Illawarra Highway
The Illawarra Highway is a short state highway in New South Wales, Australia. It connects Wollongong to the Southern Highlands and links the Princes Highway and Hume Highway.[1][2]
Illawarra Highway | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Highway |
| Length | 60.7 km (38 mi) |
| Route number(s) |  A48 (2013-present) |
| Former route number |
|
| Major junctions | |
| West end |  Hume HighwaySutton Forest, New South Wales |
 Sheepwash Road | |
| East end |  Princes MotorwayAlbion Park, New South Wales |
| Location(s) | |
| Major settlements | Moss Vale, Robertson |
| Highway system | |
Route
It is named after the geographical area it crosses, the Illawarra region. Typical scenery is beautiful as it crosses the Macquarie Valley (Shellharbour) and the spectacular Macquarie Pass, with many hairpin bends and steep gradients, unsuitable for large and articulated vehicles. Trucks are instead advised to use the Mount Ousley Road (Route B88), also known as Picton Road. The pass has one of the southernmost stands of Australia's sub tropical rainforest.
The main towns en route are Albion Park in the Shellharbour area and Robertson and Moss Vale on the Southern Highlands. Spectacular National Parks surrounds them. Both Robertson and Moss Vale are quaint country towns with 19th-century buildings still intact, While Albion Park is an inland town of Shellharbour
Major intersections
| LGA | Location | km[3] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wingecarribee | Sutton Forest | 0.0 | 0.0 | Hume Highway (M31) / Canyonleigh Road (west) – Sydney, Goulburn, Canyonleigh | Diamond interchange; western terminus of highway and route A48, continues west as Canyonleigh Road |
| 6.8 | 4.2 | Exeter Road – Exeter | |||
| Moss Vale | 13.5 | 8.4 | Argyle Road (Old Hume Highway) (east) / Sutton Road (north) – Bowral, Mittagong | Roundabout | |
| 17.3 | 10.7 | Nowra Road – Kangaroo Valley, Nowra | |||
| Avoca | 23.6 | 14.7 | Sheepwash Road – Nowra, Mittagong | ||
| Robertson | 37.7 | 23.4 | Jamberoo Mountain Road – Jamberoo, Kiama | ||
| Shellharbour | Albion Park | 59.4 | 36.9 | Tongarra Road (east) / Terry Street (south) – Shellharbour, Kiama, Nowra | Traffic light intersection; Illawarra Highway continues north along Terry Street, west along Tongarra Road |
| Albion Park | 60.7 | 37.7 | Princes Motorway (M1) – Wollongong, Sydney | Northbound exit and southbound entry only; eastern terminus of highway and route A48 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
References
- National Route 48, Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
- Illawarra Highway Archived 2 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Hotkey. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
- Google (3 February 2016). "Illawarra Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
