I am very close to retirement and am considering joining the ranks of those travelling around Australia - and would expect to be 2 years on the road. I live in rented accommodation and therefore once I set off on my adventures then I will have "No Fixed Abode" as of course I will vacate the rental property.
What do you do about vehicle registration. I live in NSW but have my eye on a van over in WA - would I need to re-register it in NSW?? And when it comes due for registration renewal, if I am 3,000Kms from my "Home State" what do I do then.
We registered the 'house' in Tassie (bought in SA, took it back to do some work on it), and since we hit the road we get an online notification when our rego is a month from due.
Car is in Queensland, and they send a paper copy to the PO Box (family checks it), as well as our being able to access the details of our rego online. I set a reminder in the phone, and write it on the calendar, to remind me when both are due.
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The Mobile Madhouse: me (Rosie), him (Troy), a kelpie, a kelpie-dingo, a husky & a rainbow lorikeet.
Just for information sake re vehicle registrations etc.
We have no home address but have mail sent to 2 places. Our son in the ACT and Jenny's mother in NSW. We recently spent 5 weeks in Victoria and I had purposely put a small amount of rego (3 months) on the van. The idea was to have it registered in Vic at $55- as opposed to ACT $505-.
Catch is you need to change your licence, the cruiser rego, as well have proof that you have a some address for correspondence in Vic.
Hi Brian. A warm welcome to The Forum. I hope we can all assist you with your various questions over the coming months and then you will eventually be able to contribute back :)
Registration COSTS and the ways in which your car, van or other road vehicle varies widely State to State, as well as if pit inspections are required each time.
In WA, caravans are still classed as a trailer and the registration cost is low. You can also register yourself on-line on the Dept of Transports website and pay all your vehicle rego costs by Card or direct debit. They are working on sending email invoices, but currently its still snail mail. But you can get round that by just writing or typing into your paper or electronic Diary when the bill is due - pay it, they then send you an email receipt, so it doesn't matter where you are (so long as you can get internet service)
If you are looking to buy from a Dealer, then make it a condition of sale that you can use their street address (assuming they use a PO Box) so you have a residential address in WA or the same thing if buying privately (its acceptable for the buyer and seller to have the same address I'm told).
But if you have family or friends somewhere, ask them if they will be your mail box. Unless you have secret info that only you should read, then ask them to open all your mail and they can either phone you or email you with the details. But nowadays, you can get just about all info - like phone and internet bills, bank statements etc. We get very little mail - usually its just junk mail
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
It's not the cost of registration that I am particularly worried about but something you alluded to. If I have an RV registered in NSW above a certain vintage then it will need a "pink slip" inspection by an approved testing station as part of the registration renewal process (can't complete the process without the vehicle passing the test). So if I was in North West of WA when my rego becomes due, do I have to drive all the way back to somewhere within NSW to have the vehicle inspected or can the inspection be completed inter-state
G'day Brian. May I suggest a call to your local MVR, road transport department or what ever they are called may answer your inquiries. Nothing better than getting it from the horses mouth.
Cheers
ps. sorry I forgot to welcome you the the forum so welcome and enjoy.
-- Edited by ballast2 on Thursday 25th of February 2016 02:51:29 PM
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Jack Cherie and the memory of the four legged kids.
A few things to take on board here. Costs of Rego, Pit Inspections regularity, and Online/Mail addresses/notifications.
In the past with my old cars I went through all the pink slip hassles every year in NSW.
Now retired, I bought my motorhome with Queensland rego for these specific reasons:
1 no pit inspection every year so I can repair/ renovate when I want to. In Qld you need a roadworthy certificate (pit inspection) only when the vehicle transfers ownership.
2. Rego payment can be done online, although snail mail is sent to a Qld address. In my case all my mail is sent to friend in Brisbane who tells me by email if anything important comes through.
This makes it the best choice for me.
BUT Qld is apparently more expensive than Victoria, and if you have or can get a W.A. address, I'm told this is a better deal than Qld.
Do others on the forum prefer Vic/S.A./ W.A/N.T rego for any of the above reasons? All I really know is Qld and NSW and know what's the best for me.
Changing state rego for an existing vehicle is another can of worms but there is some advice on various forums, though newly renovated vehicles seem the most awkward.
Hope my 2 cents' worth is useful.
Cheers, RambleGambol
We got our van registered in Vic, all I had to do is show VIC roads that I had address in Vic, changed our bank account details to show Vic address of friends place with a postal address of our daughters place in NSW, now rego papers are sent to NSW and we pay online, no problems. Did not have to change licence over as we told Vic roads we where moving to VIC but needed to stay in NSW for the time being.
It's not the cost of registration that I am particularly worried about but something you alluded to. If I have an RV registered in NSW above a certain vintage then it will need a "pink slip" inspection by an approved testing station as part of the registration renewal process (can't complete the process without the vehicle passing the test). So if I was in North West of WA when my rego becomes due, do I have to drive all the way back to somewhere within NSW to have the vehicle inspected or can the inspection be completed inter-state
Brian
Friends of ours who had their van registered in NSW had a roadworthy in Qld & kept rego in NSW. This was last year. Not sure what they had to do exactly, paperwork wise, maybe check with the relevant Department......
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The Mobile Madhouse: me (Rosie), him (Troy), a kelpie, a kelpie-dingo, a husky & a rainbow lorikeet.
Inspection reports from interstate or overseas examiners
Inspection reports received from interstate or overseas examiners must record inspection details similar to those for NSW AIS inspection reports. The inspection report must define that individual items such as braking, lighting, steering etc have been inspected and passed as suitable for safe use, and the vehicle must be in a satisfactory condition overall. A letter from an examiner stating that the vehicle is 'suitable for safe use' is not acceptable.
Heavy vehicles subject to Roads and Maritime HVIS inspections cannot be renewed on equivalent heavy vehicle safety check inspection reports issued by interstate or overseas authorities.
Interstate inspection reports
Roads and Maritime will only accept an interstate inspection report for a light vehicle if you are more than 50km from the NSW border.
The report must be from either:
The registering authority in another state or territory (eg VicRoads, Queensland Transport etc), or
An inspection station approved by the interstate authority, or
A recognised motor industry body that is a member of the Australian Automobile Association (eg RACV, RACWA, RACQ, RAA South Australia).
Overseas inspection reports
The report must be from either:
A government department, or
An organisation delegated to undertake suitable for safe use inspections.
Hi. Brian. If you are looking at buying a van in WA, register it in WA. There is no stamp duty on a liveable caravan in WA. Also you can get your rego online and pay it from anywhere in Australia if you have internet. Good thing is there are no inspections in WA on vehicles done annually. Hope this helps Chooknphil
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Remember, the greatest gift is not found in a store or under a tree, but in the hearts of true friends.
Thank you everyone for your kind welcome and also for helping me to address this subject. All your responses have been helpful and I appreciate your assistance.
You will find that once my wife and I embark on our particular adventure you won't be able to shut me up
