Driving In Australia

So many stories and so little time to write!

My stories from the last 4 weeks may not be in order but I will do my best to fill you all in on my amazing time down under.

This was a while ago but I still wanted to share my first experience driving in Australia! Hailey drove us to Picton where their house is. From there she let me drive to the tennis courts/gardens which is a good 3 minute drive.

Turing on the Car.

Getting into the car was really different. The steering wheal is on the right hand side of the car where the passenger usually sits in the US. Using my left hand to put the car into reverse felt very strange, thank goodness the brakes and gas peddle are the same!

Driving.

Backing out was fine, I took my time. Then driving forward wasn’t bad until other cars started coming on the other side of the road. The cars travelling in the opposite direction come up on my right hand side, where in the US I’m used to seeing them on my left. I had a hard time staying close to the center line because I was afraid of hitting the oncoming cars. This was scaring Hailey when we went under the bridge and I was getting really close to hitting the wall on her side.

Turning.

I was trying really hard to remember that I use my right had to turn on the indicators (turn signals) but of course I put the windshield wipers on instead. I think everyone has done that.

Parking.

The first time parking was easy because all I had to do was pull straight in but it was still a little difficult judging the space between my car and the car to my left. The second time parking was in a Coles carpark (Coles is like a Walgreens or a mini Walmart). There were two open spots and I was trying to go into the furthest one but ended up parking perfectly into the closest one right next to it. Oops

Driving At Night.

From Picton we drove to Wollongong where we were staying that night. Driving at night on my first day was a little scary but a very good experience. The scary part was the bright lights coming over the hill on my right. I would just blink really hard when one came over a hill until one time I actually moved the wheel a bit. Like driving anywhere it’s harder to drive at night especially when you don’t know where you’re going and you’re not used to the roads.

Driving in the City.

Just when I thought I was getting used to driving here we got into the city. I was still concentrating really hard to stay in my lane and not go off to the left. In the city you have cars all around you switching lanes, speeding up, slowing down and who know what else. Let’s just say the first time driving in the city on my second day of driving was another great experience but was like throwing someone in the deep end to teach them how to swim. At least I didn’t drown!

Parallel Parking.
This wasn't too bad. I hit the curb a little which I expected I would do. It was just a different feeling parking on the left side of the road... and on a steep hill. We just don't have hills in Illinois.

BIG THANKS to Hailey for being so calm and taking me driving! =)