Sixteen-year-old Jonty Taylor is close to filling his learner's driver log book with the mandatory 100 hours, and is readying himself for his first driving test.
But unlike most of his peers, he is determined to get a manual licence.
"It's a lot think about. You're not only having to concentrate on the road, which you're still getting used to, but you're also having to worry about all the gears that you're shifting," Jonty said.
"And you're always worried about stalling it," he laughed.
Once, balancing the clutch and learning the art of a hill start was a rite of passage for young Australian drivers, but now there is a growing trend of young drivers ditching the manual licence altogether.
Shifting focus
In Queensland over the past five years, there has been a 21 per cent increase in learner drivers under the age of 25 using an automatic car to successfully pass their driving test.
In 2022, close to four in every 10 practical tests with a 'pass' outcome was in a manual.
In Victoria during the 2021-22 financial year, 10,322 successful tests were taken in manual vehicles, compared to 65,594 in automatics.
In New South Wales, automatics have become the car of choice for learner drivers.
In 2022, 231,000 driving tests were carried out in automatics, while only 29,000 were in manuals, or just over one in every 10.
"The world is changing and the manual is disappearing pretty fast," motoring journalist Scott Collie, from website CarExpert, said.
"Car makers are not investing in developing manuals, even in sports cars at the really top end of the market, because the cars are so technologically advanced.
"They're just making really clever automatic transmissions that can shift faster.
"You lose a bit on the driver involvement front, but the car will be fast around a track, and if you're Ferrari, that's worth something in the marketing world."
Mr Collie said there were always going to be people who would argue the only way to drive was with a manual.
"I completely understand, because all the cars I've owned have been manuals, but the rest of the world has moved on," he said.
"I think it's a combination of people not being interested, for one. But it's also about access at this point.
"In Australia, we're taught to drive by our parents, and if most of the cars in Australia are automatics, then most kids don't have access to a manual car to actually learn in.
"So whether it's by choice, or whether it's just because of the fact there aren't many manual cars being sold in Australia, it's not surprising to see the uptake on automatic licences growing really quickly."
A redundant skill?
Mr Collie said there was a strong push from within the enthusiast community to enjoy manuals "while we still can".
"A lot of paddock bashers and utes that do all the hard yards on Australian farms are manuals as well, and they're not going anywhere anytime soon," he said.
"I think there's also a movement within just people who enjoy driving, to hang on to their manual cars or to snap them up while they're still available.
"But ultimately, longer term, there's going to come a point where they represent such a small part of the market in Australia that it might be a redundant skill."
The trend towards automatics has already extended to the second-hand car yard.
"Everybody wants an automatic, right across the board," Ed Sprang, from Cars Galore in Toowoomba, said.
"Young buyers are just going straight to automatics. Some of them find manuals too overwhelming.
"It's like tapping your head and rubbing the belly at the same time. Some people just can't do it."
While Mr Sprang laments the "dying art" of manual driving, he understands the appeal of automatic cars.
"When you get in the city, it can be a bit tiresome in a manual, especially if it's bumper to bumper traffic," he said.
"You're crawling along, off the clutch, on the clutch, off the clutch.
"But I'd always prefer a manual when overtaking and pulling up and down hills."
Back in his driveway, Jonty practices his gear changes.
"It definitely feels different," he said.
"I could get an auto and that would be a lot easier, but I think putting in the work to drive does make you a better driver."
He hopes it will pay off when he leaves school.
"The jobs I want to do, in farming and ag, mostly involve a lot of manual driving. And most cars out west are manuals," he explained.
"And it is more fun when you get to go through all the gears. You almost feel like you're a race car driver."
