Driving in Australia

asthenia

asthenia

Active Member
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
241
Location
Melbun Ostraya
Okay, so I'm moving to Melbourne tomorrow. I've done my reading, I know how to use a roundabout (done a few thousand miles in the UK), and I think I get this whole "hook turn" concept, but other than that I'm clueless.

Can any Australians help a guy out?
 
The hook turn thing is really quite simple, once you do one you'll be right. The only difference with roundabouts here is that we don't indicate when we're exiting the roundabout, we do that as we enter the roundabout (so if you're turning right, you would leave your right indicator on from the time you enter to the time you exit the roundabout).

Apart from that:

- Melbourne has a ton of speed cameras, so unfortunately you need to spend a lot of time watching your speedo (particularly on the freeways).
- Speed limit in most suburban streets is 50kmh, freeways are 100kmh, with 110kmh sections once you're quite a ways out from Melbourne. Other than that you'll find a nicely confusing variety of 60, 70, 80, & 90kmh zones spread about the place. There's also 40kmh zones around schools & in some shopping strips.
- When following a tram, if it stops you have to stop behind it (unless it's stopping at a tram stop) to allow passengers to get on & off.
- There's a new network of toll roads called CityLink covering the major eastern, northern, & across-city freeway routes. You need an account, an eTag, or a day-pass to use these (tolling is electronic, there's no toll-booths).
- Car-wise, registration is annual and there's no vehicle inspection requirements - that's only needed if you sell a car with registration.
- Blood-alcohol limit is 0.05, the Police enforce this very actively with their 'booze-bus' alcohol testing set-ups.
- You'll be close to one of the best driving roads in the world - the Great Ocean Road. Motoring nirvana.

Nothing else springs to mind right now...

Oh, and :welcome: to Melbourne :D
 
I think fbc's got it covered. You really do need to watch your speed, it really is very easy to ramp up the fines and the points if you don't. It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be though, I'm a Real Estate Agent, so I spend half my day driving around and I still have my license.

Give it a day or two to adjust and it'll all be second nature.
 
fbc said:
The only difference with roundabouts here is that we don't indicate when we're exiting the roundabout, we do that as we enter the roundabout (so if you're turning right, you would leave your right indicator on from the time you enter to the time you exit the roundabout).
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I am from Brisbane, but i spend a bit of time in Melbourne. Anyway are you sure that is in fact the rule? People here dont indicate when we are exiting the roundabout but technically you can be fined for not indicating when your exciting a roundabout. When you learn to drive, or read the road rules book it says that you need to do it, but yes lots of people don't actually do it even know it is the law.
 
Topher said:
I am from Brisbane, but i spend a bit of time in Melbourne. Anyway are you sure that is in fact the rule? People here dont indicate when we are exiting the roundabout but technically you can be fined for not indicating when your exciting a roundabout. When you learn to drive, or read the road rules book it says that you need to do it, but yes lots of people don't actually do it even know it is the law.
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I'm not sure what the law is, but that's the behaviour we're all used to and are expecting - indicating when leaving a roundabout is just going to cause confusion.
 
Melbourne and Victoria have recently changed the speed tolerances.

3km/hr over the posted limit will see you fined. thus 43 in a 40 zone is a fine, as is 113km/hr in a 110k/hr zone. as a result, low speed impacts and minor collisions have increased, and the road toll went up, but they government has made a shitload in fines. so I guess that makes up for all those extra they killed.

i guess what im trying to say is, really give people in front of you room, this speed factor has just increased the chance of the cock in front of you randomly slamming the brakes on, and driving looking at the speedo, rather than driving.

hook turns, only in the cbd (about 10 intersections have them, in all of the state!), and they make sense because they dont stop the trams moving.

the great ocean road was good 15 years ago, now its full of speed cameras and a 60km/hr limit.

find the acherson way, the black spur, the back road to mt donna buang, the reefton spur and some of the other tasty trails north of healsville. now they are driving roads, not the great ocean crawl!.. (google)

the acherson way has 10km of some of the best cambered tar road in the state. good for well over the posted limit for its length!.. so much fun!

also, if you are pulled over, get out of the car and walk to the cops, dont wait for them, we don't (generally) shoot people for getting out of their cars, and it puts you in such a better position.
 
fbc said:
I'm not sure what the law is, but that's the behaviour we're all used to and are expecting - indicating when leaving a roundabout is just going to cause confusion.
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yup... that's how I was thought as well, you just indicate before entering the roundabout and leave it on.

And just keep this rule of thumb and you'll always survive, Trams always have the right of way no matter what... there's a roundabout where a tram goes right through a roundabout and you have to stop even if you're inside the roundabout to give way.

and Welcome, another Melbournian woohoo.

And one more thing about speeding, Australia uses unmarked police cars so doesn't mean that there are no camera's there isn't a police... if you want to try to tell them apart, if you see a Falcon, Commodore or Territory with a (@#* load of antenna's 90% chance its a cop.
 
I seem to recall when I learnt to drive a few years ago you're suppose to indicate what way your going to be turning on entry and then indicate that you're leaving the roundabout (so people can tell if you're doing a U-Turn)

May I ask where in Melbourne you're going to be living, i'm out in croydon north (past ringwood for those that don't know much about this side of town)

2 more thing, 50km/h unless signposted otherwise... there isn't any tollerance on that one because the theory is - no signpost 50km
secondly school zones, lots of these in suburbia, 40km/h is the most common be aware they occur around primary and secondary schools (grade 0 to 12) + pre schools, some have higher speeds depending on the location and almost all are time specific (as stated on the sign)

Depending on your age your license and your current license it may not be directly transferable and you maybe required to be on your provisional license which restricts you to a vechicle that doesn't produce more than 125kw per tonne and 0 blood alcohol tollerance.
 
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This is a good start. I love free advice. :)

The speed thing in particular could be a problem, since I'm used to driving in Toronto. (I clocked 160 yesterday, no sweat.) But Melbourne sure beats ?20C with salt blowing across the ice on the road.

Just a few hours now...
 
160km/h = loss of license for 6 months I beleive...

and you will get caught...
 
Any particular reason you are coming to Australia? Also, how long do you plan to stay?

:welcome: to Australia mate.
 
The layout of Melbourne is very N.American (grid system) so it's relatively easy to navigate - Sydney on the other hand, is not a place for novices.

However, the state of Victoria probably has the most draconian speed enforcement in the world so be careful.
 
I indicate I'm leaving a roundabout when I can, as is the law I belive ("If possible"). I tend not to though, as I'm usually to busy swinging the wheel back from full lock :p

As for speeding, be very careful, there are bucketloads of cameras everywhere nowdays, along with unmarked cop cars. They're usually(around here at least) in the higher performance versions of the cars, I've seen a white FPV GT-P on patrol quite a few times, I spotted the officer's uniform and the lights on the dashboard a while back.

Motorways are at 110km/h, the people with dinky P or L plates are mug drivers like me, are limited to 80/90/100 depending on which colour plates they have(graduated license system) in NSW at least, Victoria may be different.

Interstate highways can be a bit dodgy, a prime example being the Hume highway(although it's passable in places now).

As for fun driving roads, well I'll say just this: I have three within striking distance from me. Melbornians will be able to advise you better.

Our national capitol is worth a visit. Just one. Imagine concentric circles with houses and a little bald bloke sitting in the middle. That's it.
 
I hate hook turns.

May I suggest a visit to Adelaide aswell. Aim for March, you can watch the Clipsal 500, Adelaide Festival and explore the wineries!!
 
Yes... time for me to once again stick my nose into other peoples business and ask an off topic question.
What the hell is a hook turn? :|

Thank you for reply. :)
 
basically, think of a really really busy intersection, that has trams that run up the middle of the intersections.

the people turning right would normally sit in the middle of the road waiting for a gap to allow them to turn accross the oncoming traffic, in doing so, they are blocking the trams that can ONLY go up/down the midle of the road.

hook turns make someone who wants to turn right (accross the oncoming traffic) move to the left hand side of the road, and form a que at the start of the traffic from the other direction.

they move left, and head right when the lights change, and the traffic is moving accross the intersection,

the trams and north/south moving tarffic isnt blocked...

perfectly logical,

it works a treat. bet i didnt explain it well though

we in aus drive on the right hand side of the car, on the left hand side of the road, you need to understand that concept to make the above make sense)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_turn

;)
 
and unless you're driving in the middle of the CBD you'll never ever have to do one. Cruiserman, P plates in victoria aren't speed restricted like you guys
 
Hidden_Hunter said:
and unless you're driving in the middle of the CBD you'll never ever have to do one. Cruiserman, P plates in victoria aren't speed restricted like you guys
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Agreed on the rarely having to do one, although I do live in a country area, I've had my licence for 4 1/2 years and never had to do a hook turn once (probably because I avoid the CBD, driving in the centre of Melbourne is the pits).

Oh, around many schools, they'll have a 40km/h limit between 0800-0930 and 1430-1600, and a lot of the time there are no warning lights.

The speed camera tolerances are set at 3km/h, which is stupid because the ADR's (basically the legislation that regulates cars) says that a speedo must be accurate with 10%. Well, I just paid a speeding fine off yesterday, $134 and 1 point for 67 in a 60 zone.

asphotos said:
the great ocean road was good 15 years ago, now its full of speed cameras and a 60km/hr limit.
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Where? Last time I was there, there were no fixed cameras past Geelong, and 60km/h was only in towns, the rest of the road was normally 80km/h (and was 100km/h until not so long ago). It does get busy, some of the towns along it (particularly Lorne) are major tourist towns.

'CruiserMan said:
Motorways are at 110km/h, the people with dinky P or L plates are mug drivers like me, are limited to 80/90/100 depending on which colour plates they have(graduated license system) in NSW at least, Victoria may be different.
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110km/h highways are rare in Victoria, most are 100 (I've driven on 110km/h only a few times, on one interstate trip). P or L platers don't have speed restrictions in Victoria, though.

The licence age here is 18, with P's (Probationary licence, basically not allowed to drive powerful cars, automatic only if licence gained in automatic vehicle, 0.00 alcohol limit, can only lose 5 points in a year (normally 12 in 3), and always the target of a media witchhunt) for the first three years. Learners age is 16, but have to have a fully licenced driver with you at all times.

Fuel is be about $1.10 a litre at the moment, but it varies between areas and what time of the week it is.

Overall, welcome and have a good time. I'm sure the weather will be a bit strange to you, coming from winter (oh, average daytime winter temps in Melbourne are about 14C).
 
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