Melba Highway

The Melba Highway^[1] connects the outer eastern suburb of Coldstream, near Lilydale, and the town of Yea, in Victoria's Central Highlands on the Goulburn Valley Highway.

Route

The highway passes through the alluvial plains of the Yarra River and the rich Yarra Valley vineyards near Yarra Glen. At Yarra Glen, the road diverts from the main town street (Bell Street) and follows a recently completed bypass of the township. After rejoining the main highway north of Yarra Glen, the road rises up a steep grade between Dixons Creek and Glenburn to the top of the Great Dividing Range at a road junction that links the highway with the nearby towns of Kinglake and Toolangi, a former home of Australian author C. J. Dennis.

From there, the road passes through forest and open agricultural land before reaching Yea, a small pastoral town.

Speed Limit

Coldstream – Yarra Glen 80 km/h

Yarra Glen 50 km/h

Yarra Glen – Glenburn via Yarra Glen Bypass 100 km/h

Glenburn 80 km/h

Glenburn – Yea 100 km/h

Yea 60 km/h

History

The road is named after Dame Nellie Melba, a famed Australian opera singer of the early 20th century whose former country estate lies at the southern end of the highway, at the junction of the Melba and Maroondah highways in Coldstream.

The road is within the Shire of Yarra Ranges and Shire of Murrindindi local government areas.

In addition, the recently completed Yarra Glen bypass now diverts trucks and other through vehicles onto the new road, having been opened in May 2010. Works also saw the Bell Street/Melba Highway roundabout created along with a new level crossing through the roundabout for the Yarra Valley Railway.^[2]

Major Intersections and Towns

Melba Highway
Northbound	Distance to Yea (km)	Distance to Melbourne (km)	Southbound
T-Intersection (clockwise from highway) Goulburn Valley Highway to Seymour Goulburn Valley Highway to Alexandra and Mansfield
End Melba Highway	0	111	Start Melba Highway
Yea
Kinglake, Healesville Healesville-Kinglake Road	40	72	Healesville, Kinglake Healesville-Kinglake Road
Yarra Glen Yea Road	53	58	Yarra Glen, Eltham Yea Road
continues as	55	56	Healesville Healesville-Yarra Glen Road
Healesville Healesville-Yarra Glen Road			duplexes with
duplexes with	57	54	Yarra Glen, Eltham Bell Street
Yarra Glen, Eltham Bell Street			continues as
Start Melba Highway	65	47	End Melba Highway
Traffic Lights (clockwise from highway) Maroondah Highway to Healesville and Alexandra Maroondah Highway to Lilydale and Melbourne

See also

• Highways in Australia
• Highways in Victoria

References

Road infrastructure in Victoria
Freeways	Calder Freeway Goulburn Valley Freeway Hume Freeway Princes Freeway (Geelong Ring Road) Western Freeway
Highways	Bass Highway Bellarine Highway Borung Highway Calder Highway Calder Alternative Highway Glenelg Highway Goulburn Valley Highway Hamilton Highway Henty Highway Hopkins Highway Kiewa Valley Highway Loddon Valley Highway Mallee Highway Maroondah Highway McIvor Highway Melba Highway Midland Highway Monaro Highway Murray Valley Highway Nepean Highway Northern Highway Omeo Highway Princes Highway Pyrenees Highway South Gippsland Highway Strzelecki Highway Sturt Highway Sunraysia Highway Surf Coast Highway Warburton Highway Western Highway Western Port Highway Wimmera Highway
Bypass routes	Old Hume Highway Old Princes Highway Princes Highway (Geelong)
Tourist routes	Great Alpine Road Great Ocean Road Murray Valley Highway Phillip Island Road