Pacific Highway (Australia)

Not to be confused with Pacific Motorway (Brisbane–Brunswick Heads) or Pacific Motorway (Sydney–Newcastle).
For the highway in the US, see Pacific Coast Highway (United States).

Pacific Highway

New South Wales
View of the Pacific Highway from Wattley Hill Road, New South Wales (c. 2007)
General information
TypeHighway
Length779 km (484 mi)[1]
GazettedAugust 1928 (NSW, as Main Road 10)[2]
December 1930 (QLD)[3]
Route number(s)
  • M1 (Brunswick Heads–Glenugie)
  • A1 (Glenugie–Raleigh)
  • M1 (Raleigh–Port Macquarie)
  • A1 (Port Macquarie–Hexham)
  • A43 (Hexham–Mayfield West, Newcastle West–Doyalson)
  • B83 (Kariong–Wahroonga)
  • A1 (Wahroonga–Artarmon)
  • Concurrency:
  • A38 (Roseville–Chatswood)
Former
route number		See Former route numbers
Major junctions
Brunswick Heads to Warabrook
North end Pacific Motorway
 
South endMaitland Road
Wickham to Tuggerah,
then Ourimbah to Wyoming
Northeast end Stewart Avenue
 
Southwest endMann Street
Kariong to North Sydney
North end Wisemans Ferry Road
 
South end Warringah Freeway
Location(s)
Major settlementsBallina, Central Coast, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Newcastle, Taree, Sydney
Brisbane, Gold Coast
Highway system
----

Pacific Highway is a 790-kilometre-long (491 mi)[1] national highway and major transport route along the central east coast of Australia, with the majority of the highway being part of Australia's Highway 1. The highway and its adjoining Pacific Motorway between Brisbane and Brunswick Heads and Pacific Motorway between Sydney and Newcastle links the state capitals of Sydney in New South Wales with Brisbane in Queensland. It approximately parallels the Tasman Sea and the Coral Sea of the South Pacific Ocean coast. Additionally, between Brunswick Heads and Port Macquarie (excluding a short stretch around Coffs Harbour), the road is also signed as Pacific Motorway, but has not been legally gazetted as such.

Pacific Highway no longer includes former sections of the highway between Brunswick Heads and Brisbane that have been legally renamed. As such, the highway stops short of the Queensland border near the Gold Coast. It is one of the busiest highways in Australia[4][5] and was reconstructed as a controlled-access highway (motorway) and limited-access road (dual carriageway) standards between Hexham and the Queensland border between 1996 and December 2020,[6][7] excepting a portion of remnant surface road around Coffs Harbour. Major construction of the Coffs Harbour Bypass commenced in 2023.

  1. ^ a b "Pacific Highway: Brunswick Heads to North Sydney" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Main Roads Act, 1924–1927". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 110. National Library of Australia. 17 August 1928. pp. 3814–20. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. ^ "From Bulldust to Beef Roads and Beyond: Main Roads – The first 50 years". Queensland Department of Main Roads (QMR). National Library of Australia. 2002. p. 65. Archived from the original on 20 September 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Sydney traffic hotspots – The Uber driver's guide". 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  5. ^ "M1 Pacific Motorway: Eight Mile Plains to Tugun". Infrastructure Australia. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference completed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference completed2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).