Hi, I'm starting to learn how to drive but there aren't any locations of my preferences.
I'd like a wide place, with no cars. Like a parking lot or I heard there's a racing track near UWS? or shopping centre where the parking lot is empty on the lowest level?
Reason is because I need small exposure little by little. I get really scared easily.
Please don't take the motorway. What's more dangerous than a slow right lane hog? A learner doing 20km under the limit on a motorway. The amount of cars weaving in and out changing lanes to get past learners on motorways is so hazardous.
OP, not inner west but there's a parking lot adjacent to the Roselands shopping centre along Roselands drive that's pretty much always empty.
Olympic Park in Homebush isn't really 'inner west' but is usually deserted and has wide roads
I regard anything before Lidcombe as the inner-west, although all the tv networks say that Lidcombe is in western sydney.
I guess it's just perspective. I grew up thinking the border was at ashfield, but most tend to agree upon it being strathfield.
I find it hard to say that places like Five Dock, Burwood, Strathfield, Homebush, Rhodes, Concord are in western sydney. It only takes like 20-25 minutes from Central to Ashfield/Five Dock.
The suburbs I have mentioned all receive the inner-west courier.
the inner west ends around annandale, paramatta is the outskirts of sydney and penrith is in western australia
That's incorrect. Strathfield is part of the inner-west and so is Drummoyne.
Parramatta is the heart of western Sydney.
And very funny.
+1 for Olympic Park - there are also some large, open parking areas on Hill Road (at Holker Street).
This is what I think you mean by racetrack, they do learning training courses but I don't think they will let you on the track otherwise
http://www.sydneymotorsportpark.com.au/experiences/driver-tr…
There is a similar driving school set up with private roads in St Ives
http://hart.honda.com.au/About_HART_NSW
Or you happen to have AAMI insurance they offer a similar course free in Western Sydney / you can pay to attend if not a policyholder
https://aamiskilleddrivers.ismartsoftware.net/iRegister/Cour…
A course might be a good idea if you continue to be nervous
If you're just starting, a carpark is an excellent place. It's sealed, it's flat, and you can stall and bunny hop without worrying about anyone else. If you're learning on the weekend, try somewhere like a university, office building or school carpark that will be busy during the week. If you're learning during office hours try a carpark for a local sports ground (netball courts, soccer, or a showground).
It took me ages to learn to drive, but you'll get there.
Try industrial areas on Saturday arvo or Sundays. They tend to be quiet and often have wide roads.
If you are looking for large open car parks I'd recommend you also consider the giant car parks of IKEA, ALDI, Domain/Harvey Norman, etc, since they are open spaced as opposed to multistory. At night time these car parks are usually well lit by lamp posts and they include speed bumps that force you to learn smooth braking, stopping and acceleration.
Other carparks to consider are ones that are near parks, sports ovals, indoor sports centres, park-n-ride car parks, bus parking bays, pokie clubs, McDonald's/KFC.
Industrial areas and truck stops are great but they can be a little scary if you are not used to driving at night.
My personal favourite is new suburbs or new housing developments as these have proper roads without cars. They are very peaceful and you can safely learn to increase your speed even up to race driving speeds! The problem is it is rare to find new suburbs or street blocks in the city. eg. Rhodes, Homebush and Centennial park used to be very quiet when they were first built.
Empty carparks are good. Barely any cars around and you can practice your parking, observation checks, three point turns and whatnot in relative peace. You can also try the Macquarie University campus.
But when you need to learn road rules, try to drive out to Olympic Park via the M4 Western Motorway, preferably on a day when it's not too busy. But don't get too comfortable driving on the quiet, sedate roads, you need traffic around you for a proper learning experience.