching Lanyon Drive: Intersection directional sign acting as an advance directional sign as Monaro Hwy approaches Lanyon Dr in Hume. December 2009. Note the incorrect NH23 shield, should be a black and white NR23 shield. The NR52 should not be on the sign at all. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign in Gilmore approaching Isabella Drive. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Lanyon Drive Intersection: Looking northbound at Hume approaching Lanyon Drive (formerly Tharwa Road). December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
	Distance Sign: RD sign after the Isabella Drive intersection at Gilmore. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands		Distance Sign: RD sign after the Lanyon Drive intersection at Hume. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Hume approaching the Alexander Maconochie Centre, which is a prison and remand centre. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Andrew Maconochie Centre Entrance: Southbound at Hume at the entance to the Alexander Maconochie Centre. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Road Safety Sign: Northbound at Symonston. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Hindmarsh Drive Interchange: Monaro Hwy in Symonston at the Hindmarsh Dr interchange. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign for Canberra Avenue at the Hindmarsh Drive interchange in Symonston. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign for Canberra Avenue in Narrabundah. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Canberra Avenue Interchange Northbound at Narrabundah at the interchange with Canberra Avenue. NR23 veers off to the left and Monaro Highway continues as ALT-NR23 straight ahead. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Canberra Avenue Interchange Northbound at Narrabundah at the interchange with Canberra Avenue. NR23 veers off to the left and Monaro Highway continues as ALT-NR23 straight ahead. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Narrabundah approaching Canberra Avenue. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Narrabundah approaching Canberra Avenue. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
			Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign at Narrabundah at the Canberra Avenue intersection. December 2009. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of NR23 between Gilmore and the New South Wales Border Click here for the continuation of NR23 between Fyshwick and Acton

1 ACT Planning & Land Authority, Place Name Search, Monaro Highway

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