What are some rules of the road for driving in Australia besides driving on the left side of the road? I'm coming from Wisconsin and want to rent a car when we land in Melbourne from Sydney but my friend states it's very different than driving in the U.S. and she isn't crazy about doing any of our own driving. Example--she said to make a right turn you have to get into the far left lane let all the traffic pass you then you can turn from the far left lane. Doesn't make any sense to me because you'd have more lanes of traffic to cross. Please give me some info on road rules or a web site I can take a "CRASH" (ha,ha) course on the rules and road signs. She also got info that the hotels in Melbourne may require an extra charge to park a rental car while staying. Is that true? One more question, besides needing a passport, is a travel visa also required? Thanks !!!!

1. Sure we drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but don't let that deter you as from somebody who has driven thousands of kilometeres in Europe (the same side as the US), it doesn't take long to get used to it. The important thing is to have a good navigator and map so you know where you are going. Renting a car is the best way to see Australia.
2. Road rules are fairly universal. The speed limits may vary from State to State in Australia,but I am sure your rental car company will be able to advise you on that.
3.That right turn rule your friend refers to only exists in a very few intersections in downtown Melbourne. The reason is Melbourne has trams and on some streets that have tramlines (but not all) it is necessary to go left first to allow the trams to have right of way. The intersections are clearly marked and really present no problem.
4. Don't know about car park rental, perhaps check with the hotel
5. Aussies don't need a visa to travel to the US and I don't think you need one either. Your travel agent could confirm.

Americans DO need a visa to enter Australia. You can purchase one online - takes about 2 minutes and costs AU $20. It's valid for a year and is multi-entry.

http://www.eta.immi.gov.au/

As far as driving on the left - you'll probably find yourself hitting the windshield wipers every time you reach for the turn signal. When you return to WI, you'll find yourself doing the same thing. It's maddening.

1, position the driver's body near the centerline of the road, especially after you turn.

2. Flick both the turn signal and the wipers at the same time. Then turn the wipers off. At least you will have signalled.

and if you're only staying in Melbourne city, a car would be an expensive handicap. (Ditto, SYdney)

I have never found it a problem adapting to driving on the wrong side of the road. Within a fairly short time I find I am very comfortable with it.

Having said that, I would not be choosing a busy city in which to start practising. When I go to Europe, I always pick up the hire car from either the airport or may be a much smaller town once I have finished my sightseeing in the major city. I think it is far too stressful to cope with city traffic, directions and the wrong side of the road all at the same time.

I find the times that you really need to be careful is when there is no other traffic around. As long as you can see other cars you are unlikely to get confused, but it can be very easy to turn in to the wrong lane if there is no one else around. It's simple things like pulling out from the gas station, parking lot etc. where you can get caught. The simple rule is that the driver should always be in the centre of the road and the passenger nearest the kerb. If its the other way round you are on the wrong side.

Whilst you are in Melbourne I would not be hiring a car as the public transport system will get you wherever you want to go. If you want to go further afield, then I would be looking for a rental agency on the edge of city so you don't have to cope with the city traffic and those hook turns. I find them very easy, but I can understand why they are somewhat nerve racking to those who are unfamiliar with them. Your hotel may be able to give you advice as to locations of car rental agencies so that you don't have to cope with the city traffic.

The cost of car parking in town has gone up as a levy has been imposed by the govt., a sort of de facto congestion tax, but any prices quoted by the hotel for parking would have this included - at least I would assume so. When I park in town nowdays, I still just simply pay the price written at the door/gate and have no idea what component of that is for the levy. I certainly don't have to pay anything extra.

The trickiest part of driving for us (we're from Chicago) had to be the roundabouts. We have dealt with rotaries in New England, which are bad enough, but they are pretty disconcerting going around them the opposite way. Just keep saying to yourself: "Danger comes from the right". And also watch those windshield wipers when you are trying to turn ! The funny part was that after driving around Australia and New Zealand for almost a month, when I got back home I couldn't remember how to turn the wipers on!

I recommend getting an automatic even if you currently drive a manual in the US. It is just one less item to think about. I was glad that it wasn't that much more expensive to get an automatic in Australia compared to renting in Europe.

It always takes me a while to get used to looking up to the left for the rear-view mirror. I use the side mirrors more.

When driving after dark - watch out for wildlife especially the kangeroos. They are like deer in the US. They come out in the evening, hang out along the road and are very unpredictable. "Dumb" is what everyone told us.

But overall, Australia is very easy to drive in and it is the best way to see the country outside the cities.

I can easily tell whether I've turned into the correct lane or not. If my passenger-side tires are banging against the curb, I'm in the right place!<br>
I wish it was as easy for me to switch as some of the other posters here.

I agree with the above postings that the trickiest part of driving in Australia is the indicators/windscreen wiper. I grew up in Australia so I have less of a problem with it, but my husband always has a few days of getting it wrong (also when we return to WI). The other hazard is parallel parking or anytime you need to check over your shoulder. There will be a couple of times where you end up smashing your face against the inside of the car!
Did you know that the airport (Tulla) is pretty remote from Melbourne city?
It may be necessary for you to have a car just for this reason.
As previously noted, hook turns are only in selected intersections in the middle of Melbourne. It doesn't seem like it makes sense now but once you see them in action you will understand why!

Just to reassure you kalwi, Tullamarine airport is about 30 mins drive from the city centre. Take a taxi, hire limo or shuttle bus to get into town. Do not consider hiring a car from the airport simply to get into the city.

kalwi, as a great US president once said, "the only thing to fear is fear itself". Or as Oscar Hammerstein II advised, "whistle a happy tune".

Seriously, you'll have a period of adjustment, but as with so many things attitude is important - if you think of it as an opportunity to widen your skills rather than a threat you'll be fine. The first time we had to drive on "the wrong side" we told ourselves "thousands of people do this for the first time every day - why not us?"

Enough with the homilies, already. Having just returned from a long road trip in the US, I will repeat the advice to look the right way (and that means Right) when emerging from a carpark or whatever - that's where the nearest oncoming traffic will be coming from. The same goes for crossing the street, incidentally: look RIGHT for the closest oncoming traffic, not left.

Be especially alert when turning into an empty road, where you have no cross-traffic to remind you which lane you should get yourself into.

One small point: in the US, you can turn right against a red light after coming to a halt, unless a sign directs you not to. By and large the reverse is the case in Australia: you can only turn left against a red light if a sign gives you explicit permission to do so.

My observation in the States (at least the parts we visited) was that on major highways many drivers routinely exceed the speed limit by 10-15 mph. We saw very few cops (and few accidents), which suggested that this was a reasonably safe option. In Australia, many drivers will exceed the posted 100 or 100 km/hr limit by 10 km/hr (which is about 6 mph) - but be assured that anything over that puts you in danger of running foul of a radar trap and a hefty fine.

The Australian highway system is not as sensibly numbered or well signposted as the US system, and for obvious reasons there are fewer multilane highways. But overall you'll find things pretty familiar. As one American said, Australia is familiar enought to be navigable, but different enough to be interesting.

Enjoy yourself - you'll soon be glad you rented a car. We certainly were.

Driving on the left in Oz, you must also park on the left side too. You get a fine for parking on the right side of the road.

As someone mentioned elsewhere, the central line of the road is always nearest the driver.

Note. The most dangerous time is first thing in the morning if there is no other traffic about. Normally you see people driving on the left, you drive on the left too.

The [assenger in the front seat next to the driver will be scared! I know I let out a lot of screams... especially the first few days! Also, be prepared WHEN YOU GET BACK TO THE STATES to be very careful... after a month of Driving in Australia, my husband found himself wanting to drive on the left....

Yes, I can attest to the screams from the passenger seat! I tried to keep it down to a slight gasp, but sometimes that didn't work. And also, I would agree with paying a bit more to hire an automatic. We didn't want to have to think about where the gear shift was or the clutch when also trying to figure out how to turn out of the driveway. And we also took out the extra liability insurance. Except for the final car hire in Auckland. By then we had gotten much more comfortable and were pretty sure we wouldn't hit anything !

An easy thing to remember as the driver of a car is - it doesn't matter where in the world you are driving - the driver is always in the centre of the road. So repeat 'Me to the middle'. I find the approaches to roundabouts the most troublesome thing about driving on the other side of the road. It took about 3 days for me to get used to it so I had the passenger remind me every time I approached one by saying 'turn right' or in your case it will be 'turn left' 'turn left'.

As jacasale says 'danger from the right'. As an Aussie overseas I always say over and over 'look left to live'. These repetitions may sound a bit child like and silly but I find that it really helps for it all to sink in.

Definitely go for the automatic - it is certainly one less thing to have to worry about.

This shouldn't be funny, but it is. When I went to England for the first time, where they also drive on the wrong side, and then returned, I had learned my lesson too well, and the very next day at home I stepped out into the street looking "the English way" and was hit by a car.

No, I wasn't hurt very badly. But do pay attention, both when you're there and when you get back!

fnarf999 -

Ouch....that's scary. I live in Indonesia where we drive on the left; I frequently visit Singapore, Australia, NZ and the US (my home). I've learned to look both ways, because I don't want any nasty surprises when crossing a street. Nevertheless, I tend to forget about turning traffic at intersections and often find myself immobilized for fear of getting mowed down.

On the positive side, one thing that you will not find in Australia (as far as I know) is 4-way stop signs, which seemed to be common in the US. Eventually we figured out that the protocol to be followed was "first up, best dressed", so to speak, but not before quite a bit of head-scratching.

Neil,

You reminded me of my first trip to California when I had a rental car in San Francisco. I came to a four way stop having never come accross one previously here in NZ or in the UK where I had also driven.

I got reminded though (Courtesy of a few car horns) of who had priority, me, as I had got there first.

Driving the wrong way down a one way street in SF is an entirely different story LOL.

Kalwi, you will be fine driving in Aussie I am sure. At least they do not have the crazy "give way to the right law" we have here in NZ that catches everyone out when they get here. On the whole I find Aussie drivers, whilst more assertive than NZ'ers, are way more courteous. Just keep the centre line nearest you, the driver and when turning right go to the far side, turning left keep near.