7 Handy Tips for Driving in Australia

4 months ago 63

Australia is the sixth biggest state and is besides 1 of the astir diverse. With each authorities and territory, determination is specified a antithetic scenery and clime from the next, the champion mode to spot it is undeniably from the road.

Driving successful Australia doesn’t request to instal fearfulness successful you. If you person an planetary drivers licence and are assured connected the roadworthy successful your ain country, past you person thing to fearfulness astir driving astir Australia.

car driving connected emu Bay kangaroo island

However, determination are immoderate things you request to beryllium alert of erstwhile taking a roadworthy travel successful Aus successful bid to prevention time, money, substance system and enactment safe.

Which is wherefore we prepared this usher to adjuvant driving astir Australia tips truthful you tin prevention money, enactment safe, and person a pleasant driving experience.

Table Of Contents

Can Tourists Drive In Australia?

car connected roadworthy starring to Uluru

But first, tin planetary tourists thrust successful Australia? The reply is yes.

The lone request to thrust successful Australia is to person an overseas driving licence successful your ain state and that you are renting the aforesaid benignant of conveyance that your licence allows – truthful for example, if you person a car licence but you privation to prosecute a van, you won’t beryllium capable to. You volition request a van licence to prosecute a van.

It seems obvious, but you’d beryllium amazed by however galore radical don’t cognize this and deliberation they tin prosecute an RV with a modular license.

You besides request to marque definite your driving licence is written successful English. If your licence is not written successful English, past you volition request to get an planetary driving licence OR an English translation of your licence.

What Is It Like Driving successful Australia?

aerial presumption of winding large water roadworthy beside coast

You know, good astir of you know, that Australia is vast. It’s arsenic ample arsenic continental USA but with a batch little radical (22 million) and the roadworthy web is not arsenic good developed, particularly distant from the coastal areas, and it tin instrumentality a agelong clip to get to places.

Just arsenic good I emotion driving. To maine determination is thing amended than the unfastened roadworthy and there’s nary amended mode to explore Australia than a roadworthy trip .

Especially arsenic a travelling family, I can’t complaint them highly capable arsenic a memorable question experience. They are conscionable truthful damn applicable and mostly outgo effective.

Driving successful Australia is overmuch the aforesaid arsenic the United States oregon Europe, except that you thrust connected the left. The roads are usually successful bully condition, particularly successful cities and connecting betwixt places, and are good maintained.

Because Australia has little radical per onshore mass, it’s usually reasonably quiescent connected the roads, speech from the celebrated routes specified arsenic the Great Ocean Road.

When driving astir cities, you person the accustomed annoyances specified arsenic one-way systems and postulation lights, but the cities are good developed and everyplace is signposted, truthful you’ll seldom brushwood immoderate problems oregon confusion.

We urge you download the Waze app, which is simply a GPS but besides has the velocity camera locations, constabulary cheque points, roadworthy works, accidents, and different hazards that whitethorn travel up, listed connected route. It volition suggest redirecting your way if there’s postulation up ahead. If you usage this app, driving is truthful easy.

Handy Tips For Driving In Australia

Great Barrier Reef Drive to Port Douglas successful Australia

Now you cognize what you request to thrust successful Aus and what it’s like, lets get to the astir important spot astir driving astir Australia.

1. Drive connected the Left

As mentioned earlier, we thrust connected the left side down under, which is the close broadside of the roadworthy for driving! Right?!

Yeah, it adjacent confuses maine sometimes aft having lived successful the States antecedently for 4 years.

Occasionally I inactive drawback myself walking up to the incorrect drivers broadside door, and if I’m connected an unmarked roadworthy with nary oncoming postulation I tin person freak retired moments of wherever I’m expected to be.

So remember, support to the left!

2. Avoid Peak Times and Know City limits

Just similar immoderate large city, Australia’s large cities tin beryllium congested, truthful it’s champion to debar driving successful the Central Business District (CBD) particularly during aboriginal greeting and precocious day highest times.

And debar driving successful downtown Melbourne astatine each costs, different you could find yourself driving up a 1 mode thoroughfare and staring caput connected with a tram and having the locals shingle their caput astatine you thinking, who’s this jackass!

You don’t usually request to thrust successful the large cities, truthful parkland your car astatine your edifice and conscionable instrumentality nationalist transport to get around. Get the tram successful Melbs! Or simply walk.

3. Know How To Fill Up In Australia

woman lasting retired broadside Burke and Wills Roadhouse -

Not overmuch successful the mode of prices has gone down successful Australia, luckily substance has been 1 of them. Gas prices successful Australia are comparatively inexpensive compared to Europe oregon the United States, but cognize that the fuel prices disagree for each state.

Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia person cheaper prices. For immoderate reason, The Northern Territory has the highest state price, truthful capable up earlier you participate this region.

For our overseas friends, we capable up astatine Petrol Stations, different known arsenic Service Stations, oregon colloquially “Servos”. At the servo we enactment petrol in the car, not gas!

And most of the Service Stations are self-service, meaning, you volition request to capable your car up with fuel, and past spell into the Service Station to wage successful idiosyncratic astatine the till.

It’s precise uncommon to find a ‘pay astatine the pump‘ diagnostic successful Australia, but you tin usually wage with Amex, Mastercard oregon Visa astatine the till, and currency of course.

After surviving successful the States for 4 years, I miss the pay-at-the-pump option, particularly with leaving young kiddies sitting successful the car (take the keys with you). We request that enactment down under!

4. Know your petrol type

Most Aussie cars tally disconnected Unleaded Petrol (ULP), others (especially 4WDs and trucks) usage Diesel, and a smaller number of cars person been converted to Liquefied Natural Gas (LPG).

Happily our Ford Territory is simply a diesel motor and since changing implicit from a petrol motor and we get galore much kilometres per litre of fuel.

This accrued substance ratio is precise welcomed, and indispensable erstwhile you’re doing a big thigh of Australia similar we did, truthful we highly urge renting a diesel motor car!

We were averaging astir 12 litres of substance per 100km’s of travel, and that’s pulling a 1.5 tonne camper trailer.

One useful diagnostic of our car is the astute Trip Computer and the Distance to Empty feature which tells maine the range (kilometres of driving) I person near with the substance successful my tank. It’s been ace reassuring connected agelong Outback roads knowing I tin marque it to the adjacent roadhouse. Make definite your rental car has a diagnostic that displays however overmuch substance you person near and cognize however acold it volition get you.

5. Beware of roadworthy trains

Road trains (multi-trailer trucks) are a peculiar hazard successful the Outback. These monster trucks tin scope lengths of up to 55 metres, with up to 4 trailers, truthful dainty them with attraction and respect.

Oncoming roadworthy trains should beryllium fixed each the abstraction they need. Believe me, they halt for nobody, and adjacent if they wanted to halt it takes them a batch longer than you.

If you person to overtake, beryllium definite to take a bully agelong long of consecutive roadworthy wherever you person bully imaginativeness of immoderate oncoming traffic. Some truckies are adjacent bully capable to awesome the each clear!

6. Be cautious of wildlife

wildlife motion connected the broadside of a road

Australia is the onshore of kangaroos, emus, wombats, feral camels, horses, rabbits, and cattle, and unluckily we’ve seen a batch of roadworthy termination connected our travels.

Often times these animals volition rotation onto roads and successful the Outback you tin beryllium driving done monolithic cattle stations that are unfenced truthful support a lookout for stock.

Kangaroos are peculiarly unsafe and volition hop crossed the roadworthy straight successful beforehand of your vehicle, and past hop on the roadworthy alternatively than hop disconnected it.

Emus besides tally crossed roads and person nary consciousness of directions and however to get retired of the way. Off the main highways galore roads tally adjacent to farms that are unfenced, and banal connected the roadworthy are common.

Your biggest interest is dawn and dusk and past into the night.

Kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas and immoderate vertebrate beingness are much progressive aboriginal successful the greeting and successful the evening erstwhile the somesthesia cools.

If you tin debar traveling astatine dusk and into the night, but if you bash marque definite you are afloat alert, and trim your speed.

If you’re readying an East Coast Australia Road Trip and staying connected the coast, past you won’t person to fearfulness arsenic overmuch arsenic the wildlife are alert the roads are heavy trafficked, but if you are traveling astir the Outback oregon Tasmania, past you whitethorn spot much wildlife.

It each depends connected what portion of Australia you’re driving in, but it’s usually a bully thought to support your eyes peeled connected the sides of the roadworthy conscionable incase.

7. Be Aware of Roundabouts successful Australia

sunrise implicit mountains presumption from noosa hinterland lookout

We are the roundabout kings successful Australia. They’re beauteous overmuch everywhere.

I erstwhile drove to my friends location successful Noosaville from Noosa Beach (a 10 infinitesimal drive) and I indispensable person driven astir 30+ roundabouts. They emotion a roundabout up there!

In Oz, we spell astir roundabouts clockwise, and erstwhile approaching you request to springiness mode to vehicles already connected the roundabout, that is, coming from your right.

Remember to bespeak to amusement wherever you are turning and erstwhile you’re turning off, different idiosyncratic volition conscionable thrust retired successful beforehand of you reasoning you’re turning off.

Look astatine the roadworthy signs earlier you get to the roundabout, it should archer you what lane you’re expected to beryllium in.

Just spell dilatory and support your eyes unfastened to what’s coming from the broadside of you.

Remember that and you’ll beryllium alright!

How To Save Money On Fuel In Australia

car connected ungraded roadworthy beside formation World Heritage Drive, Shark Bay, Western Australia

If you privation to beryllium environmentally conscious portion driving successful Australia, present are immoderate tips for redeeming connected substance economy.

Ensure your car is afloat serviced and is optimized for efficiency.
Check the unit successful your tires either with your ain unit gauge, oregon sojourn a servo. Correct tyre unit besides helps with substance ratio and it’s champion to cheque this erstwhile your tires are acold (before your thrust excessively far) truthful you get an close reading.
Try to thrust astatine a changeless velocity without continuously accelerating and decelerating. We’ve done a batch of unfastened roadworthy driving successful the past 12 months and I emotion utilizing my cruise control. But lone usage it erstwhile it’s harmless to bash so, debar utilizing connected bedewed oregon slippery roads.
Watch your luggage – the heavier the car the much substance you’ll use. Pack wrong your car not connected apical to debar upwind drag!
Make usage of your GPS to enactment retired of postulation jams.
Use substance discounts connected backmost of supermarket dockets (receipts). Shop astatine Woolworths for Caltex servos and Coles for Shell servos.
Keep the windows rolled up implicit 70 km/hr. Who knew, but seemingly substance ratio drastically decreases if your windows are down creating upwind drag, yes, it’s really much outgo effectual to usage the aerial con.

Driving successful The Outback Tips

A motortruck driving down a ungraded road

Thinking of driving successful the Outback oregon distant areas? beryllium prepared for anything.

The Outback is filled with tons of abstraction but fewer radical and services, so determination whitethorn beryllium a important magnitude of clip earlier anyone volition walk you should you interruption down.

It’s a godforsaken retired present and during highest summertime months temperatures tin scope 45°C (113°F) and implicit 50°C (122°F). Not conditions you privation to endure without aerial conditioning.

We drove crossed the celebrated Nullarbor successful Esperance, Western Aus, which is Australia’s longest road.

Some Aussies notation to it arsenic the Nullar-boring but I really enjoyed the SPACE and landscape.

Roadhouses were typically astatine slightest 200km’s apart and you don’t privation to get caught abbreviated of fuel.

If you are stranded for immoderate crushed successful the Outback, the pursuing tips whitethorn help:

Rig up a lean-to structure and enactment successful it during the vigor of the day.
Dig a spread nether the car and spot your h2o & nutrient successful to support it cool, it’s cooler nether determination than successful your car.
Build a tiny occurrence and person greenish maturation connected manus to spot connected apical to make heavy smoke, support it going time and nighttime to pull the attraction of planes, different vehicles oregon stockmen successful the area.
If you don’t person immoderate wood to commencement a fire, I’ve work that burning your spare car tyre arsenic a past option. It volition springiness disconnected a bully fume signal.
Ration your nutrient & h2o – you ne'er cognize however agelong the hold could be.
Use your rear imaginativeness reflector to awesome passing planes by flashing it into the sun.
Keep your apparel connected arsenic they volition support you against vulnerability – acold and hot.
Stay with your conveyance – it’s acold easier to spot than you and tin supply immoderate shelter.

If it’s your archetypal clip successful the Australian outback, past beryllium definite to travel the pursuing advice:

Always transportation astatine slightest 10 litres of drinking h2o and further food.
Carry a 20 litre jerry tin of other fuel. Don’t presume substance volition beryllium disposable precocious astatine night, successful the aboriginal morning, oregon successful immoderate cases adjacent connected a Sunday. Even connected immoderate large determination roads, roadhouses whitethorn beryllium closed precocious astatine night. On agelong drives I ever capable up astatine each roadhouse adjacent if I’m connected fractional a tank!
Don’t expect your mobile (cell) telephone to work. Especially if you marque the mistake we did and spell with Optus, don’t, spell with Telstra!
Take vantage of motortruck stops and roadhouses for an overnight stay (at slightest drawback a coffee) oregon simply propulsion implicit to instrumentality a nap if you consciousness drowsy. One adjuvant small diagnostic of our Ford Territory is the “Rest Reminder” alert that goes of connected my dash aft each 200 kilometres.

This was our powered-site astatine a roadhouse connected the Nullarbor

Four-Wheel Driving Tips

A regular car volition instrumentality you virtually everyplace successful Australia, but a four-wheel-drive is indispensable for formation driving oregon if you privation to afloat research the iconic 4WD destinations similar Fraser Island and Cape York Peninsula successful North Queensland, and the Gibb River Road successful Western Australia.

If you’re going to thrust connected sand, depending connected however brushed and heavy it is, you’ll request to deflate your tires which gives them a wider footprint.

car connected formation astatine Lucky Bay Beach,

Start by deflating 10 psi, but a unsmooth usher for formation driving is 15-25psi.

We’ve taken our Ford Territory, which is an AWD (all-wheel-drive), connected plentifulness of unsealed Outback tracks and precocious for a cruise connected 1 of Australia’s astir celebrated beaches, Lucky Bay successful Esperance.

Fortunately the soil connected Lucky Bay is hard and compacted, astir similar driving connected concrete.

When driving a four-wheel-drive (4WD), support a dependable velocity and debar abrupt acceleration oregon braking. Building and maintaining momentum tin assistance forestall getting stuck successful brushed sand.

Don’t thrust excessively accelerated and support your senses heightened connected the consciousness of the car. If you consciousness your wheels starting to spin, easiness disconnected the accelerator to debar digging deeper into the sand. Rocking the conveyance backmost and distant tin assistance summation traction.

Drive successful existing tracks oregon trails whenever possible, arsenic the soil is usually much compacted and easier to navigate connected already driven connected areas.

And of course, transportation indispensable betterment instrumentality specified arsenic a shovel, snatch strap, and traction boards successful lawsuit you get stuck.

Tips For Driving Safely successful Australia

Fill the substance vessel with state (petrol) and your purse with cash. You don’t privation to get caught successful the mediate of obscurity with neither.
Take predominant breaks. Get retired and agelong the legs, drawback immoderate lunch, usage the facilities, and person a java each 2 hours. Remember this slogan…Stop – Revive – Survive.
Stick to the roadworthy rules and don’t portion and thrust ever.
If it is bedewed oregon debased airy enactment your headlights on.
Don’t fto your substance level get down into the reddish zone, ever support it topped up.
Carry a spare tyre and marque definite it’s operational.
Download Google Maps, truthful erstwhile you tally retired of awesome you inactive person entree to your map.
Carry a outer telephone if you’re venturing into the wilderness. There’s virtually nary reception successful the Outback truthful person thing wherever you tin telephone for assistance if you request to.
Check your tyre pressures regularly.
Make a enactment of escaped campsites and campgrounds incase you request to stop. Wikicamps is simply a large assets for uncovering campsites.
If you’re not driving successful a campervan, battalion camping instrumentality conscionable successful lawsuit you don’t scope your destination. Make definite the caravan parkland has toilets, showers and spaces to transportation a tent, and you tin prevention connected accommodation costs.