Before starting a road trip of any length, make sure you’re on top of road tolls in Australia. Tolls aren’t on every road and it is possible to avoid them, but if you end up on one by mistake it’s important to pay it as soon as possible.
The first time I encountered a toll I didn’t even realize it. My first road trip in Australia was heading from Sydney to the Blue Mountains. At the time I was enamoured that I was in Australia and excited about everything. I didn’t notice the “Toll” signs and found out weeks later about the fees.
This article contains everything you need to know about understanding road tolls in Australia. Included is where the toll roads are, how to pay the tolls, how to avoid them, and more.
Table of Contents
What are road tolls in Australia?
Toll roads are roads charge the driver a fee for using it. They are generally placed on new roads to repay loans used to build the highways or roads.
Roads with tolls are only in metropolitan areas with high density traffic. They offer different routes to spread out traffic and save drivers’ time, especially during rush hours. Because toll ways are often the fastest routes, they’re also the first to come up on navigation apps.
All toll roads are clearly identified and have other signs with information on how to pay. But as a new traveller in the country, it’s not uncommon to drive through one without knowing.
Interested in road tripping in Australia? Check out my guides for the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne to Sydney both inland and a coastal route, and regional Victoria.
Where are toll roads in Australia?
Toll roads aren’t in every state or every city. As mentioned above, toll roads have been built to break up high-density traffic. It can be the difference of paying A$5 instead of sitting through bumper-to-bumper traffic. In addition to breaking up the flow of traffic, it means the routes are often faster or more direct.
For this reason toll roads are only in metropolitan areas, in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria only. All road tolls in Australia are managed by Linkt. Check the site for information on paying tolls, exact locations, prices and more.
Toll Roads in NSW
- Sydney Harbour Tunnel M1, Sydney
- Eastern Distributor M1, Sydney
- Sydney Harbour Bridge M1, Sydney
- Lane Cove Tunnel M2, Sydney
- Hills Motorway M2, Sydney
- South Western Motorway M5, Sydney
- Westlink M7, Sydney
- Cross City Tunnel M1, Sydney
- Military Road E-Ramps M1, Sydney
Toll Roads In Victoria
- CityLink M1 (Southlink) and M2 (Westlink), Melbourne
- EastLink M3, Melbourne
Toll Roads in Queensland
- Gateway Motorway M1 (going into M2), Brisbane
- Logan Motorway M2, Brisbane
- Clem Jones Tunnel M7, Brisbane
- Airport Link M7, Brisbane
- Go Between Bridge, Brisbane
- Legacy Way M5, Brisbane
- Toowoomba Bypass A2 (going into A39), Toowoomba
How to pay road tolls
In Australia, road tolls can seem confusing because there aren’t toll booths as there are in other countries. The toll is registered through your vehicle’s license plate number.
Your license plate number is picked up by camera surveillance or electronically if you have a pass. The toll can be paid online, in person or over the phone.
You must pay for road tolls eventually, even if you’re renting a vehicle. It’s better to pay yourself as rental companies may charge extra administration fees on top of the road tolls.
Road toll passes explained
Passes are the easiest way to pay for tolls, but they require some preparation. A toll pass can be purchased from any toll office or online. It’s a small electronic device that’s placed on your windshield, next to your rear-view mirror.
With the pass installed, the toll roads electronically register the pass. As a vehicle with a pass goes through a toll, the fee is automatically deducted the from the account balance.
The pass itself is free, but a pre-paid amount is purchased with it and used as credit for toll ways. After returning the pass, you’ll receive the remaining balance, if there is any.
A pass not only makes payment easier, but it also reduces the amount of the toll. When a pass isn’t registered to a vehicle the company managing the toll must pay fees to find the vehicle’s information, which ends up costing extra. And of course, the driver is responsible for these extra fees. This can change the fees from a few dollars to A$20.
There’s a few things to remember though when registering a pass. First is that the pass is registered to the vehicle and the person driving. After travelling Australia, you may plan to sell your vehicle, that means you have to unregister and return the pass.
If not, you will be responsible for charges another driver may incur in the same vehicle. Returning the pass and paying the remaining balance, if applicable, is the only way to ensure your account is closed.
This can be complicated if the pass is from a state you don’t plan to return to. This is when a slightly higher fee by paying individually could be a better solution.
Paying road tolls individually
Paying road tolls individually is another way to pay the fees without committing to a pass. It’s easy to pay road tolls individually, if you know where you drove.
Although the road tolls are all managed by Linkt, paying them can differ slightly. It’s up to the driver to know where you have been to know where to pay. But, there aren’t that many road tolls in Australia— it’s less than 20.
Once you know where you have driven, either pop into a road toll office or check online for the fees you’ve incurred. Online is usually easiest, and it just takes entering your vehicle’s information to find the fees. Paying the fees within three days will have the lowest price, so stay focused for those “Toll” signs on your road trip.
How to avoid toll roads
The upside to paying fees, is that it’s actually pretty easy to avoid toll roads altogether. Most navigation apps including Google Maps, offer a tab to turn toll roads off. This means the navigation app will find the fastest route without having to pay any tolls.
It’s important to use this option because driving in the city can be complicated enough. Avoiding tolls is the next best way to having a budget-friendly road trip. If you’re not using a navigation app with this option, then check the list above for all the toll ways, to avoid them.
All toll ways are clearly marked and have exits on the highways to avoid the tolls. There are always toll-free detours.
Understanding toll roads in Australia is just one part of driving in the country. Learn more about driving in the country with an international drivers license, understanding vehicle insurance and what to know for purchasing a vehicle.
