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Designated Names (as of 2005) Complete Name List - Column 1 & 2 Road Classification Column 3	Doncaster - Mordialloc Road	Doncaster Road - Mordialloc Drain Bridge	Arterial #5803
	Wetherby Road	Doncaster Road - Eastern Fwy	Part of Arterial #5803
	Middleborough Road	Eastern Fwy - Highbury Road	Part of Arterial #5803
	Stephensons Road	Highbury Road - Ferntree Gully Road	Part of Arterial #5803
	Clayton Road	Ferntree Gully Road - Heatherton Road	Part of Arterial #5803
	Boundary Road	Heatherton Road - Mordialloc Drain	Part of Arterial #5803
	Wells Road	Mordialloc Drain - Springvale Road	Arterial #5795
Distance in Kilometres	28.5
Northern Terminus	Doncaster Road (MR40 / MR36), Doncaster East
Southern Terminus	Springvale Road (MR40), Aspendale Gardens
Year of Introduction When the Route was first introduced	1989

Metropolitan Route 23 (MR23) is an north - south arterial stretching from Aspendale to Doncaster. The route consists of many once individual routes which were formed to create a single arterial, known as Doncaster - Mordialloc Road (Vicroads declared name) between Doncaster Road and Mordialloc Drain, and Wells Road south of Mordialloc Drain. The majority of this route is single carriageway from Heatherton Road to Doncaster Road, and dual carriageway south of Heatherton Road.

As with other routes near MR23, the original purpose was to serve properties which laid along the route. Between 1841 and 1844, the northern section of MR23 (Wetherby Road) was established south to Koonung Creek. The alignment of Middleborough Road and Stephensons Road came shortly after, where at Highbury Road the road had to be adjusted to avoid the Damper Creek valley. The section of Stephenson Road between Waverley Road and Ferntree Gully Road was built as part of the Mulgrave Fwy prior to 1979. The alignment of Clayton Road was established by the mid 1850's.

Boundary Road was duplicated between Mordialloc Drain and Lower Dandenong Road in 1986, to Old Dandenong Road in 1993, and to Heatherton Road in 2003. Also in 2003 was the realignment of Boundary Road to meet Clayton Road directly. Wells Road was duplicated in 1993.

MR23 connects with the Eastern Fwy in Blackburn North, but does not interchange with the Monash Fwy.

Metropolitan Route 23 was introduced in the 1989 plan and traverses the same roads as today.

Focal Points (north to south):

Doncaster, Box Hill, Mount Waverley, Clayton, Mordialloc.

Events:

Information sourced from: Lay, M.; Melbourne Miles: The Story of Melbourne’s Roads; 2003; pg 192 - 193.

Photos

	Advanced Directional sign (AD) westbound on Doncaster Road (MR36 & 40). MR23 northern terminus. Oct 2005
	Northbound on Middleborough Road at Eastern Fwy. March 2005
	Intersection Directional sign (ID) at Eastern Fwy. March 2005
	Northbound at Springfield Road. Jan 2007
	AD westbound on Springfield Road. Jan 2007
	AD westbound on Maroondah Hwy. Jan 2007
	Reassurance Direction Sign (RD) northbound from Maroondah Hwy. Jan 2007
	ID eastbound on Maroondah Hwy. Jan 2007
	ID westbound on Maroondah Hwy. Jan 2007
	AD eastbound on Maroondah Hwy before Middleborough Road. Jan 2007
	Overpass works at Lilydale Railway Line. The project took around one month to complete. Jan 2007
	Northbound on Middleborough Road between Maroondah Hwy and Canterbury Road. Aug 2005
	AD westbound on Canterbury Road. Jan 2007
	AD eastbound on Canterbury Road. Jan 2007
	Northbound on Middleborough Road at Canterbury Road. March 2005
	Dual trailblazers westbound on Canterbury Road. Jan 2007
	ID facing westbound at Burwood Hwy / Middleborough Road intersection in Blackburn. July 2004
	RD southbound from Burwood Hwy. Jan 2007
	ID eastbound on Burwood Hwy. Jan 2007
	AD eastbound on Burwood Hwy. Jan 2007
	AD westbound on Burwood Hwy. Dec 2005
	Looking south from Burwood Hwy. Jan 2007
	AD with topknot eastbound on Waverley Road before Stephensons Road. July 2004
	AD westbound on Waverley Road before Stephensons Road. July 2005
	AD eastbound on Ferntree Gully Road before Stephensons Road / Clayton Road. Dec 2005
	ID at Ferntree Gully Road intersection. Dec 2005
	RD northbound from Princes Hwy East. Dec 2005
	ID at Princes Hwy East intersection. Dec 2005
	Erroneous MR4 shield on this AD at Princes Hwy intersection. Surprisingly, this sign dates back from 1983, about 5 years before MR23 was introduced. Also note additional signage at the bottom, which is not there today.
	Northbound on Clayton Road between Princes Hwy and North Road. Dec 2005
	TD southbound on Clayton Road before North Road. Dec 2005
	AD eastbound on North Road before Clayton Road. Dec 2005
	AD eastbound on Heatherton Road before Clayton Road / Boundary Road. April 2005
	IDs at Lower Dandenong Road / Boundary Road roundabout. May 2005
	AD westbound on Lower Dandenong Road. May 2005
	North-westbound on Wells Road. May 2005
	RD westbound from Springvale Road intersection. May 2005
	END 23 before Springvale Road. May 2005
	AD northbound on Edithvale Road before Wells Road. May 2005