Just a tip - avoid setting up your tent under trees in Australia. Gum trees are notorious for dropping large limbs. It doesn't have to be windy - a change in temperature will cause them to fall. (I notice your friends had set their tent up a fair way away - good work!) Have fun!
As a chair of a major caravan and camp resort group, I absolutely agree. Not only wind, but also some trees branches get old or infected somehow and will just seperate from the main branch/trunk
Thats right if your on the left of a dotted line or behind a dotted line, you give way, which means you dont just drive out, you make sure its clear before you enter the road or intersection, same with overtaking, you dont overtake unless its clear and safe to do so and you have dotted lines.
Not quite, you also have to give way to traffic from your left if they are already on the roundabout. There is no give way to the right rule on a roundabout.
The reason why service stations here make you come inside to pay is because they want you to spend all your money on impulse buys like overpriced drinks and confectionary whilst you're in there. Service stations here don't actually make a profit on selling petrol per sec (profits on fuel sales just barely covers operating costs), but really make their money by the huge mark-ups on things like those $5 small bottles of water and those $12 ham & cheese sandwiches...
@@normandiebryant6989 ...and he didn't even put any sauce on it! Only way to get those dry, stodgy servo sausage rolls down in one hit is to drown them in sauce.
Great to see you driving around mate; the Mazda’s like the 3 you purchased is extremely reliable and honestly keep up with servicing and maintenance; you’ll never go wrong. Enjoy your time in Aus and if you’re ever in northern NSW I’ll shout you a beer at the pub.
Hi again Greg I reckon this is an education for us Aussies too! I remember back in the late 70s Mrs n Me hired a Camaro in California to do the usual tourist spots, i learnt very quickly and the hard way about driving on the other side of the road! 😂 in the middle of LA, from a one way street turned right into a 2 way street headed for the left hand lane😱😱😱 luckily with great presence of mind, speed and precision 😂 my wife leaned over and grabbed the steering wheel and 'Yanked' (pun intended!) us into the correct lane! Phew(and i was only 28 then! 😅) She commented "ive just been waiting for you to make that mistake" Glad someone was on the ball! 😅😅 Enjoy our home town of Cairns Man! 👍🇦🇺❤
Congrats on your new found Aussie car freedom! Make sure you have roadside assistance when you go out too, if you break down or blow a tyre it’s pretty far to get help but the mobile assistance guys will usually come pretty quickly. When you go from QLD to NSW you’ll instantly see it is more like driving in the US, a lot more cars do 5-10kmh over the speed limit due to much more lax attitude to speeding. QLD uses a lot of covert speed cameras, whereas NSW has overt speed cameras. Also some states have different road roads, and different signs/line markings but you’ll figure them out. Oh and Melbourne has trams that share traffic lanes. Enjoying your adventures!
Speeding in QLD is no joke. Cameras set up at 1km over. My car is GPS monitored. The only one I've seen on the road. Have a sign on the rear saying it won't go over posted limits. If you see that sign, it's me but pretty obvious when I have a husky looking back at you around Toowoomba.
Well done. When I drive in the States my mantra is - Tight rights, loose lefts and keep your passenger in the gutter. In Canada, the only thing that baulked me was when I came to an intersection with a stop sign at each. Hope you continue enjoying our country. Cheers from Central Queensland
As an Aussie who has driven in the US and other right hand drive countries, I think you captured the essence of the differences pretty well. I agree that it is quite quick to adapt to driving on the "wrong" side of the road. I think I have trained a little bunch of neurones in my brain that instantly click into gear whenever I travel and drive in a right hand drive country. One other difference between US and Aussie roads is that we don't have those 4-way stop signs here. In fact, we don't have as many stop signs in general compared to the US; give way (yield) signs are more common here. If there is a stop sign, it will only be for traffic travelling on one road and the road you are crossing will have the right of way. Those turn left on red signs are very rare in Australia. I think I might have seen one in Geelong.
Plenty of 4 way stops in Newcastle, but usually the quieter residential street around Darby St & Merewether. One thing we could pick up from the Americans though is that they have a little tag which says "All way" or "4 way" so you know it's a 4 way stop. Here you can only tell by looking for the back of the other directions stop signs and looking for the unbroken stop lines on their road.
I'm guessing the turn left on red are the same as turn left with care but they're pretty common in Sydney, especially on main roads and access points to the M7. The weirdest I can think of is a roundabout in Blacktown that had traffic lights installed probably about 20 years ago, mainly because of the weird slopes of each entry/exit and pedestrian accidents. It worked out quite well
Glad to see you getting out and about finally. A car definitely gives you freedom and independence. There are so many cool places to explore with 1-2 hours drive of Cairns. Some suggestions: Davies Creek near Granite Gorge,, up the top near the falls ( that camp site you showed looked boring as f#(k btw) ;Fong On Bay, Lake Tinaroo. even camping on Fitzroy Is--- nice walk up to the lighthouse as well as coral and a resort. Would love to see you drive the Gillies. For slightly longer weekend adventures: out to Chillagoe ( limestone caves, mining ruins and an even more dramatic change of landscape) or the Undara Lava Tubes. Bigger still, drive to Cooktown via the inland road and return via the coast. The Mazda3 should handle it..,if not go with friends with a 4WD ----- your friends have a nice set up. Do it before the next wet season because the coastal road may be impassable. Check for road closures. Especially following the big floods earlier this year. I know you are tall, but you should be ok to sleep in the hatchback....just be better prepared. I have some relatives who run cattle out past Herberton has creeks, lagoons, gorges. Free camping and they are great hosts but will let you go do your own thing.....real outback stuff, especially if you like motorbikes and horses. Let me know and I can give you their contacts. We often spend Xmas Day up there. Also , message me and I will give you the itinerary for Colin's day trip around the southern Tablelands that I promised to take you on months ago. And now you are mobile, drop over and I'll cook you a meal and meet Dory, Nemo and Tim.
Yep, sure is lol. Henry Ford was left handed, and designed a car that was comfortable for him to drive; so the first car America received was designed for a left handed person, and roads basically had to be designed to accommodate them ie drive on the right side of the road. Wagons were another reason, but that's the main one.
Hello. Awesome to see you on your feet again. Couple of things: sausage rolls are waaay better in New Zealand. In Australia they are over spiced and dry as. Always buy them at a bakery - never at a servo. Secondly, Australia is slow at adopting new technology so paying at the pump may take a while to filter through to all companies. Also some of them have invested in phone apps so don't want to pay for the card readers on the petrol pumps. In New Zealand I know that Mobil and Z Energy (was Shell) do pay at the pump using a debit or credit card.
We (Aussies) have pay at the pump options too but they're less common and people seem to prefer pay at the counter as it's friendlier to and you can buy some road snacks and stretch your legs after doing an extreme distance Aussie road trip.
It's not a slow to adopt issue. It's petrol has no profit in it. Servos make money on in store purchases which happen far less if they never come in. Besides that pay at the pump does exist if you look and many servos have apps to pay now too.
In Australia, we call it a windscreen instead of a windshield, windscreen wipers instead of windshield wipers a bonnet instead of a hood and a Boot instead of a trunk
The name "boot" for the rear luggage compartment of a vehicle goes way back into horse drawn coach days. Even the canvas covered luggage compartment of a good old western stage coach was correctly known as a "boot" The "trunk" name came about when early cars had a separate luggage rack on the rear, & old style sea chests, or luggage trunks were lashed down to them. The first externally accessable, built-in 'trunks' started to appear from about 1935 or so.
Biggest hassle I had was as a pedestrian in Europe. Look the wrong way as stepping onto the road. Learnt real quick. Some of our roads are crap, sticking to speed limit really helps. Lol, not as many guns in the glovebox in Oz. Be careful near warm water in the tropics, crocs are really really good ambush hunters. Enjoy your stay.
Just started watching I’m from Cairns I thought it looked familiar. I lol ed when you got in on the wrong side ! I’ve driven in the states and we’ve all done it. Also props for getting the pronunciation on Cairns right.
Thanks Greg, i enjoyed that video, you sure are on the ball with every thing, Congratulations on the Mazda purchase it will serve you well and be reliable. Roadside assistance is advisable if you break down and roadside assistance covers you in other states, its universal here ? With the sausage roll i do like them with a good squirt of BBQ sauce. Take care and safe driving, do stick to the speed limit,i know you will... BTW our cars steering wheel is on the Right "correct" side 😉 😉 nsw
Another tip for camping in Australia is to make sure that you set up your camp on high ground, flash flooding can turn a dry creek into a river even when there are no clouds in your area. I live in south Australia and we get flooding that started as far away as Queensland, south Australia is a lot flatter so what is not a problem in Queensland can become a major problem in south Australia.
7:27 Don't let the fun police catch you driving with a phone in your hand or lap. I think its a $1080 fine these days. Oh they even have cameras to catch you ;)
Camping in the car November- February will be really uncomfortable if you are north of 19 degrees south of the equator. You will need windows up for bugs, and in humid, very warm temps you will find it hard to sleep for the sticky heat.- unless you run the car air con all night lol.
The Wipers/Indicators thing is essentially at the whims of the manufacturers... in general in Australia.... if it's Korean / Japanese brands it's indicators on the right, if it's German / French it's on the left. Brands like Ford and GM it could be either way, depending on model origin... ie. Ford Mondeo is left, Ford Falcon is right.
Im Aussie, My Jag has lights indicators on left, Winscreen wipers on right, my Ford has it the proper way round! The result would be hilarious if it wasn't so dangerous! Really have to keep my wits about me @ 73! 😱 That said I can laugh at it 😂......So Far! 😱🇦🇺
Turning left on red does depend. Some places will have a slip lane, some a sign, very few a green arrow. There are some pay at the pump servos but not that many. Servo sausage roll -yeah nah. Go to a bakery, and get some tomato sauce.
The sausage role is the exact reason servos like you to go in. Most are independent and rely on shop sales for profit. They don’t make much on fuel as the government tax makes the majority of the price.
I'm Australian, and yes I've jumped in from the left side. So embarrassing. Also hitting the turn indicator to be met with wipers. Why oh why are the crazy cars here not LHD? My dad often drove against traffic forgetting. We spend a lot of time in Europe.
This is really interesting, I'm Aussie and got to drive in the US and you've basically covered all of the same things I found challenging. The funniest one I found that you didn't cover was, when I went for the hand brake I would wack my hand into the door card expecting it to be on my left 🤣
Tip: the middle of the road, or dotted white line, must ALWAYS be on the drivers side. This will help you figure out which side of thermos's to be on.....and always give way to your right.
My first car was a Camry wagon which was easy to lay in one you lifted the backseat against the front seat, then lower the backrest of the seat so it's flat. Also great for packing the car for trips. I once forgot my tent pegs but thankfully there was somewhere to buy some. Never touch a pastry from a servo. Eww. lol
Just a comment about the widnscreen wipers and indicators. I worked on public transport as a driver and the buses that we drive are either Mercedes or Volvos. The steering column is set up as if the bus was left hand drive. So would go to turn and and would turn on the wipers when first starting the shift. At the end of the shift sometimes driving home would turn on the wipers instead of the indicators most frustrating. LOL
The problem with Benz & some others is that the manufacturers regard us as something less that their domestic market customers. They are too lazy & cheap to male a proper RHD vehicle. They just install their LHD steering column on the right with the absolute minimum of engineering effort as doing so would cost money, so right drive customers are regarded as 'less'. But our money is still OK though. This is why we get arse-about blinker/wiper positioning. The blinker stalk should always be next to the drivers window in any country.
Paying inside is a business decision. There is no profit in petrol (avg. 2-3c litre) but they make money on in shop purchases. Coming into the store means impulse buying etc. That's where they make their money.
My personal vehicle has indicators on the left, and my works vehicle has them on the right. I'm constantly flicking the wrong side when I switch vehicles.
As an Aussie, one thing that we’re not used to in the US is the all-way stop. It takes a bit of getting used to learning to pay attention to who gets to the intersection first, and I’ve been caught a number of times just sitting there waiting for other cars to go when I got there first 😂 right on red is amazing as a driver but not great for pedestrians so thats why most places here don’t have that (though there were a few intersections that allow it for a trial in QLD and NSW. Not Vic though where I’m from)
@7:27 you have your phone in your hand whilst in the drivers seat. Queensland, and I assume the other states, have dedicated mobile cameras to catch people holding phones whilst driving and people not wearing seat belts. The fines are similar at AUD $1200. This is a big no-no.
Hard to say tbh, though I’d say in Florida which is most similar to Cairns climate wise sedans like the Corolla are more popular. Though the entire state of Florida is basically a swamp so it’s less practical to go off-roading there
come to Sydney. There's lots of them. The roads are too old to allow the building of the slip lanes. A lot are being removed though because it causes a conflict between cars and pedestrians. maps.app.goo.gl/p6YBPKu6p36feHmj9
@@rickandersen2284 maps.app.goo.gl/a1WAGEKnZZktC5hz9 Church St exit off the M4 motorway. I go through this intersection every morning on the way to work
@@rickandersen2284 maps.app.goo.gl/p6YBPKu6p36feHmj9 Eastbound M4 Motorway exit onto Church St near Parramatta. Go through this nearly every time I go to the office.
5 months and your accent is sounding really Australian on many words and phrases! I've been living here for years and I just can't get the sound right. Tho 'family and friends in California say I use some weird words or expressions sometimes.
Plus being in Cairns during the wet season or 'summer', you don't really want to be riding a bike to or from work during a drenching downpour, a car is a much better option lol
Why driving right hand side of the car is better because most people in the world are right-handed and being a right hand is better to hold the steering wheel with
Drinking and driving - don't. Heavy penalties, which could include gaol time, apply. It's important to note that the common charge is not driving under the influence of alcohol, but driving with more than the prescribed content of alcohol in your blood. You can be pulled over at any time by police, who can administer the test to you. Police will often set up a test site not far from popular pubs and bars. Fines are heavy, and the penalties can include loss of licence, even if you're a tourist.
Petty much the same driving rules here in NZ . The biggest issue you’ll have with your right left swap is in an emergency situation you natural without thinking reaction will be to swerve right.
3rd party insurance with your registration does not cover damage to your vehicle or the other vehicle or property, you have to take out a separate comprehensive car insurance policy. The 3rd party only covers injury. It is important to take out comprehensive car insurance otherwise you could be up for thousands in property and car damage in a accident. Both for your car and the other person's car.
There is another form of insurance, & it used to be relatively cheap. That is TPPDO or Third Party Property Damage Only. When I was a young driver in the 1960's, it was sometimes referred to as 'bomb' insurance. This was because your beat up old cheap ass klunker was prone to its engine 'blowing up' when abused too much. These cars were often referred to as old bomb cars. This insurance covered the damage that you caused to other cars or property, up to a certain $$$ point, but your car? That would be your problem.
Man really ate a sausage roll without tomato sauce. That's basically criminal. Also, speed limits really are a speed recommendation. It just depends where you live. Queensland and Melbourne are basically fast becoming the California's of Australia. If you sneeze, you'll get a fine for pollution. In Darwin, nobody does the speed limit. Even the police. If you aren't doing 10-15kph over, you're holding up traffic. Much the same in Perth. Sydney, I don't know. Its basically impossible to drive there.
Windshield wipers on the opposite stalks is a Japanese thing. Get in a Ford, Holden, Volvo, VW or any other car, and they'll be where you expect them to be.
Wrong. Japanese cars sold in Australia have the same stalk layout as cars that were built in Australia. Japan, like Australia, is a right-hand drive country. European cars imported into Australia convert their steering but not their stalk layout.
British built cars also used to be wipers on the left and indicator/lights on the right. Apparently they ceased doing that sometime after joining the EU.
Insurance, third party property cover regardless of the age of the vehicle is a good idea.Too often the uninsured driver is heard of after an accident, how would one would be if your old car nudged something really expensive, without it you might get sued & never ever let someone else use your car as insurance policies recognise only you as the driver.
One point, in New South Wales Australia, you indicate left for a left turn and right for a right turn at a roundabout, but you indicate left when leaving the roundabout. If you drive straight through you only indicate left when leaving the roundabout similar to leaving on a right turn. Indicating as you enter to drive straight through is showing other drivers you intend to turn left or right depending on which signal you are using? I know I am being nit picky, 90+% of Australians I see don't know this rule or don't use it properly But (and I hope you are safe here), in an accident it could be what gets you out of a long court case. I noticed whatever you did the indicator noise was going at entry including when you went straight through. I am not sure about other states but I believe it to be standard across Australia. Refer to this ua-cam.com/video/cp03lHNAaUg/v-deo.html
wanna try something fun . drive a manual. the gearshift being on the other side truely does the brain in. had a stick shift in hawaii was a real bastard to drive
I worked for the police here and it was always a 10% leeway but not any more. I myself was done by a speed camera for 4kph over the limit a few years ago. It sucks!! But if you’ve had no other offences you can respond, which I did using the fine form, and as I had never lost any points in my life, they waived the whole thing. Most people don’t know that, at least in Victoria anyway.
9:15 "it's a long way to the shop if you want a sausage roll" - AC-DC on a truck, Russell St, Melbourne 23/2/76 - ua-cam.com/video/g-qkY2yj4_A/v-deo.html 11:50 that wonderful orange earth is iron ore - the colour of most of Central and Western Australia.
The best way to never get confused is to always remember this phrase. Passenger in the Gutter. Your passenger is always in the gutter regardless of what side of the road you drive.
Just a tip - avoid setting up your tent under trees in Australia. Gum trees are notorious for dropping large limbs. It doesn't have to be windy - a change in temperature will cause them to fall. (I notice your friends had set their tent up a fair way away - good work!) Have fun!
They call the gum trees widowmakers.
It’s definitely a thing.
I made the mistake of parking under a tree by my house and the next morning my car was covered with tree sap. Not sure what kind of tree it was though
Don't forget about the drop bears that are waiting up them for you.
As a chair of a major caravan and camp resort group, I absolutely agree. Not only wind, but also some trees branches get old or infected somehow and will just seperate from the main branch/trunk
I'm glad to see that you have adopted the proper length of shorts
The idea of a roundabout is to keep the traffic flowing, that why it's a give way, not a stop.
Hey Greg, 00:23 the way you said _"Oh yeah, right!"_ - you're really sounding Aussie now... Good one mate !!🤗
It's funny because that how it came out naturally. I'm definitely picking up a bit of an accent
@@gregjameson327 That's hilarious !! Glad you're settling in after all the injuries. Thanks for the reply.
And "Servo" 😁😁😁
@gregjameson327
We noticed that! Cairns my home town! Havagoodee mate! 😁👍🇦🇺
Yeah Roit! 😂😂
Nice one. 7:58 Just a small tip - don't hold your phone whilst driving (even when not using it), you'll get smashed $ for that.
$1000 in Queensland
Greg also forgot to mention it's a $500 speeding ticket for 5 - 15kmh over the limit !!!
In fact, the revenue hunters are so bad now that even if your phone is off and on your seat, they will rip you off!
You’re doing very well with the Slang. Fitting right in and I hope you’re enjoying Australia 😊
If you’re ever getting a sausage roll, make sure you get sauce with it
Yep, Tomato and not Ketchup
Don't spoil a good sausage roll with sugar.
It's just a sausage roll without the Dead Horse.....
You could get tomato sauce (not called ketchup), bbq sauce or maybe mustard.
The rule is: Give way to traffic already in the roundabout, which will always come from the right.
Rookie mistake. No tomato sauce on the sausage roll.
Unless you're in Eastwood.
@@kimn9802 tomato sauce? you gotta be dreaming. It's got to be bbq sauce
Thats right if your on the left of a dotted line or behind a dotted line, you give way, which means you dont just drive out, you make sure its clear before you enter the road or intersection, same with overtaking, you dont overtake unless its clear and safe to do so and you have dotted lines.
Not quite, you also have to give way to traffic from your left if they are already on the roundabout. There is no give way to the right rule on a roundabout.
Your Aussie accent near the beginning was bloody good! And you're wearing thongs. We're getting to ya 😅
I agree. Thought that when I saw the shorts and thongs lol He still needs to work on the camping thing though.
The reason why service stations here make you come inside to pay is because they want you to spend all your money on impulse buys like overpriced drinks and confectionary whilst you're in there. Service stations here don't actually make a profit on selling petrol per sec (profits on fuel sales just barely covers operating costs), but really make their money by the huge mark-ups on things like those $5 small bottles of water and those $12 ham & cheese sandwiches...
Same in NZ. Some servos you have to prepay or the an atm is on the pump, but they don't gave stores.
Ahh well it makes sense, everything in servos is expensive as haha
Many servos installed pay at the bowser facilities but not many people use them.
...which he did; he bought a sausage roll. ;P
@@normandiebryant6989 ...and he didn't even put any sauce on it! Only way to get those dry, stodgy servo sausage rolls down in one hit is to drown them in sauce.
Great to see you driving around mate; the Mazda’s like the 3 you purchased is extremely reliable and honestly keep up with servicing and maintenance; you’ll never go wrong. Enjoy your time in Aus and if you’re ever in northern NSW I’ll shout you a beer at the pub.
Thanks mate!
Good to see you out and about and off the crutches. Enjoy your content.
ahaah when you showed the tent without poles I spat out my coffee. Pretty funny. .
Hi again Greg
I reckon this is an education for us Aussies too! I remember back in the late 70s Mrs n Me hired a Camaro in California to do the usual tourist spots, i learnt very quickly and the hard way about driving on the other side of the road! 😂 in the middle of LA, from a one way street turned right into a 2 way street headed for the left hand lane😱😱😱 luckily with great presence of mind, speed and precision 😂 my wife leaned over and grabbed the steering wheel and 'Yanked' (pun intended!) us into the correct lane! Phew(and i was only 28 then! 😅) She commented "ive just been waiting for you to make that mistake" Glad someone was on the ball! 😅😅 Enjoy our home town of Cairns Man! 👍🇦🇺❤
Haha I bet the right hand turns at red stop lights was menace for you
Congrats on your new found Aussie car freedom! Make sure you have roadside assistance when you go out too, if you break down or blow a tyre it’s pretty far to get help but the mobile assistance guys will usually come pretty quickly. When you go from QLD to NSW you’ll instantly see it is more like driving in the US, a lot more cars do 5-10kmh over the speed limit due to much more lax attitude to speeding. QLD uses a lot of covert speed cameras, whereas NSW has overt speed cameras. Also some states have different road roads, and different signs/line markings but you’ll figure them out. Oh and Melbourne has trams that share traffic lanes. Enjoying your adventures!
Speeding in QLD is no joke. Cameras set up at 1km over. My car is GPS monitored. The only one I've seen on the road. Have a sign on the rear saying it won't go over posted limits. If you see that sign, it's me but pretty obvious when I have a husky looking back at you around Toowoomba.
Well done. When I drive in the States my mantra is - Tight rights, loose lefts and keep your passenger in the gutter. In Canada, the only thing that baulked me was when I came to an intersection with a stop sign at each. Hope you continue enjoying our country. Cheers from Central Queensland
Australia so beautiful country
It’s not a “trunk” - it’s a boot. 😂 Enjoyed your video, very easy to watch
As an Aussie who has driven in the US and other right hand drive countries, I think you captured the essence of the differences pretty well. I agree that it is quite quick to adapt to driving on the "wrong" side of the road. I think I have trained a little bunch of neurones in my brain that instantly click into gear whenever I travel and drive in a right hand drive country. One other difference between US and Aussie roads is that we don't have those 4-way stop signs here. In fact, we don't have as many stop signs in general compared to the US; give way (yield) signs are more common here. If there is a stop sign, it will only be for traffic travelling on one road and the road you are crossing will have the right of way. Those turn left on red signs are very rare in Australia. I think I might have seen one in Geelong.
Yea that makes sense. I hate the 4 ways stops back home haha
Plenty of 4 way stops in Newcastle, but usually the quieter residential street around Darby St & Merewether. One thing we could pick up from the Americans though is that they have a little tag which says "All way" or "4 way" so you know it's a 4 way stop. Here you can only tell by looking for the back of the other directions stop signs and looking for the unbroken stop lines on their road.
I'm guessing the turn left on red are the same as turn left with care but they're pretty common in Sydney, especially on main roads and access points to the M7. The weirdest I can think of is a roundabout in Blacktown that had traffic lights installed probably about 20 years ago, mainly because of the weird slopes of each entry/exit and pedestrian accidents. It worked out quite well
@@OzVicBitter Interesting. Not aware of any in Victoria.
Only uncommon in some states (such as Queensland, pretty much non-existent), pretty common in NSW, for example
Glad to see you getting out and about finally. A car definitely gives you freedom and independence. There are so many cool places to explore with 1-2 hours drive of Cairns. Some suggestions: Davies Creek near Granite Gorge,, up the top near the falls ( that camp site you showed looked boring as f#(k btw) ;Fong On Bay, Lake Tinaroo. even camping on Fitzroy Is--- nice walk up to the lighthouse as well as coral and a resort. Would love to see you drive the Gillies. For slightly longer weekend adventures: out to Chillagoe ( limestone caves, mining ruins and an even more dramatic change of landscape) or the Undara Lava Tubes. Bigger still, drive to Cooktown via the inland road and return via the coast. The Mazda3 should handle it..,if not go with friends with a 4WD ----- your friends have a nice set up. Do it before the next wet season because the coastal road may be impassable. Check for road closures. Especially following the big floods earlier this year. I know you are tall, but you should be ok to sleep in the hatchback....just be better prepared.
I have some relatives who run cattle out past Herberton has creeks, lagoons, gorges. Free camping and they are great hosts but will let you go do your own thing.....real outback stuff, especially if you like motorbikes and horses. Let me know and I can give you their contacts. We often spend Xmas Day up there.
Also , message me and I will give you the itinerary for Colin's day trip around the southern Tablelands that I promised to take you on months ago. And now you are mobile, drop over and I'll cook you a meal and meet Dory, Nemo and Tim.
Hello Greg, i really like your videos, keep em coming please. I noticed you are starting to sound more Aussie, goodonya!!
Production quality 🔝keep it up mate!
Thanks brotha!
Driving on the left is better for right-handed people!
Yep, sure is lol. Henry Ford was left handed, and designed a car that was comfortable for him to drive; so the first car America received was designed for a left handed person, and roads basically had to be designed to accommodate them ie drive on the right side of the road.
Wagons were another reason, but that's the main one.
Hello. Awesome to see you on your feet again. Couple of things: sausage rolls are waaay better in New Zealand. In Australia they are over spiced and dry as. Always buy them at a bakery - never at a servo. Secondly, Australia is slow at adopting new technology so paying at the pump may take a while to filter through to all companies. Also some of them have invested in phone apps so don't want to pay for the card readers on the petrol pumps. In New Zealand I know that Mobil and Z Energy (was Shell) do pay at the pump using a debit or credit card.
We (Aussies) have pay at the pump options too but they're less common and people seem to prefer pay at the counter as it's friendlier to and you can buy some road snacks and stretch your legs after doing an extreme distance Aussie road trip.
It's not a slow to adopt issue. It's petrol has no profit in it. Servos make money on in store purchases which happen far less if they never come in. Besides that pay at the pump does exist if you look and many servos have apps to pay now too.
In Australia, we call it a windscreen instead of a windshield, windscreen wipers instead of windshield wipers a bonnet instead of a hood and a Boot instead of a trunk
The name "boot" for the rear luggage compartment of a vehicle goes way back into horse drawn coach days. Even the canvas covered luggage compartment of a good old western stage coach was correctly known as a "boot"
The "trunk" name came about when early cars had a separate luggage rack on the rear, & old style sea chests, or luggage trunks were lashed down to them.
The first externally accessable, built-in 'trunks' started to appear from about 1935 or so.
😂
good presentation. ENJOY YOUR SAY
Biggest hassle I had was as a pedestrian in Europe. Look the wrong way as stepping onto the road. Learnt real quick. Some of our roads are crap, sticking to speed limit really helps. Lol, not as many guns in the glovebox in Oz. Be careful near warm water in the tropics, crocs are really really good ambush hunters. Enjoy your stay.
Just started watching I’m from Cairns I thought it looked familiar. I lol ed when you got in on the wrong side ! I’ve driven in the states and we’ve all done it. Also props for getting the pronunciation on Cairns right.
Thanks Greg, i enjoyed that video, you sure are on the ball with every thing, Congratulations on the Mazda purchase it will serve you well and be reliable. Roadside assistance is advisable if you break down and roadside assistance covers you in other states, its universal here ? With the sausage roll i do like them with a good squirt of BBQ sauce. Take care and safe driving, do stick to the speed limit,i know you will... BTW our cars steering wheel is on the Right "correct" side 😉 😉 nsw
Haha thanks rob, I usually go for the tomato sauce but I was in rush.
Not the TRUNK of your car but the BOOT, just joking, hope you are enjoying OZ......
Another tip for camping in Australia is to make sure that you set up your camp on high ground, flash flooding can turn a dry creek into a river even when there are no clouds in your area.
I live in south Australia and we get flooding that started as far away as Queensland, south Australia is a lot flatter so what is not a problem in Queensland can become a major problem in south Australia.
7:27 Don't let the fun police catch you driving with a phone in your hand or lap. I think its a $1080 fine these days. Oh they even have cameras to catch you ;)
Thanks for the warning didn't know you could get fined just for holding it haha
@@gregjameson327you bet you can. Victorian drivers are getting caught big time. Of course I have seen drivers eating feral on their laps too...
Err, cereal... damn spell check!
@@heatherhoward2513you can go back in and edit it if you like.
Camping in the car November- February will be really uncomfortable if you are north of 19 degrees south of the equator. You will need windows up for bugs, and in humid, very warm temps you will find it hard to sleep for the sticky heat.- unless you run the car air con all night lol.
The fine for having a phone on you while driving is $1200. Even if the phone is in your pocket, you can get fined.
That’s not true lmao, you just can’t use it
Hahaha na it's only if you're using it
The Wipers/Indicators thing is essentially at the whims of the manufacturers... in general in Australia.... if it's Korean / Japanese brands it's indicators on the right, if it's German / French it's on the left. Brands like Ford and GM it could be either way, depending on model origin... ie. Ford Mondeo is left, Ford Falcon is right.
Im Aussie, My Jag has lights indicators on left, Winscreen wipers on right, my Ford has it the proper way round! The result would be hilarious if it wasn't so dangerous! Really have to keep my wits about me @ 73! 😱 That said I can laugh at it 😂......So Far! 😱🇦🇺
Turning left on red does depend. Some places will have a slip lane, some a sign, very few a green arrow.
There are some pay at the pump servos but not that many.
Servo sausage roll -yeah nah. Go to a bakery, and get some tomato sauce.
The sausage role is the exact reason servos like you to go in. Most are independent and rely on shop sales for profit. They don’t make much on fuel as the government tax makes the majority of the price.
Yes it takes a while to adjust. I have driven on both sides of the road without any probs. Just keep your wits about you.
This is an incredibly informative video.
I'm Australian, and yes I've jumped in from the left side. So embarrassing. Also hitting the turn indicator to be met with wipers. Why oh why are the crazy cars here not LHD? My dad often drove against traffic forgetting. We spend a lot of time in Europe.
9:00 mate - servos make you pay inside, to encourage you to buy something while your there.
But the question on everyones lips is. "Does the air con work well?" 😁 Cheers, mate. 👍🤘✌️🤙🌴
haha thats a prerequisite buying a car up here
This is really interesting, I'm Aussie and got to drive in the US and you've basically covered all of the same things I found challenging.
The funniest one I found that you didn't cover was, when I went for the hand brake I would wack my hand into the door card expecting it to be on my left 🤣
Tip: the middle of the road, or dotted white line, must ALWAYS be on the drivers side. This will help you figure out which side of thermos's to be on.....and always give way to your right.
Hey Greg, good to see you mate. Plus, great video!
My first car was a Camry wagon which was easy to lay in one you lifted the backseat against the front seat, then lower the backrest of the seat so it's flat. Also great for packing the car for trips. I once forgot my tent pegs but thankfully there was somewhere to buy some.
Never touch a pastry from a servo. Eww. lol
Just a comment about the widnscreen wipers and indicators. I worked on public transport as a driver and the buses that we drive are either Mercedes or Volvos. The steering column is set up as if the bus was left hand drive. So would go to turn and and would turn on the wipers when first starting the shift. At the end of the shift sometimes driving home would turn on the wipers instead of the indicators most frustrating. LOL
The problem with Benz & some others is that the manufacturers regard us as something less that their domestic market customers. They are too lazy & cheap to male a proper RHD vehicle. They just install their LHD steering column on the right with the absolute minimum of engineering effort as doing so would cost money, so right drive customers are regarded as 'less'. But our money is still OK though.
This is why we get arse-about blinker/wiper positioning.
The blinker stalk should always be next to the drivers window in any country.
Paying inside is a business decision. There is no profit in petrol (avg. 2-3c litre) but they make money on in shop purchases. Coming into the store means impulse buying etc. That's where they make their money.
My personal vehicle has indicators on the left, and my works vehicle has them on the right. I'm constantly flicking the wrong side when I switch vehicles.
Pay inside servo, because the mark-up on fuel is so small, they make minimal profit, but maximum profit from all the food inside, like you did !
As an Aussie, one thing that we’re not used to in the US is the all-way stop. It takes a bit of getting used to learning to pay attention to who gets to the intersection first, and I’ve been caught a number of times just sitting there waiting for other cars to go when I got there first 😂 right on red is amazing as a driver but not great for pedestrians so thats why most places here don’t have that (though there were a few intersections that allow it for a trial in QLD and NSW. Not Vic though where I’m from)
Hahaha yea the 4 way stops are the worst back home
@7:27 you have your phone in your hand whilst in the drivers seat. Queensland, and I assume the other states, have dedicated mobile cameras to catch people holding phones whilst driving and people not wearing seat belts. The fines are similar at AUD $1200. This is a big no-no.
Walking should be but sitting is okay
What is a typical type of car that young dudes drive in the hot climate at the US?
Hard to say tbh, though I’d say in Florida which is most similar to Cairns climate wise sedans like the Corolla are more popular. Though the entire state of Florida is basically a swamp so it’s less practical to go off-roading there
Lane position: Try to put the end of your A pillar (with the dash) on your side in alignment with your painted white line.
Any crocs in that water? Looks like a perfect place for a
Snapping handbag to be lurking.
The Chevayo & Tia...Maz-Da...in charcoal. Good choice. 😅
Tia for scale. Lol
Mazda sponsorship coming up
9:18 get them from a bakery. Servo food is usually yuk.
how long have you been in australia for? (nvm i wrote this before i watched vid lol)
The signs in Oz never say turn left on red. Sorry. They say turn left at any time with care or arrow lights.
come to Sydney. There's lots of them. The roads are too old to allow the building of the slip lanes. A lot are being removed though because it causes a conflict between cars and pedestrians.
maps.app.goo.gl/p6YBPKu6p36feHmj9
@stevewandel9317 send me a pic of a sign saying turn left on red and I'll believe you.
@@rickandersen2284
maps.app.goo.gl/a1WAGEKnZZktC5hz9
Church St exit off the M4 motorway.
I go through this intersection every morning on the way to work
@@rickandersen2284
maps.app.goo.gl/p6YBPKu6p36feHmj9
Eastbound M4 Motorway exit onto Church St near Parramatta. Go through this nearly every time I go to the office.
@@rickandersen2284 Church St exit off the M4 motorway near Parramatta. look it up on street view. YT doesn't seem to like street view links...
Enjoy your time here 😀
Sausage rolls need tomato sauce, yummm! Eat it while it’s hot!
Yay, onwards and upwards!
🤩
5 months and your accent is sounding really Australian on many words and phrases! I've been living here for years and I just can't get the sound right. Tho 'family and friends in California say I use some weird words or expressions sometimes.
Haha yea my family has noticed as well, I reckon that I've picked it up so quick cause I talk to Aussies all day at work
Plus being in Cairns during the wet season or 'summer', you don't really want to be riding a bike to or from work during a drenching downpour, a car is a much better option lol
Why driving right hand side of the car is better because most people in the world are right-handed and being a right hand is better to hold the steering wheel with
And open the door.
Drinking and driving - don't. Heavy penalties, which could include gaol time, apply. It's important to note that the common charge is not driving under the influence of alcohol, but driving with more than the prescribed content of alcohol in your blood. You can be pulled over at any time by police, who can administer the test to you. Police will often set up a test site not far from popular pubs and bars. Fines are heavy, and the penalties can include loss of licence, even if you're a tourist.
I found driving on the right in the States ok. however when driving on my own and there is no other car, I convert to driving on left.
Great vid!🔥
Thank you!
Heat Lamp Sausage Roll: "Definitely something that you eat, and then feel terrible after eating it"! ;-)
Petty much the same driving rules here in NZ . The biggest issue you’ll have with your right left swap is in an emergency situation you natural without thinking reaction will be to swerve right.
3rd party insurance with your registration does not cover damage to your vehicle or the other vehicle or property, you have to take out a separate comprehensive car insurance policy. The 3rd party only covers injury. It is important to take out comprehensive car insurance otherwise you could be up for thousands in property and car damage in a accident. Both for your car and the other person's car.
There is another form of insurance, & it used to be relatively cheap. That is TPPDO or Third Party Property Damage Only. When I was a young driver in the 1960's, it was sometimes referred to as 'bomb' insurance. This was because your beat up old cheap ass klunker was prone to its engine 'blowing up' when abused too much. These cars were often referred to as old bomb cars.
This insurance covered the damage that you caused to other cars or property, up to a certain $$$ point, but your car? That would be your problem.
Reckon is something that will stick with you and use that word when you return back home. Things are rubbin off on ya back being here. 😜
I have lived in Australia from America for 17 years. I still occasionally try to get in the wrong side of the car. 😜
Hahaha it's a hard one to shake
Even in America I went opposite
Man really ate a sausage roll without tomato sauce.
That's basically criminal.
Also, speed limits really are a speed recommendation. It just depends where you live.
Queensland and Melbourne are basically fast becoming the California's of Australia. If you sneeze, you'll get a fine for pollution.
In Darwin, nobody does the speed limit. Even the police.
If you aren't doing 10-15kph over, you're holding up traffic.
Much the same in Perth.
Sydney, I don't know. Its basically impossible to drive there.
Windshield wipers on the opposite stalks is a Japanese thing. Get in a Ford, Holden, Volvo, VW or any other car, and they'll be where you expect them to be.
Wrong. Japanese cars sold in Australia have the same stalk layout as cars that were built in Australia. Japan, like Australia, is a right-hand drive country. European cars imported into Australia convert their steering but not their stalk layout.
British built cars also used to be wipers on the left and indicator/lights on the right. Apparently they ceased doing that sometime after joining the EU.
My son has a Holden Astra which was made in Germany and has the blinker on the opposite side and I always have trouble and turn on the wipers 😂
i think car insurance is a must... CTP people always confused. its not insurance if you hit another car.
Cairns! My Home Town, Enjoy! 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Thnx mate!
Insurance, third party property cover regardless of the age of the vehicle is a good idea.Too often the uninsured driver is heard of after an accident, how would one would be if your old car nudged something really expensive, without it you might get sued & never ever let someone else use your car as insurance policies recognise only you as the driver.
First up I think you’ll regret not buying a 4 wheel drive especially in the north. So much off road adventures you’ll miss out on.
Hahah I might eventually upgrade to one. The mate I go camping with has one so it’s not too big of a deal
MAZDA 3 are very reliable!!
One point, in New South Wales Australia, you indicate left for a left turn and right for a right turn at a roundabout, but you indicate left when leaving the roundabout. If you drive straight through you only indicate left when leaving the roundabout similar to leaving on a right turn. Indicating as you enter to drive straight through is showing other drivers you intend to turn left or right depending on which signal you are using? I know I am being nit picky, 90+% of Australians I see don't know this rule or don't use it properly But (and I hope you are safe here), in an accident it could be what gets you out of a long court case. I noticed whatever you did the indicator noise was going at entry including when you went straight through. I am not sure about other states but I believe it to be standard across Australia. Refer to this ua-cam.com/video/cp03lHNAaUg/v-deo.html
Yea when I go straight I’ve been Indicating right then left as I leave the roundabout. Super helpful thanks for the tip
@@gregjameson327 All good, be safe and enjoy your time here! Have a great one!
Same in Victoria so that others waiting know where you’re going, if left they can enter the roundabout safely.
We don’t say Muzda. It’s Mazda, with a hard A. Nissan is Nissen not Niss sun here.
Cool stuff.
I just bought a tesla; stalks are the American way and it takes several weeks to adjust.
Sauce on a sausage roll just like pies mate. 👍
Always take a roll of string or rope camping.you could of used it to hold tent up tied to the trees..or take the poles for the tent 😂
The trialled left-turn-on-red in Queensland but cancelled it as it was found to be too dangerous for pedestrians.
Also, don’t forget to indicate left when you exit a roundabout. It lets people waiting to get on know what you’re doing.
wanna try something fun . drive a manual. the gearshift being on the other side truely does the brain in. had a stick shift in hawaii was a real bastard to drive
Yea it’s a nightmare, the first car I drove here was a manual and it had me shitting bricks
@@gregjameson327 had the same problem in hawaii picked up so many wrong gear changes lol
You moved to Australia?
My husband said to tell you we call sausage rolls a mystery bag, because you’re not quite sure what’s in them.
Oh yeah....right......hohoho..picking up the lingo.
Doing the speed limit is a thing cos the fuzz get you for doing 4 kph over the limit. $200 fine.
I worked for the police here and it was always a 10% leeway but not any more. I myself was done by a speed camera for 4kph over the limit a few years ago. It sucks!! But if you’ve had no other offences you can respond, which I did using the fine form, and as I had never lost any points in my life, they waived the whole thing. Most people don’t know that, at least in Victoria anyway.
@@karenglenn6707 Victoria police are not so forgiving :(
9:15 "it's a long way to the shop if you want a sausage roll" - AC-DC on a truck, Russell St, Melbourne 23/2/76 - ua-cam.com/video/g-qkY2yj4_A/v-deo.html
11:50 that wonderful orange earth is iron ore - the colour of most of Central and Western Australia.
Haha I laughed out loud when I read that
Two storey tents are great for camping near water because crocodiles can't climb step ladders 🤣👍
Ever say no one in Australia speeds because I have seen people speeding in Australia even in a Truck not a Ute
The best way to never get confused is to always remember this phrase.
Passenger in the Gutter.
Your passenger is always in the gutter regardless of what side of the road you drive.
You did a great job of not making the mistake of saying something is on the wrong side here 😅
Haha I almost made a joke about it in the video but I didn't want to deal with the mayhem in the comments lolol
Write yourself a big note on the dash... drive on the left!!
9:17 That right there is why. If you can't pay at the pump, you're more likely to buy crap from inside.