Driving a Car

As Australia is a very stretched out country, especially compared to Belgium, you might find it convenient to drive a car once in awhile. And to be frank, it is a pity not to do so because Victoria has so many beautiful places to offer.

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​If you just need a car once in a while, you can rent one via a rental company. A few, easy to use comparative websites are: www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au, www.carhire.com.au, 
https://www.drivenow.com.au/. 

Another frequently used concept today is car sharing. In this case you use a platform, which has a large number of cars stationed throughout the city. This can be either cars from owners as the peer-to-peer platform https://www.carnextdoor.com.au or cars owned by the company as www.goget.com.au. On the platform, usually an application and/or website, you can see and immediately book a car in your vicinity. If you use it for the first time, it might take a few days to get accepted because your driver's licence needs to get approved. In some cases there is also a monthly fee involved.

Generally cars are used longer in Australia, because they only have to have a roadworthy check  once they are transferred to a new owner - unlike in Belgium where this is a yearly requirement. This means it is often possible to buy an older car at a severely reduced price. You can compare prices and check what cars are worth on Redbook and Carsales.
To check the quality of a car before you buy it, it is higly recommended to have it checked by an RACV mechanic. RACV is the Victorian version of the Belgian VTB/VAB and also provides Roadside Assistance, car insurance and other services.

​The requirements for overseas drivers licences differ per state in Australia. For the specific requirements for Victoria on what you should carry with you when driving, have a look at the VIC roads website: https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/licences/renew-replace-or-update/new-to-victoria/overseas-drivers.