Which Australian highway forms a ring around the continent?

Australia’s Highway 1 is the highway network that forms a ring around the continent.

Highway 1 links the major coastal capitals and cities of mainland Australia through a connected chain of national routes. It follows the country’s perimeter rather than forming one single uniform road, and its mainland circuit is supplemented by a separate Tasmanian section.

Established in 1955, the network is approximately 14,500 kilometers long. Its roads vary widely, from multilane urban freeways to remote two-lane highways crossing areas such as the Nullarbor Plain. Important components include the Eyre Highway, Great Northern Highway, Bruce Highway, and Princes Highway.

The Stuart Highway is a major north–south inland route, not a continental ring. The Great Ocean Road is a scenic coastal road in Victoria, while the Pacific Highway covers only parts of Australia’s east coast. Highway 1 is therefore the canonical answer for the around-Australia route.