New South Wales · Australia
Macquarie Pass
A48Albion Park to Robertson
Steep, tight hairpin climb of the Illawarra escarpment between Albion Park and Robertson.
Macquarie Pass is the escarpment section of the Illawarra Highway, climbing from Albion Park near the coast up through rainforest to Robertson in the Southern Highlands. The pass packs steep grades and several genuine hairpins into a short distance, with single-lane pinch points where buses and trucks sometimes have to shuffle. It is a long-standing favourite with drivers and motorcyclists despite its accident reputation. Mind the tight hairpin bends, slippery rainforest surface and rockfall, and oncoming vehicles taking the centre line on blind curves.
Scenery
Best seasons
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Where it runs17.7 mi · point to point
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Character
Corners
busiest around mile 6Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%15 – 811.8 mFrom the road
Points of interest3 stops
- Macquarie PassViewpoint10 mi in
- Cascade FallsLandmark6.5 mi in
- Mount MurrayViewpoint11 mi in
Hazards
- Tight hairpin bends
- Slippery rainforest surface
- Blind-corner oncoming traffic
- Rockfall
Sources
“The road is very steep (hitting a 9.9% maximum gradient through some of the ramps) and contains a large number of hairpin bends.”
Verified route: mapped from real road geometry and fact-checked by a human editor. How roads get checked
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