Why Nicholson Road sees so many crashes and breakdowns
Nicholson Road is a major north-south road in Perth’s south-east, about 24 kilometres long. It starts at Albany Highway on the Cannington and Beckenham side, crosses the Canning River and heads south through Ferndale, Langford, Lynwood, Thornlie and Canning Vale, before passing Harrisdale and Piara Waters and leaving the suburbs for Oakford, where it ends at Thomas Road. Before the Kwinana Freeway was extended south in the early 1990s, it was one of southern Perth’s main routes, and it is still a busy commuter road for the fast-growing estates at its southern end.
Along the way it meets a series of big junctions. There is a roundabout with High Road, a signalised diamond interchange with Roe Highway, traffic lights at Ranford Road and roundabouts further south at Warton Road and Wright Road. Nicholson Road station on the Thornlie-Cockburn line opened in 2025 at the Panama Street lights, adding buses and pick-ups to the mix.
The intersection that draws the most attention is the roundabout with Yale Road and Garden Street on the Thornlie and Canning Vale border. It has an unusual layout: Nicholson Road traffic heading south must take the third exit, with slip lanes for some other movements. In RAC WA’s 2025 Risky Roads survey it ranked fifth among metro intersections. For the road that crosses Nicholson Road in Canning Vale, see our Ranford Road page, and for its northern end, our Albany Highway page.
What to do after an accident on Nicholson Road
First, protect the scene. Turn on your hazard lights, and if both cars can be driven, move them out of the roundabout or off the main carriageway into a side street. A car left sitting in a roundabout is at real risk of being hit again. If anyone is hurt, or a vehicle can’t be moved and is causing a hazard, call 000. For police help that isn’t urgent, ring 131 444.
Next, exchange details. In WA the drivers involved in a crash are legally required to give each other their names and addresses. Get the other driver’s phone number, rego and insurer too. Take photos of both vehicles, their number plates and where they stopped, along with the roundabout or traffic lights involved.
Then think about reporting. WA requires a crash to be reported to police if someone was injured, if the total damage is more than $3,000, or if the owner of damaged property isn’t there. The online crash reporting facility, linked from the WA Government website, is how most drivers do this.
Our accident towing crew can then take your car away, and with insurance towing we deal with your insurer directly.
Suburbs along Nicholson Road
From the north, Nicholson Road starts at Albany Highway between Cannington and Beckenham, then runs between Ferndale and Langford. It passes Lynwood and Thornlie before reaching Canning Vale, then runs along the edge of Harrisdale and Piara Waters on its way south.
How we help
We tow on Nicholson Road 24/7, from the Albany Highway end down to the southern estates. We bill your insurer directly and take your car to whichever repairer you choose. Call 0419 857 070 and give us the nearest cross street.