Speed LimitsAustralia 2026: 100 km/h Default, 130 on Four NT Highways
Default limits: 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h elsewhere, 110 on the NT's open roads. The Stuart, Barkly, Victoria and Arnhem highways in the NT go to 130. Traffic keeps left.
Australia has no single motorway limit: the default is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h elsewhere, and anything faster is signed. The Northern Territory is the outlier, with a 110 km/h open-road default and 130 km/h on four highways.
Defaults, then signs
Rule 25 of the Australian Road Rules, which every state and territory applies, sets two default limits for roads with no speed sign: 50 km/h in a built-up area and 100 km/h everywhere else. Motorways and main highways are then signed individually, and outside the Northern Territory the highest number you will see on a sign is 110 km/h. States can and do sign lower limits on rural roads, so the sign on the road is always the one that applies.
The Northern Territory
The NT is the one place in the country with higher limits:
| Road | NT limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up areas | 50 or 60 km/h unless signed otherwise |
| Open roads, no sign | 110 km/h |
| Stuart, Barkly, Victoria and Arnhem highways | 130 km/h maximum |
| School zones on school days | usually 40 km/h during the signed hours |
The 130 km/h limit replaced the open speed limit on those highways on 1 January 2007, and Tourism NT lists 130 as the maximum on all four today. NT fines and demerit points apply, and speed and red-light cameras operate across the Territory.
Distance is the real hazard up there. Road trains of three trailers can exceed 50 metres; overtaking one at 100 km/h can take up to 2.5 km, and Tourism NT advises seeing at least a kilometre of clear road ahead before you start.
Fines are state business
Each state and territory sets its own fines and demerit points, so the same offence costs different amounts in Sydney and Perth. As one example, in New South Wales a court can impose up to AUD 2,200 for speeding up to 45 km/h over and AUD 3,300 for more than 45 km/h over, with a minimum licence disqualification of 3 months at 30-45 km/h over and 6 months above 45.
Australia drives on the left.
Check exact speed limits for your route
Open Speed Limit MapSources
- Tourism NT — Road safety: speed limits, 130 km/h highways, road trains
- NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services — Speed limits on Territory roads (130 km/h from 1 January 2007)
- Department for Infrastructure and Transport SA — Speed Limit Guideline (Australian Road Rules rule 25 defaults)
- NSW Government — Speeding offences and penalties
More Resources
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Related Questions
There is no single national motorway limit. Under the Australian Road Rules the default is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h elsewhere, and higher limits are signed. Outside the Northern Territory the highest posted limit is 110 km/h.
Only in the Northern Territory, on the Stuart, Barkly, Victoria and Arnhem highways, where 130 km/h is the maximum. The NT's open-road default without a sign is 110 km/h.
Not on the four main highways. The NT replaced their open speed limits with a 130 km/h limit on 1 January 2007, and 130 km/h is the listed maximum on the Stuart, Barkly, Victoria and Arnhem highways today.
Each state and territory, with its own fines and demerit points. In New South Wales, for example, a court can impose up to AUD 2,200 for most speeding offences and AUD 3,300 for more than 45 km/h over, with a minimum disqualification of 6 months at that level.