The present highway network in New South Wales, Australia was established in August 1928 when the Country Roads Board (the predecessor of the Department of Main Roads, Roads & Traffic Authority and Roads & Maritime Services) superseded the 1924 main road classifications and established the basis of the existing New South Wales main road system. (the full list of main roads gazetted appears in the Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales of 17 August 1928). The number of a road for administrative purposes is not the same as the route number it carries e.g. the Great Western Highway is Highway 5 for administrative purposes but is signposted as part of route A32.)
Many major routes in New South Wales, including Sydney motorways and even some routes named as "highways" are not officially gazetted as highways. For a list of all numbered routes in New South Wales, see List of road routes in New South Wales.
While highways in many other countries are typically identified by number, highways in Australia, including New South Wales, are known mostly by names. These names typically come from 19th-century explorers, important politicians or geographic regions.
Gwydir Highway is a 568-kilometre (353 mi) state highway in northern New South Wales, Australia. The highway was named after the Gwydir River, which in turn was named after a locale in Wales.
Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions situated adjacent to the route.
Golden Highway is a 313-kilometre (194 mi) highway, located in the Hunter and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia. It runs eastwards from Dubbo towards Newcastle on the coast, allowing road transport to avoid travelling over the Blue Mountains to Sydney, and is designated route B84.
Barrier Highway is a highway in South Australia and New South Wales, and is designated part of route A32. The name of the highway is derived from the Barrier Ranges, an area of moderately high ground in the far west of New South Wales, through which the highway traverses.
Cobb Highway is a state highway in the western Riverina and the far western regions of New South Wales, with a short section in Victoria, Australia, designated part of route B75.
Federal Highway is a highway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It is a part of a motorway-standard link between Sydney and Canberra, and is also the main thoroughfare between those cities.
Barton Highway is a highway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It connects Canberra to Hume Highway at Yass, and it is part of the route from Melbourne to Canberra. It is named in honour of Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia.
Monaro Highway is a 285-kilometre-long (177 mi) highway in Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia, linking Cann River in Victoria to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) via the Monaro region. From its southern terminus, it follows the nearby Cann River upstream towards the New South Wales border through heavily forested terrain. Within New South Wales (NSW), it makes its way through further forest before reaching the pastures typical of the Monaro. There are multiple towns and villages along the highway, including Bombala, Nimmitabel, and Cooma. The terrain within the Monaro is largely hilly, and there are numerous crossings. The road also parallels the former Bombala railway line in several locations. Within the ACT, the road becomes a high volume roadway and serves the southern suburbs of Canberra. The highway has more recently had a grade-separated dual carriageway extension constructed within Canberra, as part of the Eastern Parkway construction project. It is designated part of route M23, and route A23 within Canberra, and route B23 within Victoria and New South Wales, with a concurrency where it also carries route B72 between the two sections of Snowy Mountains Highway.
Snowy Mountains Highway is a 333-kilometre-long (207 mi) state highway located in New South Wales, Australia. Its two sections connect the New South Wales South Coast to the Monaro region, and the Monaro to the South West Slopes via the Snowy Mountains. The higher altitude regions of this road are subject to snow over the winter months, and the road also provides access to many parts of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The highway bears the B72 shield along its entire length.
Mid-Western Highway, sometimes Mid Western Highway, is a 518-kilometre (322 mi) state highway located in the central western and northern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The highway services rural communities and links the Great Western, Mitchell, Olympic, Newell, Cobb and Sturt highways. Mid-Western Highway forms part of the most direct route road link between Sydney and Adelaide, with its eastern terminus in Bathurst and western terminus in Hay. It is designated part of route A41 between Bathurst and Cowra, and route B64 between Cowra and Hay.
Castlereagh Highway is a 790-kilometre (490 mi) state highway located in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. The highway's northern terminus is at a junction with Carnarvon Highway, south of St George, Queensland. Its southern terminus is at a junction with Great Western Highway at Marrangaroo, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of Lithgow. From north to south the highway traverses South West Queensland and the North West Slopes, Orana, and Central West regions of New South Wales.
Summerland Way is a 199–kilometre state route, designated B91, in New South Wales. It runs generally north from Grafton to the state border with Queensland just west of Mount Lindesay, and continues from there into Queensland as Mount Lindesay Highway. It was named as the region in runs through is a popular tourist area for people during summer.
Olympic Highway is a rural road in the central western and south-eastern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The 317-kilometre (197 mi) highway services rural communities and links Hume Highway with Mid-Western Highway and provides part of an alternate road link between Sydney and Albury via Bathurst and Cowra as well as servicing Wagga Wagga, linking with Sturt Highway.
Illawarra Highway is a short state highway in New South Wales, Australia. It connects Wollongong to the Southern Highlands and links Princes Highway and Hume Highway. It is named after the geographical area it crosses, the Illawarra region.
Kings Highway is an interstate highway located within the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, Australia. The highway connects Canberra with Batemans Bay on the South Coast. It is designated route B52.
Picton Road is a 37-kilometre (23 mi) rural road that links Picton and Wollongong through the Macarthur region of New South Wales. It provides an important link between the Hume and Princes Motorways.
Central Coast Highway is a 50-kilometre (31 mi) highway through the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It connects Pacific Motorway (M1) at Kariong with Pacific Highway (A43) at Doyalson. The highway was named after the region it goes through, to provide an easily identifiable route for visitors to the region, and is designated route A49.
Goldfields Way is a 116-kilometre (72 mi) country road in the northern part of the Riverina region of New South Wales, connecting Wyalong via Temora to Old Junee.
Escort Way is a 114-kilometre (71 mi) country road in New South Wales running from Mitchell Highway in Orange to Lachlan Valley Way in Forbes. The name derives from the notorious hold up of the Lachlan Gold Escort by bushrangers in 1862 which occurred along the route, and subsequent lobbying by the Canowindra Historical Society to recognise this. Escort Rock, a heritage-listed geological formation is located adjacent to the road near Eugowra.
Lachlan Valley Way is a New South Wales country road running from Booligal to north of Yass.