Best Places To Learn To Drive In & Around Canberra
If you’re learning to drive in the ACT, you may not know where to start. While we do highly recommend taking driving lessons in Canberra with instructors from LTrent Driving School. To enhance your driving ability and learn the road rules in ACT, you may also be wondering where you can practise on your own.
So in this guide, we’ll go over a few of the best places that you can learn to drive in Canberra, based on your experience and confidence level.
What Are The Best Places To Learn Driving In Canberra?
1. Beginner Drivers – Start In Empty Car Parks To Learn The Basics
We always recommend that new ACT learner drivers start in a car park in Canberra when they first sit behind the wheel. Most high schools and universities have relatively few cars in their car parks during the evenings and on weekends, so this is a good place to start. Some other suggestions for beginenr learners include:
- Quiet Suburban Streets: Suburbs like Yarralumla, Deakin, and Curtin have wide, quiet streets which are ideal for beginners to practice basic driving skills such as steering, braking, and maneuvering.
- Industrial Areas During Off-Peak Hours: Areas like Fyshwick and Mitchell during weekends or evenings are typically quiet, providing good practice grounds for parking, reversing, and handling intersections.
2. Intermediate Drivers – Drive In Suburban & Industrial Areas
Once you’re a bit more comfortable behind the wheel and you’re ready to drive on public roads, we recommend heading to suburban areas and light industrial areas like Gungahlin, Hume, and Mitchell, particularly on the weekends.
During this time, there will be relatively little traffic, and you can practise driving on public roads without worrying as much about other vehicles. You’ll get plenty of experience turning, stopping at stop signs and traffic lights, and developing your other basic driving skills.
- Tuggeranong Parkway and Gungahlin Drive: These roads are good for practicing driving at higher speeds and experiencing different traffic conditions.
- Lake Burley Griffin Area: The roads around Lake Burley Griffin, such as Parkes Way, offer a scenic route with a mix of speed limits and traffic conditions.
- Cotter Road: It’s a great road for practicing on rural and winding roads, offering a different driving experience.
3. Expert Drivers – Drive On Highways/Urban Areas, Practise Driving Near Your Testing Centre
If you already have most of your 100 required hours of driving under your belt, you will likely be able to drive in more dense, urban areas, and you should be relatively comfortable driving on highways, so we recommend spending some time driving in both of these places.
It’s likely that you will be asked to go through a dense area or on the highway during your test route, so don’t just stick to suburban and light industrial areas forever!
- Mount Ainslie Lookout: Driving up to the lookout involves navigating inclines and bends, which is good for building hill driving skills.
- School Zones During: These areas are good for practicing low-speed control and awareness of surroundings.
In addition, you may want to practise the driving test in Canberra near your local Access Canberra centre. This will help ensure that you’re relatively familiar with the testing routes you may take during your drive test – making it easier for you to pass on your first go
Looking For The Best Driving School In Canberra?
LTretnt is the #1 choice driving school in Canberra. At our driving school, we can assist you through the entire process of learning to drive. From teaching you the basics to advanced defensive driving skills, we’ll help you get the skills you need to pass your driving test on your first go!
If you’re interested in learning more and booking lessons with LTrent, don’t wait. View our ACT driving instructors online, and book a lesson online immediately to get started.