DRIVING TIPS
Driving is the best way to travel around Australia. Having access to your own set of wheels frees you from the constraints of routes and schedules and allows you to visit places off the beaten track.
Anyone over 18 can drive in Australia with their local licence, providing it is valid and that you've been in the country for less than six months. If you’re spending longer in Australia you should bring along an international driving permit or apply for an Australian driver’s licence.
Driving in Australia is easy. Traffic drives on the left and roads are generally well-maintained but motorways are usually restricted to the approaches to major cities and heavily travelled routes such as Melbourne-Sydney and Sunshine Coast-Brisbane-Gold Coast. A regular car will take you virtually everywhere in Australia, but a four-wheel-drive is essential for beach driving or if you want to explore Fraser Island and the Cape York Peninsula.
There are some very long and boring stretches of road in Australia and fatigue is a big killer – make plenty of rest stops, drink plenty of coffee or cola and share the driving with someone else. Check noticeboards in hostels to see if another traveller wants a lift. Offering a lift is a good way to split your fuel costs as well as avoiding spending too much time behind the wheel.
Speed limits on most country roads are 100-110km/h, although the top speed limit is 130km/h on highways in the Northern Territory. On motorways the limit is usually 110km/h outside cities and 100km/h in built up areas. Minor roads in towns and cities are usually either 50km/h. It is compulsory to wear seat belts and it's illegal to talk on a mobile phone while driving. You must not park facing oncoming traffic.
Watch out for road trains if you're driving in the outback. These 50-metre-long semi-trailers can’t stop as quickly as a regular car so keep out of their way and make sure that you allow plenty of room to overtake one. Also be alert if you’re driving in the countryside around dusk – kangaroos are active at this time and are unpredictable – often jumping into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DRIVE IN AUSTRALIA?
As a general rule, you are able to drive in Australia, as a visitor, on your existing license for a maximum of three months after arriving in Australia. However, specific rules do vary across each state. If you're going to be in the country for more than six months, you can get an International Driver's License before you leave home, or you can apply for a license in Australia. If you're going to rent a car, you will need your local, unexpired driver's license (that you've held for at least one year) and a credit card - not a debit card.
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
Each State and Territory has a separate motoring group which offers roadside breakdown assistance, as well as comprehensive road maps, tourist guides, and useful motoring advice from their numerous branch offices. You need to purchase an annual membership in one of these associations to qualify for roadside assistance, but this can be done when lodging a call for help (with an additional fee). Each State association has reciprocal arrangements with the others, so a single membership will do for all of Australia. If you are a member of the local motoring group in your home country, you might be entitled to free reciprocal assistance such as maps from the various motoring groups in Australia. Check with your local motoring group before you leave to be sure.
New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
NRMA
Roadside Assistance - 131 111
International Callers - 61 2 9848 5201
Victoria
RACV
Roadside Assistance: 131 111
International Callers - 61 3 9790 2211
Queensland
RACQ
Roadside Assistance: 131 111
Road Conditions: 1300 130 595 (Recorded)
South Australia
RAA
Emergency Road Service: 131 111
Western Australia
RAC
Roadside Assistance: 131 111
Tasmania
RACT
General Enquiries: 132 722
Roadside Assistance: 131 111
Northern Territory
AANT
Roadside Assistance: 131 111
ENFORCEMENT
Speed cameras are used in all states and territories of Australia, with some states using hidden cameras, others preferring obviously placed ones. The strictest place for speed limit enforcement is Victoria, with speed cameras being hidden in unmarked cars and having low tolerance for excess speed. Police speed traps, and mobile patrols also pull over cars for exceeding the speed limit. Exceeding the speed limit by 10km/h or so will usually result in you being sent a fine notice of around $200 (and demerit points if driving on an Australian licence). Exceeding the speed limit by more than 30km/h can result in a court appearance and possible criminal conviction.
Cameras also monitor red lights, and a similar fine will result.
Drug or alcohol offences invariably result in a court appearance, and a criminal conviction may result.
Fine notices are invariably sent to overseas addresses. Rental car companies often charge an administration fee if fines are incurred, and will pass your name on to the debt collection authorities. Your fine won't generally be pursued outside Australia, but you should consider the consequences if you wish to drive in Australia in the future.
TOLLS
Some motorways, bridges, and tunnels in major cities require payment of tolls of up to $8. In some cases, a cash payment can be made at tollbooths on the road, but there is an ongoing trend to automating toll collection with the use of radio transponders installed in vehicles. Some roads have facilities to collect tolls only electronically in this way. If you drive on such a road without a transponder, a photo is taken of your vehicle's number plate, and you have a day to phone a number or visit a website and arrange payment (plus an additional processing fee) before a fine is issued. Toll roads are clearly signposted and many offer opportunities to exit before reaching the tolling point to take an untolled route.
Avoiding toll roads may save you a few dollars, but you may pay in extra travel time, fuel cost, and navigation difficulties, particularly during peak travel times. If hiring a car, ask the agency for advice on toll roads.
RURAL DRIVING
Outside of major cities and the coastal routes between some state capitals, Australian highways are mainly two-lane undivided sealed asphalt roads. While less than 15% of Australia's population lives in regional and rural areas, about 60% of fatal accidents occur on these roads because the speeds are freeway-like (speed limits vary between 100km/h and 130km/h) but the conditions are more dangerous than freeways because there is no barrier or division from oncoming traffic.
Some rural highways have regular overtaking lanes but on others you will need to pass slower traffic by pulling into the right hand lane (the one with oncoming traffic). Obviously, this should be done when there is no actual oncoming traffic and when you have plenty of visibility, and should be done as quickly as possible. Do not ever overtake by pulling off the road to the left as Australian drivers won't anticipate this even if the shoulder is sealed, and it is very dangerous and illegal to drive onto an unsealed shoulder.
Some less major rural roads and outback roads are unsealed gravel roads. These are harder to drive on at high speeds and you will have to contend with the odd stone being thrown up. Windscreen damage is not unusual. Typically, rental car companies do not allow their cars to be taken off sealed roads, even if the unsealed road is an official minor road. Many gravel roads in the south are in good condition and experienced drivers tend to drive on them as fast as they would on the sealed roads. When on gravel it is essential to slow down well before a corner or you risk skidding as you turn. Loose or drifting gravel also poses a hazard as it will pull at your tyres. If you feel you are losing control on gravel, slow down, but try to avoid braking sharply. Roads in the northern tropics are often sandy, rocky or corrugated.
When you are driving on Australia's open roads you may see dead animals on the side of the road. The fact is, quickly swerving or braking heavily could cause a much more serious accident. Sundown and sunrise are times to be on the alert through the Australian bush, as well as regions where you will encounter water sources like rivers and reservoirs, or the plains surrounding mountain ranges.
If you come across multiple tyre marks on the road, this could suggest that animals regularly use this part of the road as a crossing, so just be a little more aware, and also, using the high beam head lights at night, will make it harder for an animal to find an appropriate escape route, so practice flicking them off for animals as well as for on coming traffic.
Slow down when approaching cattle grids as these may be bent, broken or deeply potholed on the approaches. Severe tyre damage or a broken spring can result from speeding over these grids. Leave gates shut or open as you have found them.
Do not enter creek or gully crossings without first checking for depth, dips and holes and finding the shallowest path. Water crossings in northern Australia (Far North Qld, Kimberley, Top End) are often inhabited by crocodiles so it is not advisable to walk these rivers. Vehicles are washed away more easily than most people realise.
Mobile (cell) phone coverage will probably be highly intermittent even on relatively major highways unless you are near a population centre. Check the coverage of the network you are using.
Some mountain and tableland areas of NSW and Victoria are noted for having very frosty nights that may cause diesel to solidify in vehicles causing the engine to stop or run abnormally. Usually vehicles will run normally without intervention, when the morning warms, at about 9am.
FUEL
Outside of major centres, do not assume that fuel will be available late at night, in the early morning, or in some cases even on a Sunday. Even on some major regional roads, roadhouses can close late at night. If you are planning a long drive overnight, make sure you know where and when you are going to get fuel.
ROAD MARKINGS
The dividing markings on the road indicate if overtaking is legal. A broken dividing line indicates that you may move to the other side if the road to overtake if it is clear. A solid or double solid dividing line indicates that no overtaking is allowed and you may only move over to the other side to avoid an obstruction. A broken line next to a solid line means that you may move to the other side of the road to overtake if you are driving on the side of the broken line but not if you're driving on the side of the solid line.
A centre road marking appears to same as a lane dividing marking. It can be sometimes impossible to tell if you are on a two lane one-way road, or a two way road, just by looking at the current section of road, as the line markings are the same. This can be a hazard when divided roads change to single carriageway roads, and you have to remember what type of road you are currently on. If unsure, just stay left.
DISTANCES CAN BE A PROBLEM FOR THE UNPREPARED
Australia is a very big country, and while driving is a fun and interesting way to get around, you have to remember that it is a long long way to get from point A to point B. Taking the capital cities as an example, it is easy to drive from Melbourne to Adelaide in a day (9 h), and not very much further to Canberra (7.5 h) but driving from Melbourne to Sydney is a good 10 h solid driving. If you want to drive to Perth from Melbourne, you must use the Eyre Highway and cross the Nullarbor Plain, which means driving for approximately 3500 km, including 2000 km on a virtually dead straight, totally flat road with only a few roadhouses, sometimes hundreds of kilometres apart. You will have to spend at least one night on the road, so book in advance. The general advice is to have a rest every two hours 'Stop, Revive, Survive'. You should also be wary of your fuel, distances between fuel supplies can be extreme, even on main roads. Check that you have a map indicating gas stations, as outback communities do not always have fuel supplies.
There is little traffic on those back roads, but what there is will consist of a fair proportion of road trains (semi-trailers towing up to three trailers). They won't brake, as their effective stopping distance is far too great.
DRIVING DISTANCES
Sydney - Melbourne
Hume Highway (National Highway 31) through Albury-Wodonga: 860km
Princes highway (National Highway 1) through Batemans Bay: 1043km
Sydney - Brisbane
Pacific Highway (National Highway 1) through Coffs Harbour: 964km
New England Highway (National Highway 15) through Tamworth and Armidale: 1018km
Sydney - Adelaide
Hume and Sturt Highways (National Highways 31 and 20) through Wagga Wagga and Midlura: 1410km
Mitchell and Barrier Highways (National Highway 32) through Dubbo and Broken Hill: 1659km
Melbourne - Brisbane
Newell Highway (National Highways 31, 39, 42 and 15) through Dubbo: 1681km
Melbourne - Adelaide
Western and Dukes Highways (National Highways 8 and 1) through Horsham: 724km
Brisbane - Adelaide
Newell, Oxley and Mitchell Highways (National Highways 15, 42, 39, 34 and 32) through Moree and Broken Hill: 2031km
Stuart Highway (National Highways 87 and 1) through Alice Springs: 3019km
Adelaide - Perth
Eyre and Great Eastern Highways (National Highways 1 and 94) through Ceduna and Norseman: 2695km
Perth - Darwin
Brand, North-West Coastal, Great Northern, Victoria and Stuart Highways (National Highway 1) through Roebourne and Katherine: 4166km
Sydney - Perth
Hume, Sturt, Eyre and Great Eastern Highways (National Highways 31, 20, 1 and 94) through Wagga Wagga, Mildura, Port Augusta, Ceduna and Norseman: 3942km
ANIMALS
Australia is the land of kangaroos, emus, wombats, feral camels, horses, and cattle. Sometimes these animals wander onto roadways. Kangaroos in particular will leap across roadways directly in front of vehicles, and are more likely to hop along the roadway than hop off it. Emus also run across roads and have no sense of how to get out of the way of a car. Off the main highways many roads run adjacent to farms that are unfenced, and stock on the road are common. Many animals caught in headlights come to a complete halt, but a short blast on the car horn may help startle them into moving off the road. Briefly switching off your headlights may also encourage them to move on. Most animal collisions occur at dusk, at dawn, or at night when some animals are more active less visible.
Drive carefully when you spot these big animals and be ready to use your brakes. Swerving to avoid an animal can also lead to fatalities, so if the choice is between hitting the animal or potentially losing control of the vehicle, hit the animal.
Most car hire firms impose a curfew on driving after sunset in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Often a collision with an animal has a higher excess (deductible) than other collisions. Away from cities and main highways try to be at your destination before nightfall. If forced to travel at night, keep your speed down.
Many vehicles in the bush have "bull bars", a rigid steel frame, in front of the radiator. These are to protect passengers and the vehicle in the event of a collision with an animal. They do not discriminate and add to the risks on the road.
If you do hit a native animal, stop if it is safe to do so. There are trained wildlife rescue groups in each state who care for injured and orphaned animals.
- NSW wildlife rescue: 1300 094 737
- Victorian wildlife rescue: 1300 094 535
OUTBACK DRIVING
If you are driving in the outback, be prepared for anything. There is little traffic, so it is unlikely that anyone will be able to stop and help you should you break down. There are few towns/petrol stations etc, so motorists need to make sure that they carry adequate and surplus amounts of food, water and fuel. The interior of Australia is a true desert, so if your vehicle has no air conditioning, you could suffer from common day time temperatures of 45°C (113°F) and past 50°C (122°F) on really hot days. Night time temperatures can drop to freezing.
Depending upon the estimated time of travel and the remoteness of the roads, it is wise to take at least 10 L of drinking water per person per day of travel, and an additional 3-5 days of extra drinking water per person, in case of breakdown. Do not have all of your water in one container at any time. Shade material and very thick warm blankets are also important survival tools. A box of matches or cigarette lighter should always be carried when intending to travel into isolated areas. A fire can provide warmth and can be very helpful in attracting attention if lost or stranded.
Do not expect your mobile (cell) phone to work if you are in the outback. While efforts have been made to 'cover' the populated areas, large areas of the country do not have service. If you really go to the back of beyond it is a good idea to buy or rent a two-way HF radio (the Royal Flying Doctor Service web page lists outlets they can be hired from), a satellite phone, or a PLB (distress radiobeacon.)
Many outback unsealed roads require a true four-wheel-drive vehicle for safe passage. One that is especially prepared for the trip with suitable equipment depending on the length, isolation, and roughness of the track. Advanced planning is required for such trips, you cannot just hire a passenger sedan and go! An SUV or soft road vehicle is not always suitable for roads marked as requiring a four wheel drive. It can be sometimes difficult to tell from maps whether a road is graded with gravel, or whether it is just formed sand.
Temperatures can be extremely hot during the day, and can drop drastically once night falls. Always go to the local police station when you are going off the sealed (paved) highway, and tell them where you are going and how long you expect to take. This will help them to look for you if you are stranded. Never ever leave your car when it breaks down in the middle of nowhere. In case of a long wait, it gives you shelter and it is a lot easier to spot than a person walking in the bush. Also, a person uses about four times as much water when walking, and Australia is a dry country.
Beware of potholes and corrugations on gravel roads. Potholes are not always visible on sandy roads. The road surface might seem quite even, but hidden potholes hit with sufficient speed can overturn a car. Corrugations are wavelike formations that form on a road surface when enough cars have been driven over it. At low speeds the car will be shaken to a degree that's almost unbearable. At higher speeds there is a risk of losing control over the steering wheel. In most cases, a speed of 50-60 km/h is a happy medium; not too slow and not too fast. Do not try to steer around lizards as the car is likely to become unsteerable with a high chance of crashing.
Dust can also be a problem on unpaved roads, and heavy vehicles travelling at high speed often leave a trail of dust behind them, severely impairing visibility in vehicles behind them. As a precaution, do not tailgate. The significantly reduced visibility in dust storms caused by vehicles in front can have deadly consequences.
Some two-way paved roads have only one lane paved, right down the middle. When approaching another car both of you are expected to move left off the bitumen onto the dirt at the side of the road, pass, and then move back onto the black. Be wary immediately after passing, as the other car will have stirred up a huge dust cloud which will lower visibility for several seconds.
Bulldust is a fine talcum powder-like dust that is very common on outback Australian tracks. Patches of bulldust look like smooth hard patches but in fact it usually is a fine covering of dust over a deep hole. Driving through bulldust at speed is very dangerous and must be avoided. It can cause damage if sucked into engines too, so in very dusty areas you should have a filter on your air intake and check it regularly.
Pay particular attention to the weather forecasts in outback areas and be prepared to stay put for a while if the weather sets in. Unsealed outback roads, especially, can be closed with little notice in the wet, isolating communities, at any time of year. Creek crossings are very common on outback roads, with dry creek beds. These creeks rise quickly after rain and can become impassable for several days. In the the rain bulldust turns into a clay, which fills your wheel rims and can bring a two-wheel drive or a motorcycle to a grinding halt. Scraping out the bulldust and a bit of a push can sometimes get you on your way again, but it can be very tough going.
WET SEASON
In the north of Australia, the period from November (sometimes even October) to March is considered the Wet Season. Many remote communities (and even some major towns on the Queensland coast) are completely isolated during the Wet, unless they have a landing strip for light aircraft. Rivers that are dry at other times of the year can overflow their banks due to extremely high rainfall.
Sometimes, bridges are washed out, or dirt roads are turned into muddy quagmires. Water levels can rise quickly from nothing to flooding. Notably, the Bruce Highway, which is the main road from Brisbane up through the Queensland coast to Cairns, is notorious for being cut for days at a time in many areas, mostly near Innisfail and Tully, which are both just south of Cairns.
Travellers intending to drive around the North should contact local authorities beforehand as they will know the most about local conditions. They will also be the poor sods called out to rescue you if you get stuck, so be polite. In Queensland, it is possible to go from Cairns to Cooktown via Mareeba or Mossman using an inland route, which is fully sealed and suitable for normal cars. If you intend to take the coastal route (starting just north of Cape Tribulation), you can't do it whenever it is raining, unless you have a serious four-wheel drive, preferably equipped with a snorkel.
If travelling around the north on unsealed (unpaved) roads, a powerful four-wheel drive vehicle is a must. Being bogged in the middle of the Outback can be fatal if one is not properly prepared.
101 Travel Tips for enjoying Australia on a Budget
Getting Around: Rent or Buy Campervans, Cars or 4x4
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