New User to Britishexpats
 

Hi All
We have only just found this site and have been very impressed with some of the question and answers.
We applied to migrate to Oz in May 2001 and are still waiting for any news about our application.
We plan to go to Melbourne, so if anybody can pass on any info about prices of houses and cars etc, it would be very gratful.
Also would any one know about getting a Australian driving license. My wife and I both drive, would we have to retake our driving test, or would we have to just take the theory test.
We thank any replies in advanced.

Regards
Mike & Karen

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Hiya,

All the driving stuff is on each of the states "DVLA" equivalent sites but broadly speaking since May, you only need to do a theory test - within 3 months of arriving. I think this was a federal change to be adopted by the states as and when (still trying to get my head around this 3 tiers of gov...)

www.gov.au is the main portal - from here you can reach each states pages and then the traffic, vehicle, driver licensing pages depending on what its known as in that state - but some (like WA) are still a bit out of date.

Hope this helps

Anon
PS www.theage.com.au has property and cars in Melb.

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Hi Mike & Karen,

Welcome aboard. It is a great site this and you will usually find that someone can any questions you may have.

Hope you don't have to wait too much longer before you get your visas at least the 1st of July has arrived!!!

Susan

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Dont know where you got your information about the driving tests You do have to sit the full licence test here in Victoria My wife had to sit for hers in February
It is a very good idea to have more "Certified Copies"
of birth certificates Passports etc when you go there and to Medicare to register for your health insurance as orgaizations like these require them Most though do have the facilities to copy and authorize them on the spot Good Luck
Gerard

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

In Victoria, just a theory test should do to get a Victoria licence, if you've got a
UK one. http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au

I don't know what they do with your UK licence in Victoria - in NSW they simply
endorse it to make it invalid in Australia when you get a NSW licence. That's a much
better idea than confiscating the overseas licence.

Jeremy

    >On 1 Jul 2002 20:20:20 GMT, Mike &amp; karen <[email protected]> wrote: Hi All
    >We have only just found this site and have been very impressed with some of the
    >question and answers. We applied to migrate to Oz in May 2001 and are still waiting
    >for any news about our application. We plan to go to Melbourne, so if anybody can
    >pass on any info about prices of houses and cars etc, it would be very gratful. Also
    >would any one know about getting a Australian driving license. My wife and I both
    >drive, would we have to retake our driving test, or would we have to just take the
    >theory test. We thank any replies in advanced.
    >
    >Regards Mike & Karen
    >
    >
    >
    >--
    >Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Sorry Jaj For curiosity I just rang Vicroads and they confirmed that in Voctoria :An overseas licence holder can drive in Victoria for 3 months after they arrive on a PR Visa After that they have to sit a FULL licence test No exceptions As I stated previously my wife had to do this test in February this year to get her licence
I would also suggest that anyone taking this test take the time to go for one or two driving lessons before hand as it is very rare here in Victoria for someone to pass the driving test on their first attempt
Regards Gerard

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Licensing varies from state to state, see:
http://www.gomatilda.com/news/article.cfm?articleid=104 for more details. Dean.

<Mike &amp>; "karen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi All We have only just found this site and have been very impressed with some of
    > the question and answers. We applied to migrate to Oz in May 2001 and are still
    > waiting for any news about our application. We plan to go to Melbourne, so if
    > anybody can pass on any info about prices of houses and cars etc, it would be very
    > gratful. Also would any one know about getting a Australian driving license. My
    > wife and I both drive, would we have to retake our driving test, or would we have
    > to just take the theory test. We thank any replies in advanced.
    >
    > Regards Mike & Karen
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Here is one site that will give you an indication of house prices in Melbourne (and
most other areas too) with a little research of course you can get to know areas or
even ask here, like many large cities the closer to the city centre the more
expensive.

http://www.realestate.com.au/

Rob www.australianaustralia.com

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

mozz48 <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
    > Sorry Jaj For curiosity I just rang Vicroads and they confirmed that in Voctoria
    > :An overseas licence holder can drive in Victoria for 3 months after they arrive on
    > a PR Visa After that they have to sit a FULL licence test No exceptions As I stated
    > previously my wife had to do this test in February this year to get her licence I
    > would also suggest that anyone taking this test take the time to go for one or two
    > driving lessons before hand as it is very rare here in Victoria for someone to pass
    > the driving test on their first attempt Regards Gerard

Sorry have to disagree with you there - my partners family arrived in Victoria in
April, and only had to sit the theory test. No practical test was required.

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

OK, I could be wrong and I did say *from MAY 2002* but the NSW site says

You may not be required to pass a driving or riding test if:

you have previously held an Australian driver licence provided it can be verified by the issuing authority or,
you hold a current New Zealand driver licence or,
you hold a current overseas licence, or one that expired within the last 5 years, from a country recognised as having comparable licensing standards to Australia (see Important Notes below).

Important Notes: The recognition of licences from certain overseas countries has been agreed nationally and will commence in NSW on and from 20 May 2002. Customers that have not failed a driving or riding test, as at 20 May 2002, will be exempted from the test if they hold an acceptable licence from one of the recognised countries. The exemption only applies to applicants for Class C (car) and Class R (rider) licences.

The licensing authority in Victoria (VicRoads) is responsible for maintaining the national list of recognised countries. To view the most up-to-date list of countries, you can visit the VicRoads website at www.vicroads.vic.gov.au.

If you look on vicroads under Licensing drivers -> Visitors and new residents it says

Car &/or motor cycle licence from a recognised country (RC)

Current or invalid or expired for less than 5 years

road law knowledge test (LPT/KT2)


I can't find the federal website that has the new ruling and adoption times from the states, and the 3 month rule applies (need to exchange UK lic. for Oz in first three months) and there's a 3 year rule (your UK lic must be 3 years old).

I guess depts give out wrong info during change over periods...

Anon

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Well there you go I rang Vicroads this morning and explained the situation very thoroughly and the lady told me that people from England had to sit for a full licence Apparently not Regards Gerard

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Sorry to labour the point Gerard but Vic is one of our chosen destinations and I really need to clear this up.

Are you saying that vicroads have said to you that UK drivers do need to take both practical and theory tests - this is not what the website says, nor does it fit with the list of Recognised Countries (RCs) or the Federal info on the NSW site.

Has Vic not yet implemented the federal change?

Confused.... :(

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Sorry Anon if you are confused I am totally confused Just about to bury my head in the sand this way I will tell you what Tomorrow morning I will phone Vicroads again and again explain the situation very carefully and ask to talk to someone that knows what is what I will also let you know the result Very sorry if Im have caused anyone to be confused What part of Victoria are you coming to ?? We live in the Western Distrct this way Regards Gerard

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

Aha....

http://www.nrtc.gov.au/progress/refo...03&lo=progress

So it's an on-going process.

mozz, to answer your Q, all of it!! We're spending a few months touring (which has just given me another lic. question - I'll start a new thread in a min) to get a feel of our new country.

Hope you get some sense from the gov. - if its anything like the UK they wont believe you even if you drag in all the statute books and a team of lawyers.

Anon.

Re: New User to Britishexpats
 

From the Vicroads website : Holder of an overseas:Car &/or motor cycle licence from a
recognised country (RC) Requirements to obtain a Victorian equivalent: road law
knowledge test (LPT/KT2)

The link:
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/vrne/...b5469ee663ca25
6be5001798cc!OpenDocument&ExpandSection=6,2,1#_Sec tion6

Recognised Countries:
Austria,Belgium,Canada,Denmark,Finland,France,Germ any,Greece,Ireland,Italy,J
apan,Luxembourg,Netherlands,Norway, Portugal,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,UK,USA.
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/vrne/...5925ED8C11CA25
6B7600151BDF?OpenDocument&Area=[Online+Information+%26+Services]

So if you have a full licence from one of the Recognised Countries and you arrive on
a PR visa, you have 3 months to take the road law knowledge test and exchange your
licence. No driving test involved.

Cheers, Paul.

"mozz48" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Sorry Jaj For curiosity I just rang Vicroads and they confirmed that in Voctoria
    > :An overseas licence holder can drive in Victoria for 3 months after they arrive on
    > a PR Visa After that they have to sit a FULL licence test No exceptions As I stated
    > previously my wife had to do this test in February this year to get her licence I
    > would also suggest that anyone taking this test take the time to go for one or two
    > driving lessons before hand as it is very rare here in Victoria for someone to pass
    > the driving test on their first attempt Regards Gerard
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com