Driving Tips For Australia

T ouring Australia by car          to use an international permit.    offers a unique freedom and                                        more and more people choose     The road rules are fairly          to traverse this beautiful land       straightforward and common sense   on their own four wheels. For New     should prevail. Everyone in the    South Wales and the Queensland        car must be strapped in with a     coast, no special considerations      seat belt, while 0.5mg/ml is the   need to be taken into account         legal alcohol limit. The police    when renting a car. Just make         conduct random stops in all        sure the seats are nice and soft,     states. Australians drive on the   as you’ll be in the car for long      left-hand side of the road.        periods.                                                                                                       The driving age is 16 to 18 years  If you’re heading for the             old, depending on the state.       hinterlands of central Australia,     Expect to part with anywhere from  it’s a different matter               A$0.90 to A$1 per litre at the     altogether. A four-wheel drive        pump. You may notice prices are    vehicle is a must, and you’ll         higher in the outback compared to  need to bring your own food and       those on a highway near Sydney.    water supplies as well as extra                                          fuel.                                 In developed areas, Australia’s                                          motorways are excellent. They are  It is generally a hassle-free         all paved, wide and uncongested    experience to rent a car in           outside of the big cities. They    Australia. As long as you are         are also simple to navigate with   staying for less than 6 months,       all signs being well-marked.       you can drive anywhere with your                                         driving licence from home.            The motorways are classified as    Australia recognises foreign          ‘A’ routes. Their speed limits     licences and you are not required     are between 60 and 68mph (100 and  110kph). ‘B’ routes are smaller       many of them open 24 hours,        highways, usually having two          making it easy to travel           lanes, but are equally                continually. A few hours is all    well-maintained. You can              you should undertake in one        comfortably travel at 60mph           driving session before stopping    (100kph). When you get into           to rest. The best way to travel    suburban areas or city driving,       is to plan ahead to stop           this will be considered a ‘C’         somewhere overnight. Having more   route and your speed should not       than one driver will also help     exceed 30 to 35mph (50 to 60kph).     the long journeys to pass more                                           easily.                            If you’re heading to the outback,                                        regular highway rules apply,          In the outback, it’s not so cut    except on the Northern                and dry. The operating hours of    Territory’s remote roads. These       service station are erratic, and   roads are long, narrow and            you may not find it as easy to     straight. For the most part,          use your overseas credit card. As  these routes are hassle-free, but     with everything in the outback,    be prepared for a few potholes        it’s always better to plan ahead   and adverse weather conditions. A     as there are many more chances to  dust storm will reduce your speed     be stranded in this massive        to a crawl.                           desert. One precaution could be                                          to join an auto club. In case of   Service stations are spread           emergency, dial: 13 11 11 for      roughly between 60 and 200 miles      roadside assistance.               (100 and 300kms) along motorways,      About the Author: Travel writer Andy Burrows wrote more than hundred informative travel articles about destinations he visited, he advises: http://www.self-catering-breaks.com/ and http://www.hirecars.com/ Published At: www.Isnare.com