Driving out of Sydney on Hume Highway (Canberra/Melbourne) before Christmas Eve
The end of year holidays are upon us and, as usual, the local tabloids are predicting Carmageddon. Now I know the M1/Pacific Motorway north towards Brisbane will be terri-bi-ba-ble, and I have personal experience of being stuck in endless jams going south towards Wollongong, but this time we're taking the M31/Hume Highway west towards Canberra and Melbourne.
- Just how bad is the traffic likely to be on the 23rd? (That is, day before Xmas Eve, which in 2014 is a non-holiday Tuesday.)
- Should we get to the Hume via M4/Western or M5/Southwestern? (We live in the inner west, so M4+M7 vs local roads+M5 usually takes about the same time.)
- Would getting an early start (how early?) ease the pain?
Pointers to sites that show historical traffic conditions would be awesome, I couldn't find any with a quick search.
Best Answer
So we ended up heading out rather later than we wanted at 9 AM (because kids), but in the event, there was essentially zero traffic — if anything, it felt like there were less cars on the road than usual!
We went via the M5, which as a bonus seems to finally have finished its endless construction, but I doubt the M4/M7 would have been meaningfully slower.
Pictures about "Driving out of Sydney on Hume Highway (Canberra/Melbourne) before Christmas Eve"
Is Hume Highway tolled?
The M5 South-West is an electronically tolled road with no cash tollbooths....Entries and exits.EastboundEntryExitHume HighwayYesNoBeech Road / Westlink M7NoYesCamden Valley WayYesYesCampbelltown RoadNoNo7 more rowsWhat is the highway between Sydney and Melbourne?
The Hume Highway, inclusive of the sections now known as the Hume Freeway and Hume Motorway, is one of Australia's major inter-city national highways, running for 840 kilometres (520 mi) between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast.Where does the Hume Highway stop from Melbourne to Sydney?
Driving between Sydney and Melbourne: The best stops on a Hume Highway road trip- Clementine restaurant in Yass.
- HMAS Otway submarine. Photo: Paul Jeffers.
- Albury's Atura hotel. Photo: Mark Lane.
- Youngsters play in the Murray River, Noreuil Park, Albury. ...
- The Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is helping put Albury on the map.
Where does the Hume Highway start and finish?
A brief history of the Hume Highway In 1928 it was re-named the Hume Highway. The Hume Highway has had a number of starting points over the years however, at this time it starts/finishes on Parramatta Road in Summer Hill in Sydney and starts/finishes at the Western Ring Road in Melbourne.Driving on Hume Fwy
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Meruyert Gonullu, Peter Fazekas, Alexey Demidov, Piotr Arnoldes