Before sharing my journey in Australia, let’s start with the top tips for a great Aussie holiday that I learned in Australia.

Me taking cruise in Sydney Harbour

Before you start:

• Before beginning a driving holiday, plan your trip. Find out how long it will take to drive between destinations. Be realistic about how many kilometres you can drive in a day.
• Be well prepared for traveling in remote areas.
• Plan to avoid driving after a long night.
• Get to know the road rules.
• Have a good night’s sleep before the trip.
• Ask about the weather and road conditions.
• Note where the fuel stations are on your route.
• Apply SPF 30+ sunscreen and insect repellent and wear a hat in sunny weather.

Note: The sun in Australia wasn’t really hot but its UV ray was actually very strong.

On your trip:

• Drive on the left side of the road.
• Wear a seat belt – it’s the law. (Unlike Sri Lanka, seat belt is not required)
• Take regular rest breaks.
• Don’t drive if you’ve been drinking alcohol – strict drink driving laws apply.
• Drive at a safe, legal speed.
• Take extra care on dirt roads.
• Watch for animals and avoid driving on rural roads near sunset and sunrise.
• In an emergency, stay with your vehicle.
• Before you cross the road, look right, look left, look right again and cross only when safe to do so.
• Check your mobile phone coverage as some areas within Australia are only accessible using satellite phones. Mobile phones are not for use while driving – it’s the law.
• Hitchhiking or picking up hitchhikers is strongly discouraged.
• At the beach, always swim between the red and yellow flags – not outside them.

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Kangaroo signboards are very common in Australia. Watch out for animals on the road such as kangaroos and emus. Livestock also graze on the side of unfenced roads. The most active time for many animals is sunrise and sunset. If an animal crosses in front of you, reduce speed safely and do not swerve violently or you may roll the vehicle.

It happened to us that a kangaroo just ran across the road like nobody business. Fortunately our bus driver was an experienced driver that he just avoided the kangaroo easily.