European Driver In Australia

Two weeks ago I transferred to another store which is outside the city and also moved to a new place. With public transport it would be three hours to my work so I bought a car.

Like I would have done in my country I looked for cheap cars online. The tricky part in Australia is to buy a car you need a “VicRoads” account and have a Roadworthy Certificate (RWC) to get the car registered on your name.
In my case the car already had registration plates so I needed to fill out tranfer papers and same day I bought the car I brought it to a mechanic to get the RWC. It took two days till I had all documents to transfer the car to my name. I have to say it was very annoying, in my country you just take the car home and your insurance agent brings you the plates.
Insurance was also something I needed to get, everyone who knows my style of driving would agree. But isn’t it strange that in this country with all the strict laws it’s not a legal requirement to have a car insurance? Anyway I got my insurance two days later but I have to say it was quite hard to find an insurance agency outside the city and the agent had to make a few calls to make sure she can give insurance to a work and holiday visa holder.

To be safe I took two driving lessons before I bought the car because I never drove an automatic car before not to mention driving on the other side is a huge difference. I have to admit I was a bit nervous but my driving instructor said I will be fine.

My first days driving alone I didn’t listen to music and I only drove with GPS of course. Thinking about the small place I come from where the freeway is mostly just with two lanes, sometimes three and then being in Melbourne with four to six lanes is a huge difference and I won’t lie, I missed exits on freeways and a few turns. But the most confusing (and in my opinion also dangerous) thing I’ve ever seen on a street is the so called “hookturn” which is pretty much only existing in Melbourne’s CBD, not in the rest of Australia for what I know (and maybe other countries I haven’t been yet). It’s turning right from the left lane!! Confused? I know.
You take the left lane and when the traffic light is green you move forward to the middle of the crossing, then you wait till it’s yellow (according to vicroads you wait till the other direction has green but nobody does) and the other cars, that go straight on the right lane stop and then you can turn right. But you have to be quick because then the other direction has the green light and you basically block their way if you don’t move. Still confused? I’d be surprised if not. I know some people find it easy but most of the people I know (including Melbourners) try to avoid hookturns. I found a funny meme about it online. (Sorry again to my Melbourne lovers 😅)

I also put a serious picture here to try to help people to understand

I do understand they made the hook turns for the trams so you don’t block their ways when turning right. But seriously? Why not making the right lane for right turners with their own traffic light and make the left lane for going straight or left? Or just make a law saying if you turn right you have to give the way to trams? But it is what it is…

Another confusing thing for me is happening at a roundabout. You know in my country you enter the roundabout and at the exit you take you blink. But here you eather blink left to take the first exit or you blink right for the second or third exit (as far as I understood).

Now enough of all the confusing stuff! After driving for two weeks now I can say, yes, I feel fine but it’s still weird for me to enter the car on the right side and sometimes I still mistake the indicator with the window wiper. In the first few days I sometimes even put my right hand down when I was speeding up to change gears. But now I already listen to my music again and try to avoid Melbournes rush hour (it takes you one to two hours longer to get somewhere) and toll ways. (I paid $70 for one week driving to work on tollways). I’m still learning every day but I would say I’m doing good and as the people here are a lot friendlier than back home I can easily change lanes without someone honking at me or gesturing me I’m stupid.