Australia		Area code 61	Common abbreviation AUS		Last updated 27-1-2007
Road class	Syntax explanation	Administrative subordination	Sub classes	Zones	System	Remarks
National Highway/ National Route	{ALT}[0-9]<1-2>	national	1 (ring)		Grid	To be replaced by A and B
			Other numbers
Motorway	M[0-9]<1-2>	state		see region table		Can belong to different classes
State Route	{ALT}{[A-C]}[0-9]<1-3>	state	A
			B
			C
Metroad	(M)[0-9]<1-2>	urban area
Tourist Drive	[0-9]<1-3>	region
General description:
National Routes: Route 1 is a ring road around the whole country. It is more than 11000 km long, which makes it the world's longest numbered road. Odd 1- and 2-digit numbers are generally north-south routes, while even numbers are east-west routes. Numbers increase in westbound and northbound direction respectively. Some very important National Routes are designated as National Highways. They have the same number as a National Route, the only difference is that the shield has a different color (not even a different shape). The designation affects federal funding levels. The prefix ALT means Alternative.
Every state has its own system of State routes (there are none in the Australian Capital Territory). In many states, the state routes with blue route markers are now obsolete. For details see the region table below.
Alphanumeric routes: The system of National Highways and Routes and State Routes is being replaced by a new system with M, A, B and C roads, with most National Highways and Routes becoming A roads, and state routes getting B and C numbers. Motorways get M numbers. Since roads generally keep their designation as National Route or Highway and the numerical part is also retained (e.g. National Highway 1 becomes A1), the grid system is preserved to some extent. However, in South Australia, relatively unimportant roads get A numbers, with duplication in other states. These numbers will form an integrated system throughout each state. Numbers are unique only per state (for example, there is a C325 in Victoria but also in Tasmania). Queensland is a special case. Here National Routes are replaced by Strategic Tourism Routes. Only route number 1 is kept (as National Highway 1), and the other roads do not match the national system anymore (though there is no duplication). For more information see the region table.
Metroads are main roads through a major city (they exist only in Sydney and Brisbane). Parts of them are freeways. The M is used in texts (in Sydney) but does not appear on signs, unless the road is a motorway. In Sydney, the M1 is the main north-south route replacing national highway 1. The M2, M4, M5 and M10 are main arterial roads linking the city to suburbs, and M3, M6, M7 and M9 are circumferential roads. National routes/highways do not continue along Metroads: they end outside the city. In Brisbane, National Highway 1 is numbered as M1, which complements the Metroad system but is not part of it. The M3 is the former ALT 1 and the others (M2, M4, M5 and M6) are other major roads. All Brisbane Metroads have at least one section that is a freeway. There are kilometer based exit numbers on the Pacific Motorway (Metroad 3 / M1).
Note that the letter M can thus mean three different things, which is especially confusing for motorways:
Motorway, part of the National Highway / National Route system			Signposted with M
Metroad			Signposted with Metroad shield
Metroad which is a motorway			Signposted with M, in plain text or inside rectangle
Tourist Drives are routes to and through scenic and historic areas. Many of them also have another State route number. They appear only in some states. Numbers are not always unique within a state.
Road signs:
Road/destination type	Background	Text	Road numbers
			Class	Shape	Background	Text
All roads	Green	White	National highway		Green	Yellow
			National route		White	Black
			Freeway		Blue	White
			State Routes		Blue	White
			Alphanumeric routes		Green	Yellow
			Metroad		White	Blue
Local destinations, street names etc.	White	Black	Tourist Drive		Brown (ACT various)	White
Alphanumeric routes are written in plain text in Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria, but New South Wales writes them in a yellow or white rectangle.
There are also administrative systems with up to 4-digit numbers, see the Road Classification sections in Ozroads under NSW, NT, Qld, Tas and WA.
History: The national route numbering system was introduced in 1955, and the national highway designation in 1974. There used to be 1-digit ring road numbering in Sydney from 1964 to 1974, see Ozroads. Starting in 1995, many state routes as well as national routes and highways have been changed to a system with M, A, B and C roads (see the region table).
In Victoria, there used to be separate Freeway numbers with suffix F:
Road		National number	Old F number	Later changed to	New number
South Eastern Freeway		1	80F		M1
Tullamarine Freeway		79 (part)	81F	43	M79 (part)
Westgate Freeway		1	82F		M1
Eastern Freeway		-	83F	83
Calder Freeway		79	90F	40	M79
All national routes have received an M, A or B number. Most of them have an A number (since they are generally important routes), but there are exceptions. Routes 12 and 23 have become B12 and B23, respectively. There is only one case where a road has a different numerical part: route 16 has the number B400. M numbers are derived from national, state or A numbers, simply by adding the prefix M. For example, the motorway part of national highway 1 is the M1, the M80 replaces state route 80 and the M420 and A420 together form one route (with M420 being the motorway part).
South Australia did not have any state route numbers until recently. Tourist roads with numbers in the 50's series occur in a small area east and south of Adelaide. Many roads in Adelaide have received an A number, and either A or B was prepended to former National Routes e.g. 1 and 20 became A1 and A20 respectively.
Road		Old National Highway/Route	New number	Section
Eyre Highway		1	A1	WA - Port Augusta
Princes Highway		1	A1	Port Augusta - Adelaide
Southeastern Freeway		1	M1	Adelaide - Murray Bridge
Princes Highway		1	A1	Murray Bridge - Tailem Bend
Princes Highway		1	B1	Tailem Bend - Mount Gambier - Victoria
Lincoln Highway		ALT 1	B100	Port Augusta - Port Lincoln - Ceduna
Dukes Highway		8	A8	Entire road
Mallee Highway		12	B12	Entire road
Sturt Highway		20	A20	Entire road
Barrier Highway		32	A32	Entire road
		47	B47	Stirling North - Hawker
		56	B56	Stirling North - Peterborough
		64	B64	Crystal Brook - Renmark
Main North Road		83	B92	Tarlee - Clare
		83	B80	Clare - Hawker
		83	B47	Hawker - Birdsville (Qld)
Stuart Highway		87	A87	Port Augusta - NT
Metroads and Tourist Drives are a recent addition.
Sources: various websites, especially Ozroads, various maps and atlases Official sites: Australia Austroads Australian Capital Territory Roads ACT New South Wales New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority Northern Territory Northern territory Department of planning and infrastructure Queensland Main roads Queensland Road map Queensland South Australia Transport South Australia Tasmania DIER Tasmania Victoria Vicroads Western Australia Main Roads Western Australia Other links: Australia Ozroads pictures, route lists and descriptions of the state numbering systems Brad's Australian Highways Page Highway map National Highway 1 Australian Highways History, pictures and general information by Cameron Kaiser aussiehighways discussion forum Australian Towns, Cities and Highways road pictures Expressway Paul Rands mainly New South Wales, Queensland and Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory Ozroads New South Wales Sydney Metroads M5 South West Motorway M7 Westlink Cross City Tunnel Queensland Ozroads Pacific Motorway South Australia Northern Expressway Victoria Transurban Citylink Melbourne Main Roads Victoria Signspotters some road sign pictures in Victoria Freeway Vic M2 Hills Motorway Other pages within this site: Queensland National Highways and Strategic Tourism Routes list

Region table

All states have National Routes / National Highways.

State	New system							State		Local
	Motorway (nat./metroad)	A	B	C	System/remarks		Implementation status	State route	System/remarks	Metroad	Tourist Drive
Australian Capital Territory	No separate numbers	Only national routes are 23, 25 and 52					Unknown	n.a.			[1-7] (each number has a different colour)
New South Wales	M[1-9]	A[0-9]<1-2>	B[0-9]<1-2>		Retain national routes		From 2004, see Ozroads	[0-9]<2-3>	Spider-web: even radial, odd lateral	(M)1-10	[0-9]<1-2>
								F[1-8]	Freeways: obsolete, 1973-1982 Evolving counterclockwise around Sydney from the north
Northern Territory	No separate numbers	Only national routes are 1, 66, 80, 87 and 96					Unknown	[0-9]<1-2>	Even numbers east-west, increasing to the north, odd numbers north-south
Queensland	M1;M5	A[0-9]<1-2>			Grid, see Ozroads and route list		From 2000	[0-9]<1-2>	Sequential	(M)[1-6]
South Australia	M[12]	A[0-9]<1-2>	B[0-9]<1-3>	C[0-9]<3>	Old numbers mostly kept, rest sequential		1998-1999	([0-9]<3>)	Never signposted		5[0-9]
					(D[0-9]<2>)	For administration only
Tasmania	No separate numbers	A1-10	B[0-9]<2>	C[0-9]<3>	Zones for B and C numbers determined by first digit		1979-1986	[1-9]	Sequential, 1961-1979 Tasmania has a National Highway 1 Hobart-Launceston-Burne which is sometimes also referred to as the A1. It has nothing to do with ring road 1 on the mainland. Tasmania has no other National Highways or Routes.
					1	Northwest
					2	West
					3	Southeast
					4	East of Launceston
					5	South of Launceston
					6	Southwest
					7	Northwest of Launceston
					8	Northeast
Victoria	M[0-9]<1-3>	A[0-9]<1-3>	B[0-9]<3>	C[0-9]<3>	Spider-web, [AB][34]00 ring roads. Zones:		1995-2003	[0-9]<2-3>	State Routes: obsolete, 1985-2000 Formed an integrated system with the Melbourne Metropolitan Routes, signposted in the same way
					1	West
					2	Northwest
					3	North
					4	Southeast		[0-9]<1-2>	Metropolitan Routes Only in Melbourne, even east-west, odd north-south
					5	Northeast
					6	Bairnsdale - Cann River
					7	Centre (Melbourne)
Western Australia	No separate numbers	Only national routes are 1, 94 and 95					Unknown	[0-9]<1-3>	Spider-web: [1-6]0: radial		[0-9]<3>

Queensland National Highways and Strategic Tourism Routes
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