Road Photos & Information: Australian Capital Territory

Federal Highway, Northbourne Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue, State Circle, Capital Circle, Canberra Avenue, Monaro Highway (National Route 23)

Statistics:

• Length: 45 km (Full length (ACT, NSW and Vic): 320 km)
• Northern Terminus: Corner of Barton Highway (NH25), Federal Highway (NH23) and Northbourne Avenue (NR23) Downer, ACT
• Western Terminus: Corner of Princes Highway (A1) and Monaro Highway (B23) Cann River, Victoria
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: ACT: Dickson, Lyneham, Braddon, Civic (Canberra), Acton, Parkes, Capital Hill, Forest, Kingston, Symonston, Hume, Gilmore, Royalla and Williamstown. NSW: Michelgo, Bredbo, Bunyan, Cooma, Nimmitabel and Bombala. Vic: Cann River.

Route Numbering:

• Current:
• Multiplexed with:

General Information:

In the ACT, NR23 serves as the main connector route to the snowfields in southern NSW and northern Victoria. Hordes 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, farming zones and bushland.

National Route 23 shares its path with several routes, in the ACT they are Tourist Drives 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7, in NSW, it's National Route 18, the Snowy Mountains Highway between Cooma and a few kilometres south of Bombala near Brown Mountain.

It's interesting to note that between the spans on the southern side of the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge over Lake Burley Griffin features 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:

• 1928: The first Commonwealth Avenue Bridge was constructed, relacing a ford across the Molonglo River (now Lake Burley Griffin).
• 1956: Introduction of NR23 on Federal Hwy and Northbourne Av
• 1974: NR23 replaced by NH23 on Federal Highway
• 1960s: NR23 introduced from Canberra to Nimmitabel
• 1985: Vicroads seals Cann Valley Highway, now Monaro Highway
• 1999: Bypass of gravel section of Monaro Highway near NSW-Vic Border. New segment sealed as a result. Cann Valley Highway renamed Monaro Highway in Victoria.