Holiday and journey planning
Plan for your journey over holiday periods and long weekends using these resources, tips and tools.
What to expect these holidays
We anticipate traffic volumes and delays at known pinch points (PDF 916.63KB) in Sydney and regional New South Wales.
While difficult to predict, significant delays may occur at these locations, increasing the risk of incidents relating to driver frustration, fatigue and hazards caused by traffic queuing in high-speed zones.
Transport for NSW will have traffic management initiatives in place at the major known pinch points, but travellers should still be prepared to experience delays.
Before leaving on your spring holiday, we strongly recommend setting up your trip to receive real time updates with Live Traffic NSW on road conditions and possible delays.
Whether you are going to an annual celebration of music, culture or sport we can help you plan your trip to events in Sydney or across regional NSW.
Discover what's on and find the best way to travel safely to and from these events via Transport’s getting to events.
With an expected 200,000 motorsport fans making their way to Bathurst for the event, motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and consider all the available travel options.
Victoria Pass on Great Western Highway remains closed. Attendees using the detour via Darling Causeway and Chifley Road should allow additional travel time. You can find real-time updates on traffic conditions at Live Traffic.
What says Spring more than 75,000 mass planted tulips nestled among Spring blooms and blossoming cherry and magnolia trees in picturesque Corbett Gardens in Bowral, Southern Highland, from 11 September to 5 October.
With limited parking in the area, we recommend public transport, as the event is only a 6-minute walk from Bowral Train Station and there are three nearby bus stops. Plan your trip to the event using our Trip Planner.
As the weather warms up, the risk of severe storms and bushfires will increase.
It is important to plan ahead be prepared. Know the bush fire risk of the area you are visiting and continue to monitor any active bushfires. Grass fires can start easily, burn hot, travel fast and can cut roads and trails. You can learn more about the fire danger rating for the area in which you are travelling by checking the NSW RFS website and looking out for roadside signs. The NSW RFS has more trips on travelling safely during bushfire season.
Spring and summer storms can occur at any time. If you get caught in a storm and see floodwater:
- Turn around and find a safer way to go
- Don't attempt to drive, ride or walk through floodwater
- Drive safely to keep you, your passengers and SES workers and volunteers safe
- Contact people who may be waiting for you to advise of your delay.
Follow Live Traffic NSW for the latest advice on road conditions. Read more safety tips on travelling in extreme weather on our Road Safety page.
Tools to plan your journey
The NSW spring school holidays will begin on Friday 25 September until Monday 12 October, with the potential of increased traffic volumes expected throughout NSW.
Motorists are advised to plan their trip during the Labour Day long weekend and the spring school holiday period.
There is a suite of planning tools available to make it easier to plan your trip, avoid the busiest times on our roads and get to and from your destination and events safely. Make sure you also check weather warnings and take regular breaks.
Live Traffic NSW is the go-to app for commuters and holiday travellers seeking information about potential delays they might face on their trip.
The app and website provide real-time information about incidents and disruptions on the network. The Live Traffic app also gives customers the ability to receive notifications to their phone, alerting them about incidents and disruptions on their chosen route and time period.
Customers can choose to ‘follow’ individual incidents to receive notifications when the incident is updated or has ended.
By receiving notifications, road users can ‘set and forget’ and won’t have the hassle of constantly checking the app or site and means they can make the best decisions for their trip at the earliest opportunity. Learn more about the features by visiting the Live Traffic NSW.
Holiday and journey planning: Live Traffic App
Regional NSW
The known Regional NSW pinch points are M1 Princes Motorway at Wahroonga, Coffs Harbour, Pheasants Nest, Princes Highway and on the Great Western Highway.
The Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains can experience significant congestion during long weekends, school holidays and other special events. The ongoing closure of Victoria Pass on the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass is expected to contribute to additional delays.
For more information, visit our Great Western Highway road closure updates page.
As during previous busy travel periods, Transport for NSW will work to help manage this congestion to minimise your travel delays and keep everyone safe on their journey through the mountains.
Learn more about how we manage congestion through the Blue Mountains.
The Princes Highway from Nowra to Ulladulla can experience significant delays in peak periods. Visit the Princes Highway holiday congestion page to learn more about key Princes Highway pinch points and how to plan your journey to the beautiful NSW South Coast.
The Hume Highway is one of Australia’s major highways, linking Sydney and Melbourne. Currently there is a number of roadworks on sections of the highway between Sydney and Albury. We make every effort to minimise impacts to motorists, however, due to the nature of our work there can be unavoidable delays.
Visit the Hume Highway traffic impact page to learn more about current works and cumulative delays.
This spring there will be one less pinch point for motorists following the opening of the M1 to Raymond Terrace Pacific Motorway upgrade. The opening of the upgrade, combined with the widening of Hexham straight, will mean minimal delays at Hexham. Visit the Newcastle and surrounds traffic impact page to learn more about current works and cumulative delays within the Newcastle precinct.
Sydney
If you’re heading interstate or overseas, allow extra travel time as the queues to get into the airport precinct and through airport security may be longer than usual. Public transport is the easiest way to get to the airport with trains running to and from the domestic and international terminals every day from 5am to midnight. Bus services also connect the airport with surrounding suburbs.
Plan your journey before you leave home and pre-book your parking ahead of time.
Planned trackwork will be taking place during the Easter break and may affect how you travel.
Plan ahead using the Trip Planner.
Planned trackwork will be taking place during the spring break and may affect how you travel.
Plan ahead using the Trip Planner.
Travellers moving through Sydney, including those heading to the airport, are reminded there will be changed driving conditions due to major works on the Warringah Freeway during the school holiday period. Expect detours, delays and on and off ramp closures, including full overnight closures of all northbound and southbound Warringah Freeway lanes between Milsons Point and the Gore Hill Freeway/Lane Cove Tunnel. There will also be closures of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel at times during the holiday period. Motorists should use the Pacific Highway as an alternative during closures, allow extra travel time and plan their journey.
For more information visit Live traffic or the Warringah Freeway Upgrade portal.
Have you mapped out your rest stops?
The Transport for NSW Rest Areas map allows you to view more than 650 Transport for NSW and council managed rest areas and highway service centres across the state. The Plan your Trip feature has recently launched, where you can view rest areas and available facilities along your route. Making it the perfect tool to find a safe place to stop, rest and refresh yourself.
The interactive map is customisable, allowing you to find rest areas that suit your needs, including toilet facilities, a playground, BBQ’s, fuel, and/or wheelchair accessible facilities.
Driver reviver sites also operate across NSW during peak holiday periods, such as school holidays and long weekends.
Use the Driver Reviver map to locate sites to stop along your route.
Have you used the Rest Areas map?
- Live Traffic NSW: For the latest traffic information, download the Live Traffic NSW app or visit the website.
- Victoria traffic: Find information about road conditions for customers travelling into Victoria.
- Queensland traffic: Get information about road conditions for customers travelling into Queensland.
- Centre for Road Safety website: Get some helpful tips to avoid driving tired and other safe driving information.
- Latest public health orders at NSW Health
- NRMA website: For car maintenance tips and advice.
- NRMA Sloway: Are you taking your caravan on holidays and not in a hurry? NRMA has some tips for those customers looking to take their time to get to their destination.
- Rest areas in NSW: Use this interactive map to show you where you can safely stop, revive and survive.
- Electric vehicle charging map: Use this interactive map to help you plan your journey if you are travelling in an electric vehicle.
- NSW TrainLink bookings: Get to your destination on one of our regional trains or coaches.
- NSW SES: Get updates in the event of wet weather.
- Great Western Highway traffic congestion management
- Travelling on the Princes Highway
- Driving in the Snowy Mountains
- Sharing the road with trucks: See tips on how to be “truck aware” this summer holidays.