driving in australia

riddik

i've been told by several ppl that to drive in oz u dont need to pay tax or insurance, its simply all included in hiked up fuel prices, however i hav a bit of trouble believin it, can anyone clarify this that would have experience of driving there.

Thanks

Skittlebrau

Hmmm I think whoever you were talking to was a little confused. The following is the situation in Victoria, it could be different in other states.

Every car has to be "Registered". Registration is payable annually. I paid mine the other week and it was roughly $500. That includes your tax and also TAC insurance which basically covers you and anyone else for personal injuries. It doesn't cover any property damage. You pay this through VicRoads which I assume is a State body.

That's all you're legally required to have. Any other insurance is extra. I put 3rd party on the car too and it cost me $180. You go to a normal insurance company for this.

Petrol is cheaper than at home (at least cheaper than the last Irish prices I saw last year).

Tea Leaf

Yeah, what he said except that in some states you don't pay the Govt imposed fuel excise which makes fuel cheaper in some States.

Your third party insurance is included in your car rego - that's probably where the confusion started. You can opt for compulsory insurance (which covers property damage) but you don't have to have it (I would, though).

Registration is payable three monthly, six monthly or yearly, depending on which State you live in.

One of the joys of living in Australia is that insurance and rego is vastly cheaper than in Ireland. My head fell off when I saw the prices in Ireland. I don't know how you lot afford to drive.

riddik

Ah that sounds excellent and very cheap! I'm headin to melbourne for a year in october, and from wat u say, i should be able to afford to get a cheap car and the basic insurance, which has made me very happy? Any other things i shud need to know while i'm askin? I have a full license so I imagine i can get an international license and this will do for the year?

Thanks for the info lads, very very helpful! appreciate it

Skittlebrau

You don't need an International Driving licence for Australia. They're mainly for countries where English isn't the first language. I got one before I came but I didn't need to. I've hired cars here and never been asked for it.

You can drive on your Irish licence as long as you're here on a temporary visa. When you're on a permanent visa they'll give you an Aussie one without a test provided you have a full Irish one.

All the info is on the VicRoads website.

Tea Leaf

An IDP on its own is not sufficient anyway. You'd have to have a foreign license with standards recognised by Australia as being equivalent to those in Australia with it. (Ireland is one of those countries recognised).

Riddik, yes you can afford to buy a good car but don't get basic insurance. If you can afford the extra $150, get full comprehensive because, honestly, should someone bang into you and, God forbid, put you in hospital, you can lie back in your fully insured bed, with your fully insured nurse by your side while your fully insured doctors treat your fully insured wounds.

riddik

cheers guys, slightly off topic but it mite save opening a new thread,...

can some one recommend a good area to stay in melbourne? There's a few of us and we're lookin to live very near the beach yet not be too far ouot from the centre of town, as we're going on 1 year visas and want to work.

I've done a small bit of research and have come with a few places, so anyone that actually knows the area please give advice:

brighton
hampton
st kilda
newport
williamstown
sandringham
altona

WhiteWashMan

google maps is your best friend.

i have to admit, i really dont know melbourne very well other than ther CBD, or dandenong (where i bought my car), but i live about 60k north of the CBD.

with regards to cars and insurance, i wasnt aware that insurance was optional, but i have just fully insured myself for the princely sum of 450 dollars.
thats for both me and the missus, includes hire car should something happen, and it protects my no claims bonus (im ranked level 1, which is the highest you can get)
funnily enough, in the UK, i had a NCB of only 1 year, and my last insurance on a 2 litre mondeo was 750 quid, or roughly 1700 oz dollars.
oh, and they insure the person here, not the car, so you can drive whatever you want, and the price wont vary hugely. i have just bought a 4 litre auto ford falcon futura. it looks like something out of 1960, but its a great car, and has all the gadgets.

one thing i would say, is that i found second hand cars to be reletively expensive. on the other hand, new and nearly new cars and reletively cheap. oneof my family bought a 2.4 litre mitsubishi outlander for 27k. the equivilant 4x4's are going for about 23k in the UK.

the RACv is also good value, and its worth getting them to check your car ouit before you buy one as well (if youre like me and know nothing about the internal workings of the internal combustion engine!)

oh, and my car runs on LPG as well, and the cost of petrol here is 128cents, or about 62p (sterling) and LPG is 48 cents, or roughly 22p a litre. if you can get dual fuel, definately worth it!

if you are going permanent, then you need to apply to vicroads to get your licence get changed to oz, but as said, if you are a 'temp' resident, then apparently you can stay on your foreifn licence. although, i need to phone the insurance company and find out if the missus is still covered on a UK drivers licence (she being on a temp spouse visa makes her a temp resident apparently)

hanton12

riddik wrote:

cheers guys, slightly off topic but it mite save opening a new thread,...

can some one recommend a good area to stay in melbourne? There's a few of us and we're lookin to live very near the beach yet not be too far ouot from the centre of town, as we're going on 1 year visas and want to work.

I've done a small bit of research and have come with a few places, so anyone that actually knows the area please give advice:

brighton
hampton
st kilda
newport
williamstown
sandringham
altona

St Kilda is a good spot near enough the city. Good few backpackers would be around this area too so would fit in really. Good nightlife around too. And dont bother with the international license, its not worth the paper its printed on.

riddik

so anywhere in the vicinity of st kilda, is the area safe enuf, i.e. no gangs r crazy **** like that? i assume not but just makin sure...?

Thanks everyone for your replies by the way, extremely informative and necessary for this trip