Commonwealth Avenue (Canberra)

Commonwealth Avenue Australian Capital Territory
Commonwealth Avenue, from Capital Hill
General information
Type	Highway
Length	2.26 km (1.4 mi)
Route number(s)	A23 (Vernon Circle to State Circle)
Tourist routes	ACT Tourist Drive 1 (Entire Length) ACT Tourist Drive 7 (Vernon Circle to Coronation Drive)
Major junctions
North end	Vernon Circle (A23) City, Canberra
	London Circuit Parkes Way State Circle (B23) Capital Circle
South end	Parliament Drive Capital Hill, Canberra
Location(s)
District	Canberra Central
Major suburbs	City, Acton, Parkes, Yarralumla, Capital Hill
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Road infrastructure in Canberra

Commonwealth Avenue is a major road in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It connects Civic with South Canberra. Specifically, it runs between City Hill and Capital Hill.

The first Commonwealth Avenue Bridge was constructed in 1928. It replaced a ford across the Molonglo River.

The road is six lanes wide with a wide median down the middle. It crosses Lake Burley Griffin over the Commonwealth Bridge. It is connected with Parkes Way by freeway style on-ramps. Along its length on the northern side are the Roman Catholic Archbishop's residence and Commonwealth Park. On the south side of the lake the road is lined with large trees and is bounded by the suburb of Parkes on the east and Yarralumla on the west. Significant sites along this stretch include the Albert Hall, the Hotel Canberra (Hyatt) and the High Commissions of the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada.

Upon reaching Capital Hill, the road turns into Capital Circle which circles around Parliament House before connecting with Adelaide Avenue which connects it with Woden Valley. There is a ramp at the end of Commonwealth Avenue which allows access to Parliament House.

Between the spans on the southern side are two granite stones from the 1817 Waterloo Bridge across the River Thames in London. These were presented to Australia after the 1817 bridge was demolished in the 1940s and replaced by a modern structure. A plaque reads, in part, "Stones such as these from the bridge were presented to Australia and other parts of the British world to further historic links in the British Commonwealth of Nations."

Gallery

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  Commonwealth Avenue crossing Lake Burley Griffin at Commonwealth Avenue Bridge.

• 

  One of two granite stones from the 1817 Waterloo Bridge, London.

• 

  The British High Commission building on Commonwealth Avenue

See also

Australian Roads portal

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra.

Road infrastructure in Canberra Controlled-access roads: Adelaide Avenue Capital Circle Gungahlin Drive Extension Majura Parkway Parkes Way* Tuggeranong Parkway Yarra Glen Limited-access roads: Athllon Drive Barry Drive Barton Highway Belconnen Way Canberra Avenue Commonwealth Avenue Constitution Avenue Drakeford Drive Fairbairn Avenue Federal Highway Ginninderra Drive Gungahlin Drive Horse Park Drive Hindmarsh Drive Isabella Drive Kings Avenue Kings Highway Limestone Avenue Majura Road Monaro Highway^ Northbourne Avenue State Circle Tharwa Drive William Hovell Drive Vernon Circle Yamba Drive Major interchanges: Glenloch Interchange Proposed or cancelled Monash Drive (Cancelled) Tuggeranong Parkway - West Murrumbidgee Extension (Cancelled) Roads ACT Transport in the Australian Capital Territory Streets in Canberra *Partially limited-access          ^Partially controlled-access          roadway under construction

Route map: Bing