LES PRINCIPALES ROUTES

North of Sydney, the Pacific Motorway (M1), which is on the route of Highway 1, the coastal road from Queensland heading south.

To the south, you can choose between the Princes Motorway (M1) or the Grand Pacific Drive. The first one, fast and direct, is on the Highway 1 route. The second, much more pleasant but tortuous, connects Sydney to Nowra along the coast.

The M2 connects Lane Cove Tunnel (10 km north of Sydney) to the M7 and Baulkham Hills over 21 km. It is the northern part of the Sydney Bypass. A fee is charged.

Highway 3 connects Blackhurst (southwestern suburb of Sydney) to Mona Vale and the northern beaches via Sydney Olympic Park and Nordh Ryde. It is free but often congested.

The M4 connects Sydney to the Blue Mountains, via Paramatta and Penrith. It is free.

The M5 bypasses Sydney from the south to the west where it joins the M31 and M7. It is a 22 km toll road from Beverly Hills (15 km west of Mascot Airport) to Prestons. See www.m5motorway.com.au.

The Hume Motorway (M31) links Prestons (37 km west of Sydney) to Canberra. It is the shortest route to Melbourne from Sydney. It is free of charge.

Toll lanes

The system that manages Sydney's tolls is fully automated. There are no entry or exit barriers and no direct payment: your license plate is photographed by a camera and the amount due is taken directly from your bank account, which requires registration with one of the operators in charge of the system

The toll sections are identified by road signs placed upstream. They are marked with the TOLL sign and the symbol e or E on a yellow background

The Sydney Bypass consists of the M2 (all), M7 (all) and M5 (part) automated toll roads, as well as several tolled interchanges

The Harbour Bridge, Harbour Tunnel and Cross City Tunnel are no exception to this system. However, the Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel are only tolled in the North Sydney-Central Sydney direction. They are free of charge when leaving Sydney to the north

Be sure to check with your car rental company before taking your vehicle when you are likely to use toll lanes.