Brisbane Toll Roads, Charges and Passes

Brisbane has five major toll roads which are all operated by Queensland Motorways. They consist of the Gateway Bridge and Motorway, the Gateway Extension Motorway, the Logan Motorway and the Port of Brisbane Motorway.

The toll roads are fully electronic meaning cash is not accepted. To pay for your usage if you don’t have an electronic tag fitted in your car, you’ll need to pay for your trips by credit card online with a go viavideo pass or over the phone by calling 1 3000 GO VIA (1 3000 46 842). Alternatively, cash payments can be made at customer service centres but will incur a further $1.00 fee.

go viavideo passes are valid for 30 days and can also be bought up to three days after using the toll road. They are only for the Queensland Motorway network. On top of the regular toll fee, you’ll be charged an additional $0.40 ‘video matching fee’ per toll point.

Toll prices are charged depending on which of the five toll points you pass through.

Queensland Motorways Map (0.2 Mb)

Queensland Motorways Toll Points
Toll Point	Price
Gateway Bridge	$2.95
Kuraby	$1.97
Loganlea Road	$1.18
Heathwood	$2.10
Paradise Road	$2.10
Prices are accurate as at 5 February 2010

Melbourne Toll Roads, Charges and Passes

Melbourne has two major toll roads – CityLink and Eastlink. Both are fully electronic and do not accept cash. Instead, you’ll need to purchase their respective electronic passes (whether in advance or within 2-3 days after using the toll road).

CityLink

CityLink in its entirety, connects Malvern (Monash Fwy) in the south-east to Essendon (Tullamarine Fwy) in the north-west via the City. This is made up of two parts: the Southern Link (connects Monash Fwy to CBD) and the Western Link (connects West Gate Fwy and Tullamarine Fwy). There are several toll passes available for you to buy depending on your needs.

CityLink Map and Toll Details PDF (0.8 Mb)

CityLink Electronic Passes
Pass Type	Price	Details
Tulla Pass	$4.45	24-hr pass. Valid between Flemington Road and Bulla Road section of CityLink. Able to buy within 3 days after your first trip
24 Hour Pass	$12.55	Valid for 24-hrs from when you first use CityLink on your nominated day. Able to buy within 3 days after your first trip
Weekend Pass	$12.55	Must start between midday Friday and conclude at midnight Sunday. Able to buy up to midnight Tuesday after travel. CityLink only
Melbourne Pass	$5.50 setup + Toll + $0.75/trip	Valid for CityLink AND EastLink for 30 days, can be extended. Any number of vehicles can be added. Able to buy within 2 days after your first trip
Prices are accurate as at 5 February 2010

Eastlink

Eastlink is a north-south tollway that connects the Eastern, Monash and Frankston Freeways. It is a fair bit more expensive for those without an electronic tag because each Eastlink pass costs the maximum trip fee instead of being aggregated to the distance travelled.

A single Trip Pass in one direction costs $5.15. Buying passes over-the-counter will unnecessarily incur you an extra $2.45 purchase fee. Avoid this by getting them either over the phone (call 13 54 65 or 13 LINK) or over the internet via Breeze.

Passes remain valid for 6 months and you don’t have to specify your travel dates. You can exit and re-enter Eastlink in the same trip, provided you keep going in the same direction, don’t repeat any section, and complete your trip within 60 minutes. Any unused passes are non-refundable.

Alternatively, consider the Melbourne Pass which covers travel on both the Eastlink and CityLink toll roads (refer to CityLink section).

You can pay for your pass either before or up to 3 days after travelling on the Eastlink.

Eastlink Map and Toll Details PDF (2.0 Mb)

Sydney Toll Roads, Charges and Passes

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Sydney Toll Roads
Toll Roads	Cash	Cost	Phone
M2 – North Ryde toll W | M	Yes	$4.95	13 76 26 (RoamExpress)
M2 – Only Pennant Hills Road toll W | M	Yes	$2.20	13 76 26 (RoamExpress)

Top Ten Deals Now On Oodles

Oodles is one of our top two recommended car rental comparison sites for the Big Boys of Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty. In our Oodles review, we highlighted the site’s unique ability to plug in discount codes (or coupons) from Avis, Budget and/or Hertz when doing a search but had lamented the fact you need to seek out these discount codes in the first place.

Now, they’ve added a new section in their homepage featuring ‘today’s top ten deals’. Clicking on a coupon code will automatically enter it as part of your search criteria. You can enter one code each for Avis, Budget and Hertz to be searched in tandem. We like this as another step in the right direction to simplify, simplify, simplify. Now if only they’ll let us plug in discount codes from Europcar and Thrifty too!

Click to view Oodles website

Drivers License Requirements in Australia

Just what driving licence is required for you to be able to legally hire a car and drive around in Australia?

Valid Licence: First and foremost, you must hold a valid full driver’s license. As tourists, visitors to Australia are allowed to drive with their existing driving licence for up to three months. Beyond that, an International Driving Permit (IDP) will be required.
Full Licence: All the major companies require that you have a full license to rent a car. Learner’s permits, provisional and/or probationary licenses are not accepted.
Duration held: Some car hire companies may impose a minimum duration for which you must have held your current licence e.g. Avis and Hertz expect a one-year minimum.
Licence Language: Any valid drivers license in English is accepted. This means if your licence is issued in e.g. UK, USA, New Zealand, etc. you’re set. For licenses in other languages, you should have an International Driving Permit (IDP) to accompany your current driver’s license.

Extra Notes for Specific Countries
United Kingdom: If you hold one of those new photo driving licences, you’ll have to bring along your paper licence too.
China: A China Notarial Certificate is accepted as an alternative to the International Driving Permit as long as you have your original Chinese licence with you too.

The International Driving Permit (IDP)
An IDP is required for anyone whose drivers license is not in English, or intends to stay and drive in Australia for longer than three months. The IDP is in effect a legal translation of your current valid driver’s licence that remains valid for 12 months. It resembles a passport-sized booklet with translations into 9 international languages. It does NOT constitute a licence on its own and rather must be carried around together with your actual valid drivers licence. The IDP is recognized by a large list of countries (over 150), including Australia.

Be careful when applying for your IDP online. There are many versions of sites claiming to offer IDPs for a whole range of prices (up to the hundreds!) yet many of these sites aren’t officially government sanctioned. To avoid being scammed, go to the sites of government-approved and well-established automobile associations within your country. As an indication of the price to expect, in the UK it currently costs about £8, USA US$15, Germany €16, and in Australia A$25-30.

In Practice
These are the official rules you should abide by to ensure you have no problems renting and driving. It is, however, not uncommon for car hire company employees to close an eye if you try to rent with a country licence they are familiar with even though it’s not in English. Your success will depend on your luck whether the person serving you is feeling flexible or in a good mood. But remember that even if you do manage to hire your car, if you get stopped by the Police, you may be fined for not carrying the appropriate documents. In summary, it’s better to be properly prepared!

Audi and Mini Cooper Cars For Hire

For those seeking for a little more elegance than the typical Holden’s, Toyota’s, Hyundai’s and the such, you don’t necessarily have to root out specialty car hire companies – you can still indulge in a sweet ride with a couple of options from the Big Boy companies. But alas, the prices will be “sweeter” too.

Audi A3, A4, A6

For a splash of style and sophistication, Europcar offers a range of cars from the luxury car maker Audi. You can choose from the A3 hatch, A4 sedan and wagon, A4 Cabriolet convertible (QLD, NSW, VIC only) or A6 sedan. Prices for a 3-day hire start at around A$110 per day and can reach A$190 depending on the make.

Click here for more details

Mini Cooper Cabrio Converitible

Thrifty offers up the Cabrio convertible at various Queensland locations. For a 3-day rental, you can expect daily charge to come in at A$130-140.

Click here to go to Thrifty

Car Hire Insurance On Your Credit Card

Many of us don’t realize our existing credit cards may already provide us with all the cover we need without having to take out extra excess insurance cover from the car hire companies. You can save precious dollars by checking if this is true for you. Read more