Editing Rest area (section)

===Australia===
[[File:Wentworth terrain.jpg|thumb|Roadside 'rest area' {{convert|20|km}} north of [[Wentworth, New South Wales]]]]

Rest areas in Australia are a common feature of the [[highways in Australia|road network]] in rural areas. They are the responsibility of a variety of authorities, such as a state transport or main roads bureau, or a local government's works department. Facilities and standards vary widely and unpredictably: a well-appointed rest area will have bins to deposit small items of litter, a picnic table with seating, a cold water tap (sometimes fed by a [[rainwater tank]]), barbecue fireplace (sometimes gas or electric), toilets, and – less commonly – showers. Other rest areas, especially in more remote locations, may lack some or even all of these facilities: in [[South Australia]], a rest area may be no more than a cleared section besides the road with a sign indicating its purpose. Rest areas in Australia do not provide [[filling station|service stations]] or restaurants (such facilities would be called [[roadhouse (premises)|roadhouse]]s or [[truck stop]]s), although there may be [[caravan (towed trailer)|caravans]], often run by [[charitable organization|charities]], providing refreshments to travellers.

Comfort and hygiene are important considerations for the responsible authorities, as such remote sites can be very expensive to clean and maintain, and vandalism is common. Also, Australia's dependence on road transport by heavy vehicles can lead to competition between the amenity needs of recreational travelers and those of the drivers of heavy vehicles—so much so that on arterial routes it is common to see rest areas specifically signed to segregate the two user groups entirely. Thus rest areas generally do not allow overnight occupation. In [[Queensland]], however, well-maintained rest areas sometimes explicitly invite travelers to stay overnight, as a road safety measure, but this is rare elsewhere.