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Statistics:

• Length: 513 km (Holbrook to Victoria Border: 71 km)
• Northern Terminus: Westlink (M7) and South Western Mwy (M5) at Prestons
• Southern Terminus: NSW-Vic border at Albury
• Miscellaneous: Continues as Hume Freeway (M31) at the Victorian border and travels for 303 km to the Metropolitan Ring Road (M80).
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Campbelltown, Wilton, Tahmoor, Bargo, Mittagong, Berrima, Sutton Forest, Marulan, Goulburn, Gunning, Yass, Jugiong, Coolac, Gundagai, Tarcutta, Holbrook and Albury.

Route Numbering:

• Current: M31

• Former:
• Road Authority Internal Classification: HW2 1

General Information:

The Hume Highway is one of Australia's most vital highway links. Providing access between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's 2 largest cities. The National Highway section of the Hume Highway consists of 100% dual carriageway road, either rural expressway or motorway standard.

In NSW, the highway in one form or another started life as the Great South Road, linking Sydney with the southern highlands and eventually beyond. The highway was named in 1928 after Hamilton Hume (1797-1873), a famous explorer in the early 19th century who, in 1824, in conjunction with William Hovell first found an overland route between Sydney and the infant colonial outpost of Port Phillip, the original name of Melbourne.

M31 is the main freight and commuter route between Sydney and Melbourne and has gone through a massive amount of transformation over the past 30 or so years, with many towns being bypassed along its route as well and gradual upgrades to motorway standards. Since the 1960s, the road has either been duplicated, where alignments allow for it, and also large deviations have also been part of the upgrade process.

The route around the Mittagong area averages around 16,000 vehicles every day, in other sections the number drops off a little or closer to Sydney increases.2

The route forms the Remembrance Driveway which honours war veterans, click here for the Remembrance Driveway web site.

Here are some interesting statistics on the Hume Highway: 1

• The Mittagong Bypass is 15 km long.
• The Goulburn Bypass is 13 km of concrete dual carriageway.
• The Cullerin Range Deviation consists of 34 km of dual carriageway.
• 17 km of dual carriageways between the Cullerin Range Deviation and the Yass Bypass.
• The Yass Bypass, has 15 bridges and 18 km of dual carriageways.
• The Jugiong Bypass, features 13 km of dual carriageways.

History (Covers current alignment and previous alignments, which may be now under another route number):

• 1914: Sydney-Melbourne road (Great South Road) is declared a main road
• 1928: Sections of Great South Road renamed to Hume Highway
• 1930s: Raising of the wall of the Hume Dam on the Murray River forced the highway to be realigned north of Albury.
• 1939: 95% (557 km) of the Hume Highway paved with a bitumous surface. 2
• 1950s: In 1952, a group of citizens met and formed a committee under Lt-General Sir Frank Berryman to create a national memorial to servicemen by using trees and shrubs as living memorials. The NSW Premier, J J Cahill, officially launched the scheme on 9 December 1953. The Remembrance Driveway project as it was called started on 5 February 1954, when trees were planted at either end of the Driveway at the War Memorial, Canberra, and in Macquarie Place, Sydney, by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. By June 1959, 10,000 trees had been planted. Since then, planting of trees in avenues or groves has continued. When the M5 Motorway replaced the Hume Highway (and also Camden Valley Way) south of Liverpool, it became the focus for planting trees and shrubs in remembrance. 1
• March 2007: Albury Bypass opens. The freeway was officially opened by Prime Minister John Howard at a community event on 4 March 2007. The freeway opened to traffic on 6 March 2007. 1
• 2009: Hume Highway Duplication, Sturt Highway to Table Top completed. 3
• February 2010: Work starts on the Woomargama Bypass. 4
• 2013: National Highway 31 replaced by M31.

Preview:	Description:
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at South Albury approaching East St, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Welcome Sign: Welcome to New South Wales sign, South Albury, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	East Street: Hume Highway (M31) at the East St interchange, South Albury, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at East Albury approaching Riverina Hwy (B58), March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign at East Albury approaching Riverina Hwy (B58), March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Riverina Highway: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Riverina Hwy (B58) interchange, East Albury, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Riverina Highway: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Riverina Hwy (B58) interchange, East Albury, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Racecouse Rd, North Albury, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Fallon Street: Hume Hwy (M31) as it passuse under Fallon St, East Albury, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at North Albury for Racecourse Rd interchange, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Racecourse Road: Hume Hwy (M31) at Racecourse Rd interchange, Lavington, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Racecourse Road: Hume Hwy (M31) at Racecourse Rd interchange, Lavington, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Lavington approaching Thurgoona Dr, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Thurgoona Drive: Hume Hwy (M31) at Thurgoona Drive interchange, Lavington, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Davey Road: Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes under Davey Rd at Table Top, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Table Top, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Table Top approaching Burma Rd, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Tynan Road: Corner of Hume Hwy (M31) and Tynan Rd at Table Top, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Table Top approaching Olympic Hwy (A41), March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Table Top approaching Olympic Hwy (A41), March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Olympic Highway: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Olympic Hwy (A41) interchange, Table Top, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Olympic Highway: Hume Hwy (M31) at the Olympic Hwy (A41) interchange, Table Top, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Reassurance Directional Sign: Distance sign at Table Top, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Newtons Road: Hume Hwy (M31) as it passes under Newtons Rd at Mullengandra, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Entering Mullengandra: Hume Hwy (M31) as it enters Mullengandra, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Tourism Region Distance Sign: Tourism based RD sign at Mullengandra, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Distance Sign: Services based RD sign at Woomargama, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Supplemental AD sign approaching Woomargama Way, Woomargama, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Services Sign: Services sign at Woomargama, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Woomargama Way, Woomargama, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Woomargama Way: Hume Hwy (M31) at Woomargama Way (former Hume Hwy) at Woomargama, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
	Woomargama Way: Hume Hwy (M31) at Woomargama Way (former Hume Hwy) at Woomargama, March 2015. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of M31 as Hume Freeway in Victoria Click here for the continuation of M31 between Gundagai and Holbrook

1 Roads and Maritime Services
2 Department of Main Roads. The Roadmakers, A History of Main Roads in New South Wales, ISBN 0 7240 0439 4
3 Roads and Maritime Services, RMS achievements in transport infrastructure projects
4 Roads and Maritime Services, Roads and Maritime Services, Projects, Hume Highway, Community Update, October 2011

Last updated: 23-Feb-2017 6:21

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