Best Places To Practise For Learner Drivers In Sydney
Learning to drive in Sydney can feel like navigating a busy intersection blindfolded on roller skates. It’s perfectly normal to feel stressed, but finding the right places to practice can make a world of difference! Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to fine-tune your skills, you may be wondering where in Sydney is best for you to hone your skills.
In this guide we’ll take you through LTrent’s top picks in and around Sydney to practise driving. This isn’t just any guide; it’s your map to driving confidently and safely. Think wide-open spaces, manageable traffic, and zero judgement zones. We’ll help you ditch the stress, grab your learner’s permit, and get ready to explore Sydney’s roads with confidence and ease.
Best Places To Practise Driving in Sydney
1. Car Parks Throughout Sydney
Before you try taking the car on any public roads, you should make sure that you have a good basic understanding of how to drive and how the car works. From steering to braking, accelerating, and operating basic functions like turn indicators, windshield wipers, etc.
The best way to practise driving is in a low-stress environment, such as a car park, of which Sydney has countless options available.
Our recommendation is to start practising at a school after-hours. Primary and secondary schools have huge parking lots which are almost always completely abandoned after school has let out for the day.
Plan to get there around 5 or 6 PM, and you’ll be able to practise without worrying about any other cars. Weekends are also a good time to practise driving in these areas, but make sure to check if any sporting events are taking place as that would mean many people about.
2. University Of Western Sydney (Weekends)
On the weekends, Western Sydney University is almost completely abandoned, and has little traffic on its roads. It also has plenty of large car parks, so you can practise driving in the car park until you feel comfortable, then drive around the local roads to get more familiar with driving on a real road.
See: Parking Maps for University of Western Sydney
3. Macquarie University (Weekends)
Macquarie University is suburban, and has very little traffic on the weekends. It has some larger main roads and smaller streets where you can practise lots of different driving situations, and boost your driving skills. Once you’re comfortable on public roads, it’s a great destination to practise driving.
4. Sydney Olympic Park (Daytime Weekdays)
Sydney Olympic Park may be one of the most popular locations for first time drivers as well as more experienced learners. Going to Sydney Olympic Park is a great choice to build your driving skills due to its size and layout. It’s nearly completely abandoned during the day, particularly on weekdays. It also has a little bit of everything to test your driving, including:
- Intersections with traffic lights and roundabouts
- Turn offs
- High speed roads
- Parking lots
Since there is little-to-no traffic, you can learn how to handle these different road elements without too much stress or worrying about other vehicles. Ensure no major events are on during your visit, as that would mean a lot of foot traffic and cars everywhere.
5. Industrial Areas In Sydney
For drivers who have more experience, we recommend driving around industrial areas in Sydney like Botany, Banksmeadow, Milperra, Padstow, Artarmon and Silverwater. Traffic is usually pretty sparse in industrial areas, so you can drive around comfortably.
Please use extreme caution when in these areas, as you’ll likely encounter trucks and larger vehicles, due to the presence of industrial companies. Driving around heavy vehicles is an essential skill for drivers, so practising in these industrial areas is a great way to improve your overall driving ability.
Recommendations by LTrent Instructors
Who better to ask what are the best places to learn to drive than our trusty LTrent Instructors? Here is the advice of some of our North Shore Instructors:
“If I have students in the North Sydney area I take them to Longueville. It’s very wide, flat and quiet.
“Any students in the Mosman area, I take them to Clifton Gardens. It’s very wide and quiet but slightly hilly.
“If my students are in the Chatswood area, I’ll take them to Artarmon near Sydney Road which is quiet but a little narrow in places.
“A suburban area that is optimal for learners is Lindfield as it is very flat and wide. Once the student is a bit more confident we move into the hills of Killara and Gordon.
“I take my students to a very quiet suburban block to perform left turns. Then follow by right turns and later using 2 square blocks to do left and right turns on a figure eight.
Check Out These Places To Practise For Learner Drivers In Sydney!
Practice makes perfect. So use our recommendations for the top places to practise for learner drivers in Sydney – and start improving your own driving skills! Do you need help, or are interested in professional driving instruction? LTrent Driving School is the best choice in your local area, having professional instructors servicing every Sydney suburb.
Contact us now, and learn more about our lesson packages in Sydney or the Safer Drivers Course which provides learner drivers in class and car coaching sessions. Call 02 8748 4500 or book your lessons online.
See also:
Best Places To Practise Driving in Western Sydney
What To Expect on Your First Driving Lessons