Driving in Australia can be a unique experience for some people at first even for those who have years of driving experience overseas. It is a very big country so you will most likely drive around here at some point. Knowing the local rules as well as what to expect when you do is important. This is why I have listed 7 interesting facts about driving in Australia which I think would be a good starting point for that.
Licenses accepted when driving in Australia
Driving laws and regulations differ per state. In most places, driving on a current overseas license is allowed. Though I believe that some would require for the license to be formally translated into English. Some people also use an International Driving Permit or an international license. Now when it comes to driving interstate on a valid Australian driver’s license from another state, you can do this within a specific time frame before you’ll be required to get one from that particular state.
For more details on these (per state), click here.
Wrong side of the road?
Here in Australia, we drive on the left side of the road. If you grew up with cars driving on the right side like most countries in the world do, then it could take some getting used to. When you get confused, just keep in mind that the driver should always sit close to the centre of the road. Don’t worry about it too much, you’ll get used to it eventually.
Important rules to follow
- Put your seat belts on– Seat belts are compulsory. There are also special rules on children’s car seats and baby capsules.
- Wear your helmet– It is a must if you use bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, and the likes.
- Do not use your phone when driving. If you use it for navigation, it needs to be hands free.
- Don’t drink and drive– The police often conduct random breath/ drug tests on roadsides.
- Do not speed– Even if you don’t see a cop car, hidden speed cameras are widely used. Also, we use the metric system here so speed limit signs are in kilometers not miles.
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Rest areas
Australia is a very big country and travelling long distances, specially for the holidays is not uncommon at all. When you do, you would often see rest areas on main highways and roads for people to pull over to rest when they need. It’s a place for travelers to take a break, stretch, have something to eat, and use the toilet. You’d even sometimes be able to get a free cup of coffee there.
Is that a kangaroo?
Here in Australia, you would sometimes see road signs with a picture of an animal on it. This means that you need to watch out for that animal while driving on that road. These are usually kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas, wombats, horses etc. In some roads, it’s common to see wildlife that were struck and injured or killed by motor vehicles on the road. According to RSPCA 90 percent of all animal road incidents in the country are from kangaroos and wallabies collisions.
Bikies and tattoos
In Western Australia, bikies are banned from displaying any club tattoos or insignia on clothing, on stickers or painted on motorcycles or cars. Since club tattoos are not allowed, bikies would have to find a way to cover them up when in public even if the tattoo is on their face. This came as a response from the state government to the increase in displays of violence from motorcycle gangs in the past few years. From what I gather from the news, bikie gangs are linked to organised crimes.
Getting fuel
We fill up our cars on what we call servos/ service stations or petrol stations. We don’t call them gas stations. When you go to a servo, you’d also be able to grab some food and a dollar coffee if you like. If you migrate to Australia from the Philippines, just fair warning that you have to fill up the car yourself here. There are no ‘gas boys’ to help you out. You’d also have to go inside to pay for your fuel at the counter. You just have to say the pump number of the one you used and they’d know how much you need to pay. But sometimes there would be a card machine on the pump itself so you could pay there.
Disclaimer All content and information in this post is for purposes of sharing my experiences only, does not constitute professional advice and does not establish any kind of professional-client relationship.
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