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Clyde Mountain: Kings Highway, Clyde Mountain, New South Wales
Photo: Toby Hudson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped

Drives New South Wales, Australia The Illawarra and South Coast

Clyde Mountain: Kings Highway

Kings Highway, B52 · Batemans Bay → Braidwood

Sweeping36 mi50 min5,200 ft climbHigh point ≈ 2,600 ftOne way
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The drive

The Kings Highway is the road Canberra drivers take to the South Coast, and this drive covers its climb over Clyde Mountain. It starts at Batemans Bay, follows the Clyde River to Nelligen and then climbs the Great Dividing Range in a long run of tight bends through forest, 58 km (36 mi) to Braidwood.

Nelligen was served by a punt from 1895 until its bridge opened in 1964, and a replacement bridge opened in February 2023. Thomas Mitchell surveyed the Clyde Mountain road in 1855. Near the summit, Pooh Bear's Corner is a rock cave that was a World War II munitions store, which could be blown up to block the way to Canberra.

Past the top the road runs out onto the sheep country of the Southern Tablelands and ends at Braidwood, a major settlement on the way to Canberra.

Along the way

  1. Batemans Bay (Kings Highway)
  2. Nelligen
  3. Braidwood (Kings Highway)
Elevation
5,200 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 2,600 ft
Batemans BayBraidwood
Curves
Mostly gentle, with three twisty stretches
Batemans BayBraidwood
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • The highway is busy on summer weekends, and trucks and holiday traffic share it.
  • Overtaking chances on the highway are limited; only about 5% of its length was judged safe for overtaking, so be patient.
  • Kangaroo collisions have increased on the highway, particularly at night.
  • Roadworks and slope repairs can cause delays on Clyde Mountain, so check Live Traffic NSW before you go.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Live Traffic NSW.

Questions about this drive

How long does Clyde Mountain take to drive?

Batemans Bay to Braidwood over Clyde Mountain on the Kings Highway is 58 km (36 mi) and takes about 50 minutes.

Is the Kings Highway over Clyde Mountain dangerous?

The 40 km stretch over the range has the highest share of crashes on the Kings Highway, with few safe overtaking spots, so drive with care and take your time.

Where does the Kings Highway go?

The Kings Highway (B52) links Canberra with Batemans Bay on the New South Wales South Coast, passing through Queanbeyan, Bungendore, Braidwood and Nelligen.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
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Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
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More drives near here

All 25 drives in New South Wales, Australia ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Clyde Mountain: Kings Highway, from Batemans Bay to Braidwood