Car Hire Driving Around Sydney

Australia is a sparsely populated country, despite the fact that it has a land mass of 7.7 million km2. As a result of this, the distances between the major cities are large, with a drive from Melbourne to Sydney taking over 12 hours and Sydney to Brisbane around 10-12 hours. Hiring a car out in Sydney isn't difficult as there are a number of car hire companies located around the city. Car hire in Sydney, although easy, is not necessarily recommended for everyone. The traffic is heavy on the city roads, and parking spaces are almost impossible to find, so peak hours should be avoided at all costs if you are not a patient driver who possesses a good sense of direction. However, if you are planning on driving outside of the city or in the outback, then a car is necessary.

When driving "off road" on unsealed tracks, you should first obtain local advice for your journey and always make sure that you have told a loved one or a person of authority, such as the hotel concierge, your travel plans in case you were to get lost for example. In the event of your vehicle breaking down in a remote area, you should always stay with it, as people who stay with their car are usually found a lot quicker than those who have abandoned it. If you want to travel across designated Aboriginal land you will require the permission of the owner in advance. Other things to be aware of when you are travelling in the outback are the extreme climate that you will face, especially in the Northern provinces and the road conditions that will vary enormously; rough, poor and potholed surfaces are not uncommon.

Along with these issues, there is also the matter of the wildlife to consider. Local wildlife may stray onto the roads, so you will have to be more vigilant at night as this is the time when collisions with kangaroos, wallabies, foxes and dingoes are commonplace. One way of trying to combat this risk to both you and the wildlife, is to ask whether the car hire company has a Shu Roo. The Shu Roo is a car that will emit a high frequency sound that can be heard for 400 metres ahead of you and for 50 meters both sides of your vehicle and will alert any wildlife on the roads of your approach, thereby protecting you and the Australian wildlife. Before you think that the 12 hour journey from Melbourne to Sydney would be near impossible with a high pitched sound in your ear as company, then you'll be pleased to learn that the sound can only be heard by the animals and not humans.