Driving Test

Through a lot of hassle it looks like I may just be finally able to do my driving test and, fingers crossed, finally get my license (only 10 years overdue!) Having a car in Australia is pretty much essential for getting around the city, never mind actually seeing any of the country outside of Sydney. I thought when I arrived I'd be able to do a test immediately but it turns out you need 120 hours practice in a car with a fully licensed driver next to you. I have no car, or car parking space, or fully licensed driver who's going to sit with me for 120 hours. This has been a huge pain the backside for me. We're heading back to Ireland tomorrow for the last leg of our matrimonial duties, and I've had it in mind for ages to try and arrange to do my test while I was back. Considering there's a waiting list of at least a month, and that my old license had expired, and that (technically) you have to be a resident in the country to get a license, this was going to be quite a feat. After checking all the details on line, I tried to apply for a new license (having to post passport photos and the application back home so that someone from my family could post it locally) only to find out that I needed proof that I'd already applied for a test before I could renew it. So I tried to apply online for the test itself only to find that I needed to have a valid license already to apply online. Feckin' typical kafkaesque bureaucracy.. I was just about to give up completely when, after emailing the transport agency they told me to enter my first and middle name in the box reserved for my first name and, voila, it worked. And just the other day I received a mail saying I'd been given an appointment for my test for a day while I'll actually be in the country! What are the chances of that! Hopefully less than the chances of passing the test...