# Old Princes Highway (Victoria)

Old Princes Highway is a collection of roads, described as any part of an earlier route designated as Princes Highway, located in Victoria, Australia. Sections of the road run through Geelong, Werribee, and through the outer fringes of south-eastern Melbourne eventually to Morwell East. In the time since their de-listing as Princes Highway, many former sections have since been renamed, or have devolved to their original names.

## Route
### West

Princes Highway (West) runs from the interstate border with South Australia through western Victoria all the way to the western suburbs of Melbourne, with some towns along this route later bypassed. Old Princes Highway, consisting of former sections of Princes Highway, include: through greater Geelong (from Waurn Ponds to Corio), bypassed by Geelong Ring Road and now allocated route A10; and through Werribee (from Cocoroc to Hoppers Crossing), bypassed by Maltby Bypass and now allocated route C109. One last section runs through western suburban Melbourne, from the interchange with West Gate Freeway and Western Ring Road in Laverton North to Flemington, signposted as both Princes Highway and Geelong Road, but this is still officially gazetted as Princes Highway (West), and the former alignment through central Melbourne was eventually re-declared as their own separate constituent parts.

### East

Princes Highway (East) runs from central Melbourne through eastern Victoria all the way to the interstate border with New South Wales, with many of the towns along this route, particularly through Gippsland, later bypassed by sections of Princes Freeway. This first section runs through south-eastern suburban Melbourne, from the intersection with King and Flinders Streets in the Melbourne CBD to the interchange with Monash and Princes Freeways in Narre Warren, signposted as both Princes Highway and Dandenong Road, but is still officially gazetted as Princes Highway (East). Old Princes Highway includes: from Berwick through Beaconsfield and Pakenham to Nar Nar Goon and now allocated route C101; through Drouin and Warragul and more commonly known as Princes Way, now allocated route C102; through Moe and Newborough (along what is now Lloyd Street and Narracan Drive) as route C103, then descending into the La Trobe Valley through the Haunted Hills, along what is now Haunted Hills Road, passed almost due west through what is now the Yallourn Open Cut Mine to join today's Morwell Bridge Road at the Morwell River, and from there, through Morwell along what is now Princes Drive and now allocated route C104.
The first improvements to the route came in the late 1950s when the expansion of the Yallourn open cut necessitated the relocation of the highway. The CRB took this opportunity to provide a high standard access-controlled alignment as well as a bypass of Moe. The first section of the new highway opened in 1959/60 as a single carriageway super-2 expressway between Hernes Oak and the Morwell River. Following in December 1964 was a westerly extension of the super-2 highway from Hernes Oak to Gunns Gully (Newborough) and the Moe Bypass completed the new route - opening in early 1967. The section between Gunns Gully and Hernes Oak inherited the "Haunted Hills" nickname that applied to the original highway between Newborough and Hernes Oak. Duplication of the Moe-Morwell section was commenced after the opening of the Moe Bypass and completed west to Gunns Gully in 1971 and to the western side of Moe in 1979.
It is anticipated that with the future completion of the Traralgon bypass that a new section of the highway will become superseded from the original Highway 1.

## History

As a named route, the highway came into being when pre-existing roads were renamed Prince's Highway after the planned visit to Australia by the Prince of Wales (later to become king Edward VIII and, after abdicating, the Duke of Windsor) in 1920. The original submissions in January 1920 were in order for the Prince to have the opportunity during his visit to make the trip from Melbourne to Sydney overland along the route. That idea never came to fruition, but the prince did give his permission for the naming. The Victorian section of the highway had an opening ceremony when the first section of road from Melbourne was opened on 10 August 1920 in Warragul.
Approval was later given by the Victorian executive in January 1922 to extend the highway west from Melbourne through Geelong, Camperdown, Warrnambool and Portland to the South Australian border. The passing of the Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924 through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads). Prince's Highway was declared a State Highway on 1 July 1925, traversing the whole length of the State from its western boundary near Mount Gambier in South Australia, through Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Geelong to Melbourne, through Dandenong, Warragul, Sale, Bairnsdale and Orbost to the eastern boundary of the state towards Eden in New South Wales (for a total of 540 miles).
The passing of the Road Management Act 2004 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 2010 as Princes Highway West (Arterial #6500), beginning at the state border with South Australia to Geelong, then from Altona North to Parkville; and in 2008 as Princes Highway East (Arterial #6510), beginning at the Melbourne CBD to Narre Warren, then through Yarragon, Trafalgar and Morwell, the from Morwell to the state border with New South Wales.
Portions of both the western and eastern section of Princes Highway have further devolved with their own classification and names: the section through Geelong (from Waurn Ponds to Corio) was re-declared in 2012 as Corio–Waurn Ponds Road (Arterial #6800) (following the opening of Geelong Ring Road); the section through Werribee (from Cocoroc to Hoppers Crossing) was re-declared in 2004 as Werribee Main Road (Arterial #5445); the section through outer south-eastern Melbourne (from Berwick to Nar Nar Goon) was re-declared in 2004 as Berwick-Beaconsfield Road (Arterial #5163) and in 2007 as Beaconsfield-Nar Nar Goon Road (Arterial #6460); the section through Drouin and Warragul (signposted as Princes Way) was re-declared in 2004 as Drouin–Warragul Road (Arterial #5594); the section through Moe (signposted as Lloyd Street and Narracan Drive) was re-declared in 2004 as part of Moe-Glengarry Road (Arterial #5539); and the section through Morwell (signposted as Princes Drive) was re-declared in 2004 as part of Morwell-Traralgon Road (Arterial #5921).
The former alignment of Princes Highway through central Melbourne from Parkville to the southern border of the CBD – along Flemington Road (Arterial #5044), Harker Street (Arterial #5026), Curzon Street (Arterial #5027), and King Street (Arterial #5041), – devolved back to their own identities in 2004, no longer part of Princes Highway but not referenced as Old Princes Highway.

### Former route numbers

Old Princes Highway has many former route allocations including former National Route 1; its routing through Melbourne and along present sections of Princes Highway have been included for sake of completion. Where and when the former route numbers were implemented are stated below.
through Waurn Ponds:
* National Route 1 (1955–1997)
* A1 (1997–2013)
* unallocated: (2013–present)
Waurn Ponds – Corio:
* National Route 1 (1955–1997)
* M1 (1997–2009)
* A10 (2009–present)
Cocoroc – Hoppers Crossing:
* National Route 1 (1955–1961)
* unallocated: (1961–1998)
* C109 (1997–present)
Brooklyn – North Melbourne:
* National Route 1 (1955–1978)
* Alt National Route 1 (1978–1988)
* Metro Route 83 (1988–present)
North Melbourne – Parkville:
* National Route 1 (1955–1978)
* Alt National Route 1 (1978–1988)
* National Route 79 (1988–2013)
* Metro Route 60 (2013–present)
Parkville – Hallam:
* National Route 1 (1955–1988)
* Alt National Route 1 (1988–present)
Hallam – Narre Warren:
* National Route 1 (1955–1997)
* M1 (1997–2003)
* Alt National Route 1 (2003–present)
Berwick – Beaconsfield:
* National Route 1 (1955–1983)
* unallocated: (1983–1997)
* C101 (1997–present)
Beaconsfield – Nar Nar Goon:
* National Route 1 (1955–1997)
* M1 (1997–2007)
* C101 (2007–present)
Drouin – Nilma:
* National Route 1 (1955–1981)
* unallocated: (1981–1997)
* C102 (1997–present)
Moe – Newborough:
* National Route 1 (1955–1969)
* unallocated: (1969–1997)
* C103 (1997–present)
Morwell – East Morwell:
* National Route 1 (1955–1992)
* unallocated: (1992–1997)
* C104 (1997–present)

## Major intersections
### Waurn Ponds–Corio

| Location | Destinations |
| Corio | Princes Freeway (M1/Tourist Route 21) – Melbourne, Avalon Airport |
| Corio | Forest Road South (C114) – Lara |
| Corio | Station Street (C116) |
| Corio–Norlane boundary | Bacchus Marsh Road (C704 north) – Bacchus Marsh Cox Road (C136 west) – Bell Park, Bell Post Hill, Lovely Banks St. Georges Road (east) |
| Norlane | The Boulevard (C116 west) – Norlane North Shore Road (C116 east) – North Shore |
| North Geelong | Separation Street (C117) – Bell Park |
| North Geelong | Corio Quay Road (C115) – North Shore, Corio |
| Geelong CBD | Church Street (A300) – North Geelong, Ballarat |
| Geelong CBD | Aberdeen Street (B140 west) – Geelong West, Hamilton Ryrie Street (C123 east) – East Geelong, Portarlington |
| Geelong CBD | McKillop Street (B110) – East Geelong, Queenscliff |
| South Geelong | West Fyans Street (C112 west) – Newtown Fyans Street (C112 east) – South Geelong |
| Belmont | Barwon Heads Road (C121) – Barwon Heads |
| Belmont | Breakwater Road (C124) – Breakwater |
| Belmont | Surf Coast Highway (B100/Tourist Route 21) – Torquay |
| Highton–Grovedale boundary | South Valley Road (C133) – Highton Pioneer Road (C133) – Grovedale |
| Highton–Grovedale–Waurn Ponds tripoint | Geelong Ring Road (M1) – Melbourne |
| Waurn Ponds | Geelong Ring Road (M1) – Colac |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition |||||

### Cocoroc–Hoppers Crossing

This section is entirely contained within the City of Wyndham local government area.
| Location | mi |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Melbourne |
| | Old Geelong Road (C701) – Williams Landing |
| | Derrimut Road (C702) – Truganina |
| | Sneydes Road – Point Cook |
| | Tarneit Road – Tarneit |
| | Duncans Road (C108/Tourist Route 11) – Werribee South |
| | Werribee Street North (C703) – Werribee |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Melbourne, Geelong |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition |||||

### Laverton North–Southbank

| LGA | km |
| | Kings Way (Alt National Route 1) – Dandenong |
| | CityLink (M1 east) – Dandenong |
| | Moray Street |
| | Whiteman Street |
| | Flinders Street (Metro Route 30) |
| | Flinders Lane |
| | Collins Street |
| | Little Collins Street |
| | Bourke Street |
| | Little Bourke Street |
| | Lonsdale Street |
| | Little Lonsdale Street |
| | La Trobe Street |
| | Dudley Street (Metro Routes 32/55) |
| | Hawke Street |
| | Victoria Street |
| | Queensberry Street |
| | Arden Street |
| | Flemington Road (Metro Route 60) |
| | Abbotsford Street |
| | Elliott Avenue (Metro Route 83) – Parkville Flemington Road (Metro Route 60) – Flemington |
| | Boundary Road, Travancore, North Melbourne |
| | CityLink (M2) Docklands, Port Melbourne |
| | Stubbs Street – Kensington |
| | Racecourse Road, Ascot Vale |
| | Epsom Road (Metro Route 35), Kensington, Ascot Vale |
| | Moore Street (Metro Route 35) |
| | Ballarat Road (Metro Route 8) |
| | Droop Street |
| | Barkly Street |
| | Gordon Street (Metro Route 37) |
| | Buckley Street (Metro Route 32) |
| | Geelong Street (Metro Route 37) |
| | Somerville Road (Metro Route 50 east) |
| | Millers Road (Metro Route 41 south) Francis Street (east) |
| | McDonald Road (Metro Routes 39/41) |
| | Grieve Parade (Metro Route 39) |
| | Little Boundary Road |
| | Princes Freeway (M1), Geelong |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition ||||||

### Southbank–Narre Warren

| LGA | Location | km | mi | Destinations | Notes |
| Casey | Narre Warren–Berwick boundary | 0 | 0.0 | Princes Highway (C101 east) – Berwick | |
| Casey | Narre Warren–Berwick boundary | 0 | 0.0 | Princes Freeway (M1 southeast), Warragul Monash Freeway (M1 northwest) – City | Diamond interchange |
| Casey | Narre Warren | 1.2 | 0.75 | Narre Warren North Road (C404 north) – Belgrave Narre Warren–Cranbourne Road (C404 south) – Cranbourne | |
| Casey | Hallam | 4.9 | 3.0 | Hallam South Road (south) – Hallam Belgrave–Hallam Road (B675 north) – Endeavour Hills | |
| Casey–Greater Dandenong boundary | Dandenong South–Hallam–Eumemmerring tripoint | 6.7 | 4.2 | South Gippsland Freeway (M420) – City, Hastings | Diamond interchange |
| Greater Dandenong | Dandenong–Dandenong South boundary | 9 | 5.6 | South Gippsland Highway (A21) – Phillip Island | |
| Greater Dandenong | Dandenong | 9.8 | 6.1 | Frankston–Dandenong Road (Metro Route 9) – Frankston | |
| Greater Dandenong | Dandenong | 10.7 | 6.6 | Foster Street (Metro Route 9 east) – Rowville Foster Street (Metro Route 10 west) – Mentone | |
| Greater Dandenong | Dandenong | 13.6 | 8.5 | To Heatherton Road (Metro Route 14) – Noble Park, Endeavour Hills | |
| Greater Dandenong | Dandenong North–Dandenong–Noble Park–Noble Park North quadripoint | 13.8 | 8.6 | EastLink (M3) – Ringwood, Frankston | Diamond interchange |
| Monash–Greater Dandenong boundary | Mulgrave–Springvale boundary | 18.9 | 11.7 | Police Road (Metro Route 16 east) – Mulgrave Centre Road (Metro Route 16 west) – Brighton East | Springvale Junction |
| Monash–Greater Dandenong boundary | Mulgrave–Springvale boundary | 19 | 12 | Springvale Road (Metro Route 40) – Springvale, Glen Waverley | Springvale Junction |
| Monash–Greater Dandenong boundary | Clayton–Springvale boundary | 20.4 | 12.7 | Westall Road (Metro Route 49) – Springvale South | |
| Monash | Clayton | 20.9 | 13.0 | Blackburn Road (Metro Route 13) – Blackburn | |
| Monash | Clayton | 22.2 | 13.8 | Wellington Road (Metro Route 18 east) – Rowville North Road (Metro Route 18 west) – Oakleigh | |
| Monash | Clayton–Oakleigh East boundary | | | Clayton Road (Metro Route 23) – Clayton, Burwood | |
| Monash | Oakleigh–Oakleigh East–Huntingdale tripoint | | | Huntingdale Road (Metro Route 47) – Huntingdale | |
| Monash | Oakleigh–Oakleigh East boundary | | | Ferntree Gully Road (Metro Route 22) – Ferntree Gully | Concurrency with Metro Route 22 |
| Monash–Stonnington boundary | Oakleigh–Malvern East–Hughesdale tripoint | | | Warrigal Road (Metro Route 15) | Concurrency with Metro Route 22 |
| Glen Eira–Stonnington boundary | Carnegie–Malvern East–Murrumbeena tripoint | | | Murrumbeena Road (Metro Route 22 south) Belgrave Road | Concurrency with Metro Route 22 |
| Glen Eira–Stonnington boundary | Caulfield East–Malvern East–Carnegie tripoint | | | Grange Road (Metro Route 17) | Concurrency with Metro Route 17 |
| Glen Eira–Stonnington boundary | Caulfield East–Malvern East boundary | | | Burke Road (Metro Route 17) | Concurrency with Metro Route 17 |
| Glen Eira–Stonnington boundary | Caulfield North–Malvern boundary | | | Glenferrie Road (Metro Route 19 north) – Hawthorn | Concurrency with Metro Route 19 |
| Glen Eira–Stonnington boundary | Caulfield North–Malvern boundary | | | Hawthorn Road (Metro Route 19 south) – Caulfield | Concurrency with Metro Route 19 |
| Port Phillip–Stonnington boundary | St Kilda East–Prahran–Windsor tripoint | | | Hotham Street (Metro Route 25 south) Williams Road (Metro Route 25 north) | |
| Port Phillip–Stonnington boundary | St Kilda–Windsor boundary | | | Chapel Street | |
| Port Phillip–Stonnington boundary | St Kilda–Windsor boundary | | | St Kilda Road (Metro Route 3) Punt Road (Metro Route 29) | |
| Port Phillip | Melbourne CBD–Albert Park boundary | | | Lorne Street (Metro Route 24) | |
| Port Phillip | Melbourne CBD | | | Toorak Road (Metro Route 26 east) – Toorak | Concurrency with Metro Route 26 |
| Port Phillip | Melbourne CBD–South Melbourne boundary | | | Albert Road (Metro Route 26 west) | Concurrency with Metro Route 26 |
| Port Phillip–Melbourne boundary | Southbank | | | West Gate Freeway (M1), Geelong CityLink (M1), Dandenong | |
| Port Phillip–Melbourne boundary | Southbank | | | Kings Way (Metro Route 60) – City | |

### Berwick–Nar Nar Goon

| LGA | Location | km | mi | Destinations |
| Cardinia | Nar Nar Goon | 0 | 0.0 | Princes Freeway (M1 east) – Warragul |
| Cardinia | Nar Nar Goon | 0 | 0.0 | Princes Freeway (M1 west) – Melbourne Nar Nar Goon Connection Road – Nar Nar Goon |
| Cardinia | Pakenham | 6.1 | 3.8 | Racecourse Road (C422) – Koo Wee Rup |
| Cardinia | Pakenham | 7.7 | 4.8 | C695 McGregor Road (C695) – Rythdale |
| Cardinia | Pakenham | 8.6 | 5.3 | Pakenham Road (C411) – Healesville |
| Cardinia | Officer | 11.4 | 7.1 | Cardinia Road (C417) – Cardinia |
| Cardinia | Beaconsfield | 16.5 | 10.3 | O'Shea Road (A17/B668) – Hampton Park |
| Cardinia | Beaconsfield | 18.3 | 11.4 | Beaconsfield-Emerald Road (C406) – Emerald |
| Casey | Berwick | 20.8 | 12.9 | Clyde Road (C407 south) – Clyde Lyall Road (Metro Route 61 north) – Harkaway |
| Casey | Berwick | 22.8 | 14.2 | Monash Freeway (M1 northwest) – Melbourne Princes Freeway (M1 southeast) – Warragul |
| Casey | Berwick | 22.8 | 14.2 | Princes Highway (Alt National Route 1 west) – Dandenong |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition ||||||

### Drouin–Nilma

| LGA | km |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Traralgon, Melbourne |
| | Bloomfield Road |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Traralgon, Melbourne |
| | Main South Road (C431) |
| | Main Neerim Road (C426) |
| | Wellwood Road (C433) |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Melbourne, Warragul |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition ||||||

### Moe–Newborough

| LGA | km |
| | Princes Highway (M1) – Traralgon |
| | Old Gippsland Drive – Melbourne via Princes Freeway (M1) |
| | Anzac Street |
| | John Field Drive (C103) |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Melbourne, Traralgon |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition ||||||

### Morwell

| LGA | km | mi |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Sale | |
| | Traralgon-Maffra Road (C105) | |
| | Grey Street (C477) | |
| | Shakespeare Street (C482) | |
| | Tramway Road (C474) | Concurrency with C474 |
| | Alexanders Road (C474) | Concurrency with C474 |
| | Monash Way (C456) | |
| | Commercial Road (C475) | |
| | Commercial Road (B460) | |
| | Princes Freeway (M1) – Melbourne | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Route transition ||||||

## Gallery

* Old Princes Highway, Officer
* Old Princes Highway, Beaconsfield
* Old Princes Highway, Beaconsfield
* Old Princes Highway, Windsor
* Old Princes Highway, St Kilda
* Old Princes Highway, South Melbourne