First Time Experience: Driving in Melbourne

I've been driving for around a decade now but this will be the very first time I will drive a right hand drive vehicle on the left side of the road. No practice, no tests. Just the actual driving conditions upon arriving in Melbourne.

Prior to this, I researched their rules and regulations as ignorance of the law is and would never be a good excuse.


Here are the 2 videos I watched:
Driving with Trams


Driving with Buses

We went to pick up our car at the airport terminal and the first challenge was, driving without a GPS. We reserved a car and a GPS navigator unit but unfortunately, Avis was not able to save us a unit. Instead, they provided us with this huge map book which costs around $4 AUD to rent.



We immediately asked the Avis staff to help us locate the nearest mall so we could purchase a GPS unit as it would be almost impossible to drive without one because we had to concentrate on driving in a different scenario plus having all the complicated rules and regulations to follow. Looking at the book or waiting for the navigator to analyze the map and waiting for information is the last thing we would want to do.

To add more suspense and thrill, we cannot scratch, bump or dent the vehicle. If we did, we would have to pay $3000 aud. ($1 aud = 44 pesos). Do the math.

Going to the nearest mall was quite a challenge for a first timer. In Australia, beep from car horns are almost non-existent. People who honk there means they are very upset at someone. I received my first doze of honking when I entered my very first Melbourne roundabout.

To understand how the Roundabout works, view this video:


The basic rule for roundabouts in Melbourne is, give way to those cars in the roundabout and always give way to the car to your right. Sounds easy but hard for a first timer to apply. Giveway means, you must fully stop and let the other car pass first, in the order mentioned above.

We bought a GPS Navigator unit at Target for $129 aud

While some of them went down and purchased a GPS unit, I practiced parking and driving around the parking lot. This was a good time to do so before driving my first set of 200kms.On the other hand, Avis is renting out their GPS Navigator units for $10 aud per day.

After trying out the GPS unit, we didn't waste any more time because we were late for our first activity (to be discussed in a separate post)

Anyway, here are some of my insights in driving around Melbourne for the first time:
- Driving at 100++ is still slow because of their nice smooth roads. Don't overspeed because there are speed cameras. Good thing our GPS is hightech! It warns us if there are upcoming speed cameras. We never over-over sped though.

- After an hour of driving, I got the hang of driving in the right hand drive, left side road scenario.

- GPS navigation system is very very very important to have. (BPI is giving away free GPS units until April 16, 2011 here in Metro Manila for those who availed of their car loan)

- The pedestrian lane there is called a Zebra crossing

- Parking in the city is very expensive. We payed almost 500 pesos for our half day parking. On some non-gated parking areas, the honesty (prepaid) system works. Here's how to do it:
1. In the entrance, you'll see a unmanned kiosk, similar to this:

2. Estimate the number of hours you will be parking there. Pay via inserting coins/ bills
3. Machine will print out a ticket for you. That ticket should be displayed in your windshield. Written on the ticket would be information on the expiry time of your parking and some other parking information.

- I didn't see a single traffic enforcer in our entire stay there.

- Their toll gates do not have gates. Our van had a chip or something (like E-pass) that beeps whenever we pass toll scanners (without even the need to slow down and enter between pillars) It was just like driving under a foot bridge. Since we just rented the car, Avis will deduct the fees in my credit card.

- Driving can be very relaxed because there are only few to none who drive in a zigzag manner.

- There are warning signs everywhere about the possible causes if you speed. Likewise, there are reminders that you must take a power nap at the nearest emergency bay (which is very common in their highways). Other high-tech warnings provided are seen in the video below. Check it out.


- Gas there is called Petrol and Petrol stations there are self service. Here's how to do it:
1. Enter the desired amount in AUD
2. Press enter
3. Take the nozzle
4. Manually press the pump lever
5. Go to the cashier, mention the pump number and pay

There are no gas attendants in their petrol stations. In fact, when we went to a petrol station outside the city, there was only 1 person behind the convenience store counter and no security guards or attendants in the pump area.

It was a nice and fulfilling experience overall. It felt great to return the car in 1 piece.

To practice and see if you can drive in Melbourne, check out the Vicroads website. There. you can take a test and even do a virtual driving to get a feel on how to drive on the left side of the road.

Cheftonio