South Gippsland Highway

"M420" redirects here. For the freeway, see South Gippsland Freeway.

South Gippsland Highway Victoria
West end East end
Coordinates	38°00′03″S145°13′37″E / 38.000718°S 145.227005°E / -38.000718; 145.227005 (West end) 38°06′41″S147°04′06″E / 38.111406°S 147.068393°E / -38.111406; 147.068393 (East end)
General information
Type	Highway
Length	256 km (159 mi) [1]
Gazetted	November 1913 (as Main Road) [2] 1933 (as State Highway) [3]
Route number(s)	A21 (2024–present) (Dandenong–Cranbourne) B21 (2024–present) (Thompsons Rd, Cranbourne–Narre Warren - Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne ) M420 (1998–present) (Lynbrook–Lang Lang) A440 (2003–present) (Lang Lang–Sale) Concurrencies: Metro Route 12 (1989–present) (through Dandenong South) A21 (2024–present) (Lynbrook–Cranbourne) B21 (2024–present) (through Cranbourne)
Former route number	B440 (1998–2003) (Lang Lang–Sale) State Route 180 (1985–1998) Entire route
Major junctions
West end	Princes Highway Dandenong South, Melbourne
	South Gippsland Freeway Western Port Highway Thompsons Road Narre Warren - Cranbourne Road Bass Highway Strzelecki Highway Hyland Highway
East end	Princes Highway Sale, Victoria
Location(s)
Major settlements	Cranbourne, Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Korumburra, Leongatha, Foster, Yarram, Longford
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway  • Freeways in Australia Highways in Victoria

South Gippsland Highway is a partially divided highway connecting the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne through the South Gippsland region of in Victoria, Australia to the town of Sale. The highway serves as a gateway from Melbourne to many attractions including Wilsons Promontory and Phillip Island as well as being an important road for farmers in Gippsland.

Route

South Gippsland Highway commences at the intersection with Princes Highway in Dandenong, and heads in a south-eastly direction as a four-lane, dual-carriageway road towards the northern shores of Western Port Bay, through Cranbourne and Tooradin, until it reaches the interchange with Bass Highway to Phillip Island outside Lang Lang, after which it is entirely an undivided rural highway. It continues in an southeasterly direction through Nyora, Korumburra, Leongatha, Foster, Welshpool and Yarram, before heading north and eventually terminating at a roundabout with Princes Highway at Sale.

History

The passing of the Country Roads Act of 1912 ^[4] through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the establishment of the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads) and their ability to declare Main Roads, taking responsibility for the management, construction and care of the state's major roads from local municipalities. (Main) South Gippsland Road was declared a Main Road, from Korumburra to Leongatha, on 10 November 1913; ^[2] (Main) Coast Road was declared a Main Road, from Dandenong to Lang Lang, on 1 December 1913; ^[5] and Sale-Yarram Road was declared a Main Road, from Sale via Longford to Stradbroke, on 23 March 1914; ^[6]

The passing of the Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924 ^[7] provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board. South Gippsland Highway was declared a State Highway in 1933, ^[3] cobbled together from roads between Dandenong and Nyora, and between Sale and Yarram (for a total of 83 miles), subsuming the original declarations of (Main) Coast Road, (Main) South Gippsland Road and Sale-Yarram Roads as Main Roads. In 1939, another section between Foster through Welshpool to Yarram was added, ^[8] along the former Foster-Yarram Road. ^[9] In the 1947/48 financial year, another section between Nyora via Korumburra and Leongatha to Meeniyan was added, ^[10] along the former Loch-Nyora Road, Bena-Korumburra Road and Korumburra-Leongatha Roads. ^[8] In the 1965/66 financial year, the last section between Meeniyan and Foster was added, ^[11] completing its present-day alignment at this stage.

Conversion to dual carriageways at the western end began in 1975, initially between South Gippsland Freeway and Cranbourne; a distance of 17 km. ^[12] The final link in the duplication of the highway between Dandenong and Bass Highway opened in the early 1990s between Princes Highway and Pound Road. ^[13]

South Gippsland Highway was signed as State Route 180 between Dandenong and Sale on 13 December 1985, the first road in Victoria signed with a State Route, ^[14] and later a concurrency with Metropolitan Route 12 between Greens Road and Pound Road through Dandenong South; with Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s, this was replaced by route M420 between Lynbrook and Lang Lang, B440 between Lang Lang and Sale (which was upgraded to A440 when highway upgrades along South Gippsland Highway raised the quality of the road in 2003), and unallocated (excluding the short stretch of Metro Route 12) between Dandenong and Dandenong South.

The western section of the South Gippsland Highway between the intersection of the Koo Wee Rup Bypass and the Princess Highway is gradually being renumbered to A21 and B21 following the completion of major works on Heasville - Koo Wee Rup Road in 2024. The upgrade has included the rerouting of M420 to the upgraded route.

The passing of the Road Management Act 2004 ^[15] through the Parliament of Victoria granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads: VicRoads re-declared the road in 2004 as South Gippsland Highway (Arterial #6580), from Dandenong South to Sale. ^[16]

Timeline of upgrades and duplication

• 1961 – Whitelaw By-pass Road: 2.5 miles just north of Korumburra completed as a 2-lane, single-carriageway road, replacing a narrow winding route 3.5 miles long consisting of portions of Bena-Korumburra and Warragul-Korumburra Roads, eliminating two railway crossings, costing A£65,000. ^[17]
• 1975 – Conversion to dual carriageways at the western end began in 1975, between the South Gippsland Freeway and Cranbourne; a distance of 17 km. ^[12]
• 1987 – Duplication works completed on three sections. Cranbourne to Five Ways, Tooradin to Dalmore Road, and Monomeith Road to Bass Highway. ^[18]
• 1989 – 3 km of dual carriageways opened between Manks Road and Lynes Road, Tooradin in December 1989. ^[19]
• 1990 – 3 km of dual carriageways opened between Lynes Road, Tooradin and Dore Road in April 1990. At this stage, ’27 km of the planned 32 km length of duplication between Cranbourne and Bass Highway has now been completed’. ^[19]
• 1990/1991 – Duplication of 6 km south of Tooradin completed at a cost of $A9.9m. No exact date was given, however VicRoads Annual Reports cover the previous financial year. This completed the duplication of the highway between Cranbourne and the Bass Highway. ^[20] An interesting anomaly is that the kilometre lengths quoted in this annual report ^[20] and the previous annual report ^[19] do not match!
• 1991/1992 – 2.8 km duplication opened between Princes Highway and Pound Road. This was the final link in the duplication of the highway from the Princes Highway to Bass Highway, Again, no exact date was given, however VicRoads Annual Reports cover the previous financial year. ^[13]

Level crossing elimination

The Gippsland railway line crossing just south of the intersection with Princes Highway in Dandenong South was removed in 3 August 2021. The contract was awarded in March 2020, ^[21] with construction starting in October 2020 ^[22] on a new road bridge over the rail line on an alignment just east of the original level crossing to a new intersection with Princes Highway; construction was completed and the new alignment was opened to traffic in 3 August 2021. ^[23]

Major intersections and towns

LGA	Location [1]	km [1]	mi	Destinations	Notes
Greater Dandenong	Dandenong South	0.0	0.0	Princes Highway (Alt. National Route 1) – Dandenong, Melbourne, Berwick, Warragul	Western terminus of highway Starts
		0.1	0.062	Gippsland railway line
		0.5	0.31	Dandenong Bypass  – Keysborough, Moorabbin
		1.8	1.1	Greens Road (Metro Route 12) – Mordialloc, Keysborough	Concurrency with Metro Route 12
		3.3	2.1	Pound Road (Metro Route 12 east) – Hampton Park, Narre Warren Pound Road West (C652 west) – Dandenong South
	Dandenong South–Lynbrook–Hampton Park tripoint	4.5	2.8	South Gippsland Freeway (M420 north) – Chadstone, City Western Port Highway (M780 south) – Hastings, Flinders	Partial cloverleaf interchange Route Starts continues north and southeast from here
Casey	Lynbrook	7.3	4.5	Hallam Road (north) – Hampton Park, Hallam Evans Road (south) – Lyndhurst, Cranbourne West
	Cranbourne North–Cranbourne boundary	10.2	6.3	Thompsons Road (Metro Route 6) – Carrum, Berwick	Ends Starts Primary route is now via Thompsons Road (Metro Route 6) and Narre Warren - Cranbourne Road A404, acting as a Cranbourne CBD bypass
	Cranbourne	13.8	8.6	Sladen Street (Mero Route 4 west, C407 east) – Frankston, Berwick
	Cranbourne–Cranbourne East boundary	14.8	9.2	Narre Warren Road (A404) – Narre Warren, Belgrave, Lilydale	Ends Starts
	Devon Meadows–Clyde boundary	20.1	12.5	Clyde–Five Ways Road (C778 north) – Clyde, Berwick Fisheries Road (south) – Cannons Creek, Pearcedale
	Tooradin–Devon Meadows–Blind Bight tripoint	24.7	15.3	Baxter-Tooradin Road (C781) – Baxter, Pearcedale	Roundabout
	Tooradin	31.4	19.5	Dalmore Road – Cardinia
Cardinia	Koo Wee Rup	36.4	22.6	Rossiter Road (C421) – Koo Wee Rup, Longwarry, to Koo Wee Rup Bypass (C422) – Pakenham	Roundabout Ends
		38.9	24.2	Sybella Avenue (C419) – Koo Wee Rup
	Lang Lang	45.9	28.5	McDonalds Track (C429) – Lang Lang, Nyora
		47.5	29.5	Westernport Road (C431) – Lang Lang, Drouin	Roundabout
		49.7	30.9	Bass Highway (M420) – Wonthaggi, Phillip Island	Southbound entrance to and northbound exit from Bass Highway only Route continues south, western terminus of route
South Gippsland	Loch, Nyora	60.9	37.8	Lang Lang–Nyora Road (C434) – Nyora, Poowong
	Loch	68.7	42.7	Victoria Road – Loch, to Loch-Wonthaggi Road – Almurta, Wonthaggi Loch-Poowong Road – Poowong
		69.7	43.3	Former South Gippsland railway line
	Bena	77.0	47.8
	Korumburra	81.5	50.6	Warragul–Korumburra Road (C425) – Poowong, Warragul
		82.0	51.0	Korrumburra-Wonthaggi Road (C437) – Wonthaggi, Inverloch
	Leongatha	96.3	59.8	Strzelecki Highway (B460 northeast) – Mirboo North, Morwell Bass Highway (B460 southwest) – Inverloch, Wonthaggi, Phillip Island
		96.9	60.2	Ogilvy Street (C454) – Dumbalk
	Meeniyan	110.0	68.4	Tarwin Lower (C443) – Venus Bay
		113.3	70.4	Farmers Road (C455) – Dumbalk, Mirboo North
		114.0	70.8	Meeniyan–Promontory Road (C444) – Fish Creek, Wilsons Promontory
	Foster	134.3	83.5	Fish Creek–Foster Road (C445) – Fish Creek, Wilsons Promontory
	Agnes	152.4	94.7	Barry Road (C447) – Agnes
	Welshpool	156.1	97.0	Port Welshpool Road (C451 south) – Port Welshpool Woorarra Road (north) – Boolarra
Wellington	Alberton	177.8	110.5	Yarram–Port Albert Road (C452) – Port Albert
	Yarram	185.2	115.1	Tarra Valley Road (C484) – Tarra Valley
		187.5	116.5	Hyland Highway (C482) – Traralgon
	Woodside	203.5	126.4	Carrajung–Woodside Road (C453) – Carrajung, Traralgon	Northern concurrency with route C453
Bruthen Creek		203.7	126.6	Bridge name unknown
Wellington	Woodside	203.9	126.7	Woodside Beach Road (C453) – Woodside Beach, to McLoughlins Road (C459) – McLoughlins Beach	Southern concurrency with route C453
	Longford	248.4	154.3	Seaspray Road (C496) – Seaspray, to Garretts Road (C497) – Dutson
		249.7	155.2	Longford–Loch Sport Road (C485) – Golden Beach, Loch Sport	Concurrency with route C485
		250.1	155.4	Rosedale–Longford Road (C485) – Rosedale
	Sale	255.8	158.9	Princes Highway  – Traralgon, Bairnsdale, Orbost	Eastern terminus of highway and route Starts at roundabout
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi        Concurrency terminus        Incomplete access        Route transition

See also

• Australian Roads portal

• Highways in Australia
• Highways in Victoria

References

1. "South Gippsland Highway" (Map). Google Maps . Retrieved 10 October 2021.
2. "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 3 December 1913. p. 5155. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
3. "Country Roads Board Victoria. Twentieth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1933". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 10 November 1933. p. 4.
4. An Act relating to Country Roads State of Victoria, 23 December 1912
5. "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 14 January 1914. p. 91. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
6. "Victorian Government Gazette". State Library of Victoria. 1 April 1914. p. 1545. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
7. An Act to make further provision with respect to Highways and Country Roads Motor Cars and Traction Engines and for other purposes State of Victoria, 30 December 1924
8. "Country Roads Board Victoria. Twenty-Sixth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1939". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 10 November 1939. pp. 4, 91.
9. "Country Roads Board Victoria. Twenty-First Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1934". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 19 November 1934. p. 66.
10. "Country Roads Board Victoria. Thirty-Fifth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1948". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 1 November 1948. p. 7.
11. "Country Roads Board Victoria. Fifty-Third Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1966". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 4 February 1967. p. 46.
12. Country Roads Board Victoria. Sixty-Second Annual Report: for the year ended 30th June, 1975, Burwood, Victoria: Brown, Prior, Anderson, 1975. p. 7.
13. VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report, 1991-1992, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 1992, p. 39.
14. "Road Construction Authority of Victoria. Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1986". Road Construction Authority of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 24 November 1986. p. 30,42.
15. State Government of Victoria. "Road Management Act 2004" (PDF). Government of Victoria. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
16. VicRoads. "VicRoads – Register of Public Roads 2024" (PDF). Government of Victoria. pp. 933–5. Archived from the original on 19 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
17. "Country Roads Board Victoria. Forty-Eighth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1961". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 1 December 1961. p. 21.
18. Road Construction Authority Victoria. Annual Report 1986-87, Kew, Victoria: Road Construction Authority, Victoria, 1987. p. 66
19. VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report, 1989-1990, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 1990, p. 56.
20. VicRoads. VicRoads Annual Report, 1990-1991, Kew, Victoria: VicRoads, 1991, p. 37
21. "South Gippsland Highway contract awarded". Level Crossing Removal Project. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
22. "Major construction progressing at South Gippsland Highway". Level Crossing Removal Project. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
23. "South Gippsland Highway level crossing gone months ahead of schedule". Level Crossing Removal Project. Retrieved 10 October 2021.