 |
| Melbourne city - mid left is Flinders Street Train Station; steepled building is St Paul's Cathedral Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
 |
| Flinders Street Train Station Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
However, if you want to really explore and take things at a slower pace, there's nothing quite like hopping into a car and feeling the breeze in your hair.
So, if you intend to do a bit of driving in Australia, I've written this post just for you.
 |
| Open country road Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
Driving in Australia - in the city
 |
| Driving in the city with trams Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
1. We drive on the left hand side of the road in Australia.
 |
| Drive on the left Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
2. You need to give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings. (Australians are on the whole very law abiding citizens and are accustomed to use pedestrian crossings. This is for the safety of all concerned - pedestrians as well as drivers. Jay walking - crossing roads wherever one likes - is highly discouraged in Australia.)
 |
| Use the pedestrian crossing Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
3. If you are turning into a lane in which a pedestrian is about to cross the road, you have to give way to the pedestrian. However, this is not the case at roundabouts.
4. There are trams that operate in Melbourne city. This has given rise to what we call a Hook Turn which operates in the CBD. Here's a video produced by the VicRoads to explain how to navigate it: Performing a Hook Turn.
Bike riders also observe the Hook Turn rules.
Melbourne is the only city with its peculiar hook turn rule. IF you wish to avoid a hook turn altogether, you can always chuck a left in the next street and follow that with two more left turns to land you where you would originally want to have made that right hook turn.
 |
| Stop behind trams Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
5. There are also certain things to be aware of when you are driving with trams. Driving with Trams, another video produced by VicRoads explains the important things you need to know.
 |
| Trams on Bourke Street Mall Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
6. We also have particular road rules regarding driving with buses which might be different to your city of origin. Here's a useful video that VicRoads has produced called Driving with Buses.
7. Australians are considerate of cyclists who share the road. Here are two helpful videos about it. This is the first video. This is the second one.
 |
| Cars, bicycles and motorbikes in the city Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
8. What about merging onto the freeway and you encounter a ramp signal? Here's a helpful video.
9. We also have rules about merging safely. Here's a useful video to watch.
10. U-turns. Do you know what our rules are? Here's a video on just that.
11. Roundabouts. Do you know who goes first? Here are two helpful videos. The second one is by the RACV.
Thankfully, there are no four-way stop signs unlike in certain parts of the US. So a stop sign is simply that. You stop and give way to the main road that you are approaching.
12. Side roads that are not marked with speed limits are assumed to be 50 km/hr in metro Victoria. I believe WA has also followed suit in that rule.
13. Roads in Victoria with designated school zones require traffic to drop to a maximum speed of 40 km/hr in the morning and usually from 2.30 pm to 4 pm in the afternoon which is considered peak school pick up time. These zones are clearly marked and signed.
14. It is illegal to do a U-turn across a solid white line in the centre of the road in Victoria. You can cross it to turn into a street however, but not do a U-turn.
15. You cannot cross or overtake on a double white line. You may only overtake on highways/freeways where you see a broken white line on your side of the road - and only if there is no oncoming traffic and it is clear.
16. If you are parking your car on a road, make sure that you are not too close to a solid white line in the middle of the road. You need to allow a clearance of at least 3 m from your car to allow garbage trucks, trams, buses and emergency vehicles especially to pass safely and easily.
 | |
|
17. You might not be aware when driving in Melbourne city centre that Swanston Street and Bourke Street Mall are no-go zones for private cars. DO NOT under any circumstances drive here. Only authorised vehicles are allowed here.
 | |
|
19. Remember also that the left lane is the slow lane on multi-lane highways if you are going lower than the speed limit. Where the driving speed is 70 km/hr or above, it is expected that you will be driving no more than 10 km/hr below that. And definitely NOT above the posted speed limit. Victoria has a zero tolerance policy. And that's why I find the cruise control so indispensable when driving.
20. Last but not least. Wear your seatbelt and don't touch your phone. If you do, it can be a very costly act. And of course, if you intend to drink any alcoholic beverages, just be aware that we do conduct random breath testing.
If you want to watch some of those videos produced by VicRoads in Mandarin, Arabic, Dari and Vietnamese. You can find these on the VicRoads channel on YouTube.
Granted, those links are Victoria centric. However, I believe these will provide a good launch pad for your research to stay safe while driving in Australia.
Driving in Australia - in the country
Road classification
In Australia, motorways and freeways mean pretty much the same thing. They are restricted access multi-lanes roads with higher speed limits (from 80 km/hr upwards to 130 km/hr). The most common speeds on freeways are 100 or 110 km/hour. Motorways and Freeways do not have roundabouts or traffic lights. Fences and barriers are often provided to prevent animals from entering them. | |
|
Highways are another major public road and is the next grade down from freeways/motorways in Australia. These do not have fences to prevent stock from entering them. Speed on these can vary from 70 km/hr upward. These can be multi-lanes.
 | |
|
If you are curious about the numbering system of our highways, Wikipedia is a good source of information.
It also offers a good explanation of the grades of roads you are likely to encounter in the country:
"In the alphanumeric systems, a letter denoting the route's construction standard and function is prefixed to the route number, creating an alphanumeric route designation. One of four letters may be used:
- "M" routes are primary traffic routes, called motorways in some states. These are typically dual carriageway, freeway-standard highways, but may also be used for rural roads that are nearly at freeway-standard, or at least are dual carriageways.
- "A" routes are other primary highways, including urban arterials and interstate or interregional single carriageways.
- "B" routes are less significant routes, either as an alternative to an "A" or "M" route, or linking smaller population centres to larger regional centres, but without being a major through-route in the region.These are the major road links in areas without "A" routes.
- "C" routes link smaller settlements and towns to the rest of the major road network.They are used for roads without the significance of an "M", "A", or "B" route, but where numbering would assist navigation."
 | |
|
I personally find that if we have time on our side and we are not in a hurry, I enjoy taking the C grade routes as it feels more intimate - the farm fences are sometimes just a stone's throw away from the edge of the road and you are so close to the homes that you can almost see the prints on the curtain.
 | |
|
Wildlife
 | |
|
 | |
|
Straight and windy (as in full of twists and turns)
 | |
|
Travelling by air
Australia's landmass is also comparable to that of the USA's 48 contiguous states.
So if you are planning to cover both the east and west coast of Australia, you would most probably be taking a domestic plane at one stage or another. The main airlines in Australia are Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar and TigerAir. The latter two are the budget airlines. Virgin is often slightly less expensive than Qantas. From personal experience, the budget airlines are less reliable than the first two.
The budget airlines also do not include meals in their fare but offer refreshments which you can purchase. Be sure to check if your fare includes check-in baggage (and whether it is one or two pieces) when you book your flight on any airline. The included luggage varies between airlines and is not assumed to be included. Some airlines are also very strict about your carry-on luggage size and weight - don't assume that you will not be checked. This applies especially to budget airlines.
 |
| Airport Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
The domestic and international terminals in the major cities here are not right next to each other except for Melbourne. You might have to get on a shuttle bus to get from an international terminal to a domestic one. So if you are transferring from an international flight to a domestic one, do allow sufficient time to clear immigration, collect your bags, get on a shuttle bus and recheck your baggage and get yourself to the appropriate departure gate for your next flight. A shuttle bus trip can take 10 to 15 minutes if all goes smoothly - I've found that traffic on the tarmac can add quite a few minutes to the travel time. So plan accordingly. I once found that a two hour transit time was just barely sufficient for my flight transfer from international to domestic - if the domestic flight had not been delayed I would surely have missed my flight.
If you are taking a budget airline, be prepared to walk on the tarmac in which you will be exposed to the elements - so dress appropriately. It helps to also check the weather forecast ahead of time.
Weather forecast
For weather at the airport in Melbourne, enter 'Tullamarine' as the location.
Sydney airport is located in Mascot.
Perth airport is in Redcliff.
Brisbane airport is in Brisbane Airport.
There are shuttle buses that operate from the major airports to the city.
 |
| Cyclists enjoying another beautiful day in Melbourne city Photo copyright Maria Ngo |
Credit cards
The airports have free WiFi as do major shopping centres.
 | |
|
Mobile phones and SIM cards
Navigation
You can also pick up dedicated satellite navigation devices like Tom Tom etc from stores like KMart quite easily. You can usually pick one up for around AUD100 to AUD 150. If you plan to do a bit of driving around the country, I would recommend investing in one of the above - but if you are sticking to the major cities and nearby towns, it might not be necessary.
 | |
|
Accommodation
See ya later mate
I hope this post has been helpful in pointing you in the right direction as you research your trip to Australia. Stay posted for future articles on this beautiful country of mine. I can't wait to share more of it with you in future posts.
Thanks for stopping by. Do visit soon. Better yet, click the subscribe button.
 | |
|
#Australia #travel #vacation #car #driving #scenic
Well done Maria. I love your article. Very insightful
ReplyDeleteThanks Isaac.
DeleteVery detailed and well done. Thanks for all the great material. Love the wide collection of photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeff! I’m glad you loved the photos. 😀
ReplyDelete