Road closures and clearways

Road closures and Special Event Clearways (SEC) will be in place on Monday 26 January 2026 in the Sydney CBD, The Rocks, Dawes Point, Millers Point, Barangaroo, and Milsons Point for Australia Day in Sydney.

Road closures

• 4am to 10am – Dawes Point: Car park opposite Pier One on Hickson Rd
• 4am to midnight – Circular Quay & The Rocks: Argyle St (eastbound) from Lower Fort St to Harrington St, Circular Quay West, Elevated Rd, Essex St (eastbound from Harrington St to George St, George St from Hickson Rd to Essex St, Harrington St (southbound) from Argyle St to Essex St, Lower Fort St from Cumberland St to SHB South Pylon Office and Pitt St from Alred St to Reiby Pl.
• 7am to 10am – Barangaroo & Millers Point: Barton St from Barangaroo Ave to Hickson Rd, Hickson Rd from Napoleon St to Pottinger St and Towns Pl from Dalgety Rd to Hickson Rd.
• 7am to midnight – The Rocks: Hickson Rd from Pottinger St and George St.
• 10:30am to 1pm – Milsons Point: Olympic Drive from Broughton St and Alfred St South.
• 7:30pm to 10:30pm – Sydney CBD North: Albert St, Alfred St, Bulletin Pl, Circular Quay East, Conservatorium Rd (full loop), Custom House Ln, Underwood St, Dalley St, Loftus Ln, Loftus St, Macquarie St north of Bridge St, Phillip St from Bridge St to Alfred St, Pitt St from Reiby Pl to Bridge St, Reiby Place, and Young St from Bridge Street to Alfred St.
• 7.30pm to 10.30pm - Cahill Expressway closed in both directions: including lanes 7 & 8 on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Circular Quay Overpass, the High St and Mount St on-ramps, on and off ramps at Macquarie St and the on-ramp at Domain Tunnel. Lane 4 on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will also close and the speed limit on the bridge will be reduced to 40km/h during this time. There will be no direct access from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Domain Tunnel.
• 9:15pm to 10:15pm – Sydney CBD North: Grosvenor/Bridge St from Pitt St to Lang St

Motorists are reminded that it is an offence to drive on or through a road closure point or exit a driveway onto a closed road unless directed otherwise by NSW Police or authorised personnel on-site. If you require access to your vehicle during the event, you will need to relocate it to outside of the closure footprint prior to the road closures being put in place.  

Familiarise yourself with the road closure locations and times and plan your movements ahead of time.

Maps

• Australia Day 2026 road closures and clearways map – Sydney CBD
• Australia Day 2026 road closures and clearways map – North Sydney
• Australia Day 2026 Transport for NSW Interactive Road Closures and Clearways Map (available shortly)

Visit transportnsw.info/Australia-Day for more details.

Special event clearways

Special event clearway parking restrictions will be in effect on key roads in the Sydney CBD, Circular Quay and The Rocks between 3am and midnight. In Milsons Point, clearways will be in effect on Olympic Drive from 9:30am to 1pm.

Sydney CBD

• 3am to 10am: Hickson Road between Napoleon St and Pottinger St
• 3am to 11am: Clarence Street between Druitt St and Market St (eastern side)
• 3am to midnight: Sections of Argyle Street, Circular Quay West, Essex Street, George Street, Harrington Street, Hickson Road and Pitt Street.
• 9am to 10.30pm: Macquarie Street Sydney Opera House taxi rank (between carpark entry / exit) (eastern side)
• 5pm to 10.30pm: Sections of Albert Street, Alfred Street, Bent Street, Bligh Street, Bridge Street, Carrington Street, Circular Quay East, Clarence Street, Conservatorium Road, Grosvenor Street, Hunter Street, Loftus Street, Macquarie Street, O’Connell Street, Phillip Street, Pitt Street, Reiby Place, Spring Street, York Street, Young Street and other surrounding streets

Milsons Point

• 30am to 1pm: Olympic Drive between Broughton Street and Alfred Street South

Clearways are strict no-parking zones for all vehicle types and apply even to local residents and businesses with parking permits and TfNSW Mobility Scheme permit holders.

Check signs carefully as vehicles left in clearways will be towed and a fee applies. If your vehicle is towed, you can search your vehicle registration at the Find My Car website to find its new location, or alternatively call 132 701 to speak to an operator.

For a full list of clearway locations and times, visit livetraffic.com or see the Transport forNSW Interactive Australia Day Road Closure and Clearway map (available shortly).

Real-time information

For real-time information about road closures and current traffic conditions:

• visit livetraffic.com
• follow @LiveTrafficSyd on X (formerly Twitter)
• download a real-time traffic app from the App Store or Google Play