• do not start the vehicle, if its blocking traffic, don’t start the vehicle, if it can’t be pushed out of the way, leave it there don’t start the engine!

• call the tow truck they will tow it to a mechanic who will drain the tank and refill it enough to get you back to the station.

Cost for the mechanic about A$100. Cost for the tow truck – free because we were members of an overseas motoring organization. Membership of organizations such as the AAA or the British AA will give you reciprocal rights for towing and breakdown services (but only around town check the details of your scheme), discounts on retail, normally motoring related products, and a great selection of free maps and guides. Alternatively you could join an Australian organisation but that may be tricky if you don’t have a residential address.

And what happens if you put diesel in a petrol engine?

We were assured the same thing happens to Landcruisers too – the engine burns out, nasty and a lot more expensive than the tow fee! BTW we pressed the mechanic and the towie because both asked us how much fuel had we put in? We’ve put over 20litres but apparently if you just start and put only a few liters in and then stop – you may be OK if you then fill the tank to the top (with diesel!). Diesel burns hotter than petrol so it will blow the cylinders.

• Bring your local driver’s licence with you – this should all you need if it is in English, licenses not in English may need to be accompanied by an International permit – which basically is a translation and not standalone – you need the licence too.
• Your licence will only cover you for the same type of vehicles as you are licensed for at home: except with a standard car licence you can drive a small automatic scooter (<50cc and speed resrticted) available in tourist locations such as Cairns and the Gold Coast.
• Not all cars are automatics in Australia, though they are becoming more common, if you hire or buy an older vehicle it might be a manual transmission.
• Australians drive on the left, which will take a bit of getting used to for North American or Europe visitors. The cities are the easiest to get used to it in – the other traffic and many road signs will make it obvious that you should stay left. The dangerous time is travelling on lightly trafficked roads where you may automatically drift to the right or pull out to the right. The key is to remember that the driver must be sitting towards the middle of the road.
• Speed limits vary but are typically 50km in town and 100km on the open road or 110km on the freeway. The open speed limit in the Northern Territory is 130km (until recently it was unlimited). Near schools you will see 40km limits during school opening/closing times, school terms only.
• There are plenty of speed cameras, radar detectors to enforce speed limits and random breath tests to enforce the blood alcohol limit of 0.05mg.
• Central Melbourne has the notorious hook rule on a few central city intersections. The central city has an extensive tram network with trams running down the middle of the road and having right of way over cars. When you want to turn right at one of these intersections you move to the leftmost lane and wait until the light turns red against you and then you have the right away in front of the traffic driving straight thru on your left. It is very weird but does in practice work surprisingly easily. Scarily on narrow inner city streets you will share the single lane with trams as well – you give way to both the tram and passengers walking across your path to alight or enter the tram.
• Where there is a more than one lane of traffic on the open road stay left unless passing or turning.
• Roundabouts are common in town: if there are more than one lane stay left if turned left or going straight thru, use the right lane if turning right. Indicate left or right on entry as you would for an intersection.
• Unlike the USA you cannot turn left (right in the US) on a red light – not unless you want a ticket!
• Outback Tips for Driving
• Roadtrains – can consist of up to 4 trailers and can be over 50meters long. They aren’t allowed everywhere but you will see lots of them if you are travelling away from the populated east coast. They travel at 100km and can take a long time to pass. On dirt roads you are better to pull off and stop to allow them to pass (in either direction) – the amount of dust thrown up by them will blind you for too long to be safely driving.
• Sometimes in remote areas you will see signs that appear to warn of aircraft landing – they do occasionally roads double as emergency airstrips and in those cases – cars give way!
• On dirt roads or single track roads in the outback drive in the centre of the road but slow down and pull to the left if there is on-coming, or overtaking traffic.
• Slow down for cattle grids – they can also be bent or conceal a drop in the road service on the other side – getting airborne is never good for your suspension.

There are some universal rules which have developed which will keep you a whole lot safer:

1. If you break down do not leave the vehicle. There are numerous cases when someone decided to walk for help and by the time the vehicle was found their body was as well. A vehicle will provide shelter from the sun and is lot easier to see than a person. It has things you can burn (like tyres) if someone flies overhead.
2. If you see someone stopped, slow down and make sure that they are OK. Always stop and check that they have the right gear to fix the problem and/or don’t need extra hands. remember the roadside assistance is not going to come to you out here!
3. Don’t drive at night, don’t even drive an hour or so before sunset. Wildlife causes most one vehicle accidents in the bush, we’ve seen dead kangaroos, emus, cattle and even a buffalo – these animals will make a big mess of a vehicle and invariably are more active at night and very hard to see
4. The maximum safe speed for most vehicles on a dirt road is 80km/hr regardless of what the posted speed limit is. 4WD take longer to stop, because they are heavier, and are easier to tip over, particularly if they a roof rack on.
5. If the road is stony – slow down more – we drove parts of the Kimberleys at 50km/hr and never had a flat tyre – we met others who had had 2 flats in 1 hour! If you are getting flat tyres either your tyres aren’t in good condition or you are driving too fast.
6. Don’t drive when tired – just because you can drive 2 or 3 hours without a break on seal doesn’t mean you can do the same thing on dirt – it requires a lot more concentration, and implications of getting wrong a whole lot worse.
7. Carry a few hundred in cash, not all outback fuel stops take cards or the lines may be down .
8. Carry more water than you need, the vehicle may need some too. We carried 50l for 2 people with a radiator which required about 750ml every 1,000 or so.
9. Never carry petrol within a vehicle even in a jerry can – its too flammable. Diesel is however OK to carry inside – another reason to go with a diesel vehicle.
10. Some roads require permits from the traditional landowners do your research and apply in advance if necessary.