37) Motoring in Australia.

I have mentioned before that when we first came to live in Australia Jonny and I both had to sit our driving tests again (See Chapter 16) and how traumatic that was for both of us but there were other things that we had to learn about the roads in Australia. First of all we had to learn to pump our own petrol, a thing we had never had to do before. In Africa labour is fairly cheap and self-service petrol stations would see many wage earners out of work so one is still served by a petrol attendant there. It is not hard to learn but at first I felt very self-conscious. I was sure that everyone could tell that I did not know how to do it and that they must be thinking that I was very odd. It never fails to amaze me how we so often think that everyone is watching us and that they are nasty and critical, when in fact for the most part the opposite is true. On the few occasions that people notice that you are having a problem they are only too willing to help. At first I thought that I would not know when the tank was full and would spill petrol all over the place. This does not happen as the pumps have a magic sensor that switches the pump off when the tank is full. Don’t ask me how it works I have no idea. A short while ago I was filling up at a petrol station that I had never used before. There seemed to be something wrong with the magic sensor, it kept switching off when I knew that the tank was not nearly full. I kept having to switch on again and again until I thought that I had enough petrol. When I went to pay for my purchase I told the young girl at the counter that there was something wrong with the pump as it kept switching off. She asked me “have you been driving long?” I could not see what that had to do with the problem and did not have any desire to give this teenager the terrible truth about my age so I just replied “Quite a long time” She smiled and said “it does that sometimes when the car is over hot”. I realised then that she was not wanting me to confess that I had got my driving licence almost 50 years ago but wanted to know if I had come a long way. As I had only driven a few kilometres from our house I knew that that was not the answer but rather than admit I had thought that she wanted to know how many years I had been driving I just said “Is that so” and left it at that.


Another thing that I find very strange is the way petrol is priced in Australia. It is listed on the pump as 129.9 cents or 139.9 cents. I don’t know of anything else that is priced in cents when it costs over a dollar. Why don’t they just say $1.30 maybe $1.40 after all if you are paying cash it will have to be rounded up when you pay at the cash desk. Do the petrol companies really think that we are so dumb that we think that 129.9 cents is less than $1.30 and that they are saving us money? Even if your petrol tank held a hundred litres it would only make a difference of one cent.

Something else I have never seen before is what we call “tuck aways”. I still have no idea what the correct name for them is. They are the same principle as refuge islands for pedestrians to cross a busy road in safety In many places when one comes from a side road into a busy main road and you want to turn right there is a section in the centre of the road where you can wait so that you can enter the main road in two moves. You wait until the traffic from the right is clear, pull into the “tuck away” and then wait until the traffic from the left is clear before entering the stream of cars. This is great and makes it much easier to make a right hand turn; we did not have them in Africa. My only complaint is that they are not on every junction and sometimes it is not possible to see from the side road if there is one. So, when you are not sure if there is one or not, to avoid being stuck in the middle of the road between traffic coming at you from both sides one needs to wait till the road is clear from both sides before pulling out. I wonder why they don’t put a sign up on the side road saying, “tuck away in place”. At least then we would find out what the correct name for this facility is. If you have been to that junction before you might remember if there is a “tuck away” on the main road. But a wise person once told me that Australian road signs were only of use if you had been there before.

Some lanes are designated for a particular type of traffic or to go in a particular direction. The sign might read “Left lane must turn left, Buses Excepted” I am sure that it should read “Left lane must turn left, Except buses” but that is the way it is done in Australia so I just have to get used to it.

Another great thing about motoring here is our NRMA (National Road Motor Association) roadside assistance. For a small annual payment we can get cover for breakdowns and emergencies 24/7. Jonny and I have had to call on them a number of times and they are always quick and so very helpful. Usually the telephonist who takes you call for help will tell you about how long you can expect to wait to be attended to and we have never once had to wait any longer than that. They will jump start a flat battery, or sell you a new one, they will fill an overheated radiator, pump a flat tyre or put petrol in an empty tank, or retrieve keys that have been locked inside the car. In fact they will do whatever is needed to get you on the road again. We once had a problem with a petrol pump that had not long been fitted. Once the NMRA mechanic had diagnosed the problem he called out the tow truck and they towed us into the garage that had fitted the faulty part. The manager of the garage knew it had not been in the car long so he fitted a new pump and we were on our way again. From the first phone call to the NRMA to driving out of the garage it had only been a few minutes under two hours and the only cost was the price of a telephone call. Obviously they do not do major overhauls but they will get you on your way as quickly and as painlessly as possible. I think they are wonderful.