Driving in Australia: licence, roads and tolls

Cashless tolls in the big cities, and distances that turn a map into a lie.

• Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane toll electronically with no cash option. Hire companies either add a pass for a daily fee or bill each crossing with an administration charge; ask which before you drive out.
• Wildlife is a genuine hazard at dawn and dusk. Kangaroos move unpredictably and a collision at highway speed is serious. Locals simply do not drive at those hours in the country.
• Road trains up to 53 metres long run in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland. Overtaking one needs a kilometre of clear road.
• The alcohol limit is 0.05 % and random breath testing is routine and frequent.
• Distances need respect. Sydney to Melbourne is nine hours, Perth to Adelaide two days, and the Nullarbor has fuel stops measured in hundreds of kilometres.