Australia on an Austrian Licence — The Side Switch, an IDP for the German Licence & Camera Country

Australia is a fantastic self-drive destination, but for an Austrian driver two things demand attention before the first kilometre, and the obvious one is the side of the road. Austria drives on the right; Australia drives on the left. Everything you do by reflex — looking right first, sitting in the right lane, sweeping through a roundabout clockwise — is now reversed. Practise in a quiet car park before you take on main roads, keep checking your road position when you tire, and remember the indicator and wiper stalks often swap sides in a right-hand-drive car.

The licence point is specific to you. A foreign licence is accepted for visitors, but Australian police and rental desks expect one that is not in English to be accompanied by an International Driving Permit — and your Austrian licence is in German. So while an IDP is technically “recommended” rather than universally mandatory, for an Austrian it is the sensible default; carry it with your licence and passport. Your licence is valid for up to 3 months as a visitor, and you can check your exact position with the Driving Permit Checker.

On the road, the pace is gentler than home: motorways cap at 110 km/h against Austria’s 130, with towns at 50 and rural roads at 100. The catch is enforcement — speed cameras are widespread in Australia, both fixed and mobile, and tolerances are tight. A typical speeding fine runs AUD 200-350 (≈ €120-210) depending on the state, which you can estimate with the Speeding Fine Calculator. The drink-drive limit is 0.05, the same as home.

The genuine hazard, though, is the outback. Distances are enormous, and kangaroos and livestock on the road are a real risk at dawn, dusk and after dark — many locals simply avoid driving rural roads at night. The emergency number is 000, and equipment requirements are minimal, but basic safety gear is sensible on long remote legs.

The full state-by-state detail is on our Australia driving guide. Get the IDP for the German licence, learn the left-hand side somewhere quiet, and respect the cameras and the wildlife.