Australian Traffic Rules

Once you get on the road, here are some Australian traffic rules to remember:

• If you’re driving slowly — getting used to the traffic, y’know — the lane for you is the leftmost lane if there is more than one lane in the direction you’re going.

• If you’re traveling on a highway or freeway, Australian traffic rules say you should stay on the left lane (or one of the left lanes if there are more than two lanes going in the one direction) unless you're overtaking. There would be signs to remind you of this.

• If you’re entering and crossing an intersection, drivers customarily defer to the motorist on the right unless he or she is stopped by a STOP or YIELD sign. At a T intersection, the motorist driving straight through has the right of way.

• Don’t beep your horn — unless you’re in a situation where you need to warn another driver, for instance, when he’s about to hit you.

• The speed limit in a built-up residential area has for a long time been 60 kilometres per hour (35mph), but this has been reduced in many places to 50 kilometres per hour as in the Brisbane suburbs and a number of Sydney aeas. Other cities may have adopted the lower limit as well. Be watchful of posted speed limits and do check with the locals. On country roads and highways the usual speed limit has been 100km/hr (62mph) or 110km/hr (68mph), particularly on freeways, unless signs indicate another speed limit. Already, the speed limit on certain stretches of the Newcastle Highway and on Sydney's M4 freeway has been reduced.

  From November 1, 2003, the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority has decreed that the urban speed limit in NSW is 50km/h. This is in line with the recent adoption of a national 50km/h default urban speed limit. Streets that are mainly used for traffic movements and access to main roads will remain signposted 60km/h, or faster, even if there are residential properties on the street.

• If you’ve been drinking, don’t drive — unless your blood alcohol level is less than .05.

• Seat belts must be worn by drivers and passengers at all times.

Some road signs to take note of:

• NO STANDING. Well, sure, you can’t be standing while driving a car. What it means is you can’t stop in the area indicated except to let a passenger get in or off a vehicle, and you certainly can’t park there.
• NO STOPPING. Except in the event of medical emergencies, don't stop in the area indicated.
• NO PARKING. Just what it means. You can unload and unload passengers but shouldn’t leave your vehicle parked there.
• BUS ZONE. Well, leave that to the buses. Taxi zone. Ditto for taxis.
• LOADING AND UNLOADING ZONE. If you’re driving a truck, ute, van or wagon, you’re allowed to park here if you’re delivering or picking up some sort of cargo. If you’re driving a passenger car, you may have to explain what you’re loading or unloading.
• The Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, and some of the highways and roads are tollways, so have change ready to go through the tollgates quickly. A growing number of cars are fitted with transponders which allow these vehicles to drive through specially marked gates without stopping. An encoded magnetic card has also been available for some tollways. On some tollways, only transponders called e-Tags (and temporary e-Way passes) can be used.

Famous Indigenous Australians

• Bandler, Dr Faith
• Blair, Harold
• Bennelong
• Bonner, Neville
  [First Indigenous Senator]
• Burnum Burnum
  [Harry Penrith]
  [Advocate, activist]
• Dodson, Mick
  [Advocate, activist, representative]
• Dodson, Patrick
  [Activist, consultant, representative]
• Freeman, Cathy
  [Olympic athlete]
• Mabo, Eddie
• Mokare
  [Indigenous guide]
• Monks, Rosie Kunoth
  [Film star, nun, social worker]
• Morgan, Sally
• Namatjira, Albert

• Nicholls, Sir Doug
  [First Indigenous State Governor]
• Noonuccal, Oodgeroo
  [Kath Walker]
• O’Shane, Pat
• Pearson, Noel
  [Lawyer, activist]
• Pemulwuy
• Perkins, Charles
  [Activist, sportsman]
• Ridgeway, Aden
• Saunders, Captain Reginald
  [First Indigenous commissioned army officer]
• Smith, Shirley
  [‘Mum Shirl’]
• Truganini
• Unaipon, David
• Yagan
• Yindi, Yothu
• Yunupingu, Mandaway

Famous Australians

Note :
Many of the following were neither born in Australia nor, indeed, lived in Australia. However, they are all linked to the development of Australia in some way.

Banks, Sir Joseph Naturalist, explorer Barton, Sir Edmund First Prime Minister Bird, Nancy Aviator Bragg, Sir William Henry [& Sir William Laurence] [Xray Crystallography] Nobel Laureates Bradman, Sir Donald Cricketer Burnet, Sir Frank Macfarlane [Medicine] Nobel Laureate Chang, Victor Heart surgeon Chifley, Joseph Benedict Prime Minister Chisholm, Caroline Social work with women in early New South Wales Clarke, Marcus Writer [scroll down to information] Cook, Captain James Navigator, explorer Cornforth, John Warcup [Chemistry] Nobel Laureate Cowan, Edith Magistrate, First Female Australian Parliamentarian, Welfare worker Curtin, John WW II Prime Minister Cuthbert, Betty Olympic Athlete Dixon, Sir Owen Jurist, Diplomat Doherty, Peter Charles [Medicine] Nobel Laureate Dorrington, Annie Australian flag designer [shared] Dunlop, Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Surgeon, POW [WW II] Eccles, John Carew [Medicine] Nobel Laureate Evatt, Dr Herbert Vere First President of the United Nations Everage, Dame Edna Show business personality Farrer, William Agriculture [wheat development] Flinders, Matthew Circumnavigated and named Australia. Also access archival material at Matthew Flinders Florey, Sir Howard Science/medicine [penicillin], Nobel Laureate Flynn, The Rev. Doctor John Founded The Flying Doctor Service Fraser, Dawn Olympic swimmer Frazer, Ian Immunologist, Florey Medal winner, Australian of the Year Grainger, George Percy Musician & Composer Greer, Germaine Feminist Hargrave, Lawrence Flight, box kites Helpmann, Sir Robert Ballet dancer and director Hinkler, Bert Aviator; first to fly solo England/Australia Hollows, Fred Humanitarian, eye surgery in the Third World as well as Australia Hughes, William Morris WW I Prime Minister

Hurley, Frank Photographer [Antarctic/WW I] Katz, Sir Bernard [Medicine] Nobel Laureate Kelly, Edward [Ned] Bushranger Kenny, Elizabeth Nurse [polio] Kingsford-Smith, Sir Charles Aviator; first to fly US/Australia Lalor, Peter Rebel [Eureka Stockade], politician Lawson, Henry Writer and poet Lindsay, Norman Alfred William Artist & writer Lyons, Dame Enid First female Federal politician Macarthur, Elizabeth ‘Mother’ of the Australian sheep industry Macarthur, John Early agriculturalist Macquarie, Lachlan New South Wales Governor, early 1800s Mawson, Sir Douglas Antarctic explorer Melba, Dame Nellie Opera singer, soprano Menzies, Sir Robert Longest serving Australian Prime Minister Mort, Thomas Sutcliffe Refrigerated transport Murdoch, Rupert Media owner Nolan, Sydney Artist [Ned Kelly series] O’Connor, Charles Yelverton Engineer, Public Servant, Railways Commissioner [WA] Oliphant, Sir Mark Physicist Parkes, Sir Henry ‘Father of Federation’ Paterson, Andrew Barton Writer and poet [Waltzing Matilda] Phillip, Arthur First Governor of New South Wales colony Prokhorov, Aleksandr Mikhailovich [Physics] Nobel Laureate Ruse, James Convict and farmer Sturt, Charles Early explorer Stuart, John McDouall Explorer; North/South crossing of Australia Sutherland, Dame Joan Opera singer, soprano Thomas, Andrew Astronaut Thorpe, Ian Olympic swimmer Tao, Terrence [Mathematics] Fields Medal Trumper, Victor Cricketer Tucker, Albert Artist Wentworth, William Charles Explorer, politician White, Patrick Writer, Nobel Laureate

Recently moved to Australia? A guide to your options and Centerlink's services

Centrelink is an Australian Government Statutory Agency, assisting people to become self-sufficient and supporting those in need.

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Lucky Country

What does the Lucky Country refer to?

According to Wikipedia, "The Lucky Country" is a nickname sometimes used to describe Australia, taken from the 1964 book of the same name by social critic Donald Horne.

Back in the 1960's an Australian author, Donald Horne, wrote a scathing commentary where Australia was described as being "the lucky country" . This in turn became the title of the book. Horne was describing a country that at the time was mired in its past, and was basically making stupid choices, not really thinking for itself. The term was meant to be ironic. Australians read it instead as a confirmation of their own perceptions of Australia.

Portrait of Donald Horne, Woollahra, 1987

In the years following publication "the lucky country" became part of the Australian language and was used in all kinds of contexts, usually far from its original meaning. In fact with 15 years of extraordinary economic growth and an economy that has weathered many extremes - people are starting to believe Australia really is the lucky country.

What about you do you think that Australia is really a lucky country? Why?