Description: National Highway 31 is a remnant of Australia's old route numbering system that is being replaced or has been replaced by the alpha-numeric system in most states. NH31 joins onto NH-M31 which is the main Melbourne to Sydney link, the famous Hume Highway/Freeway. In New South Wales, NH31 is yet to be replaced. The old route starts at the M1 interchange on Montague Street in South Melbourne, following one of the city bypass routes crossing the Yarra River on Charles Grimes Bridge, then through the Docklands development along the new Wurundjeri Way, turning right at Dudley Street, then left at Peel Street at Victoria Market, crossing Victoria Street (where the route originally terminated), through the huge roundabout at Flemington Road/Royal Parade/Peel Street, continuing north up the three carriageway boulavard that is Royal Parade, through the northern inner suburbs of Brunswick and Coburg along the narrower Sydney Road, then into divided road again 10 km out of the CBD in Hume Highway, joining NH-M31once crossing the Metropolitan Ring Road (NH-M80). According to edition 32 of Melway Street Directory, when the Hume Freeway link to M80 is fully open, Hume Highway will become just Sydney Road MR55. Currently all of the old signage still remains.

Length: NH31 is 16.5km in length.

Condition: NH31 follows the at times very congested Sydney Road which is 4kms of a continuous shopping strip sharing tramlines. The road divides to a six lane road just north of here. South of Sydney Road is the four lane, three carriageway Royal Parade that shares tramlines, which leads into the trecherous big roundabout (which I accidently drove straight through one night, with three lanes of oncoming traffic). Peel Street is a four lane divided road with a separate tram lane in the middle. Dudley Street is also four lane. Wurundjeri Way is four to six lane, increasing to about 8 lanes on Charles Grimes Bridge. Speed limit is 60kmhr, except on Hume Highway and Wurundjeri Way.

Click on a thumbnail below to view the entire image:

	End NH31, Montague Street as it passes under West Gate Freeway (M1). Nov 2004
	Fingerboard sign on Wurundjeri Way. Note MR31 instead of NH31. Dec 2004
	RD sign along Wurundjeri Way, Docklands. Dec 2004
	Trailblazers on the corner of Dudley and Spencer Streets, West Melbourne. 2002
	Multiple trailblazers on Dudley Street. 2002
	Trailblazer on Spencer Street heading south to Dudley Street. Dec 2004.
	AD sign on Dudley Street before King Street. Dec 2004
	ID sign facing the wrong way on Peel Street. Dec 2004
	View south along Peel Street towards Victoria Street and Victoria Market on left. Dec 2004
	Trailblazer northbound on Peel Street. Dec 2004
	Different design of trailblazer next to Victoria Market. Dec 2004
	South along Peel Street from the big roundabout . Dec 2004
	Looking north along Peel Street to the big roundabout. Dec 2004
	Same intersection. Dec 2004
	A view of the big roundabout from Peel Street. Dec 2004
	ID sign at the start of Royal Parade. Dec 2004
	Northbound side lane along Royal Parade. Dec 2004
	Central carriagway looking north. Dec 2004
	AD sign southbound before Macarthur Road. Note the NR1 shield that no longer applies. Dec 2004
	Sign towards the end of Royal Parade. Dec 2004
	Sign towards the end of Royal Parade. Dec 2004
	An interesting one showing NH31 as a black and white metropolitan route. Dec 2004
	Sign towards the end of Royal Parade. Dec 2004
	South as Sydney Road turns into Royal Parade. Nov 2004
	North along Sydney Road in Brunswick. Dec 2004
	South along Sydney Road in Brunswick. Dec 2004
	South along Sydney Road in Brunswick. Dec 2004
	South along Sydney Road in Coburg. Dec 2004
	South along Sydney Road in Coburg. Dec 2004
	North along Sydney Road in Coburg North. Dec 2004

<< Back to Highways