NEW SOUTH WALES

Goulburn DUI Lawyers

In shortBoorman Lawyers are experienced, dedicated drink driving, drug driving and DUI lawyers who regularly appear at Goulburn Local and District Court and represent clients facing alcohol, drug and serious traffic charges at this courthouse. Goulburn Local and District Court in Montague Street is open weekdays and hears drink and drug driving charges from the Hume Highway and the Southern Tablelands. We assist clients at Goulburn Local and District Court by appearing at court mentions, guilty pleas and sentencing hearings, preparing comprehensive sentencing submissions and character reference material, advising on licence disqualification periods and mandatory alcohol interlock rules under New South Wales law, and preparing Section 10 non-conviction applications.

Court: Goulburn Local and District Court, Montague Street, Goulburn NSW 2580. Phone 1300 679 272. Registry 9.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00pm – 4.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Highway risk: Heavy vehicle drivers (GVM over 13.9 t) must stay under 0.02. Drug presence is an offence without impairment.
Law: NSW Road Transport Act 2013. There is no work licence in NSW.

New South Wales law · law checked 20 Oct 2026

Call 1300 941 900 Make an enquiry about legal representation

General image – not this courthouse.

What's on this page

Which court hears a Goulburn-area charge, and which courts are nearby?

Your court attendance notice names the court, and that is where you must go unless the court orders otherwise. Goulburn Local Court in Montague Street covers the city and the Southern Tablelands. These are the nearest other courts on this site, with approximate straight-line distances:

Court	About	Area
Moss Vale	63 km	Southern Highlands
Nowra	82 km	Shoalhaven
Picton	104 km	Wollondilly
Campbelltown	126 km	Macarthur

Travel times by road are longer than these distances suggest, so plan the trip to court before the day. More is on our NSW traffic law page.

Why does the Hume Highway matter for Goulburn charges?

Goulburn sits on the Hume Highway between Sydney and southern NSW, with the Southern Tablelands around it: Marulan, Crookwell, Taralga and Tarago. Freight, farm and tradie traffic uses these roads, and local jobs, including shift work at correctional and government facilities, depend on driving. Situations can include:

random breath testing on the highway and its interchanges;
driving home from a club, pub or sporting function;
an early shift after a late night, with alcohol still present;
mobile drug testing on the main routes;
a crash or a call from another motorist.

None of this changes the law, but it does shape what evidence of hardship the court will want to see.

What charge do you actually face?

Look at the court attendance notice. It names the offence, and that decides the penalty range. Under the Road Transport Act 2013 (NSW), the PCA (prescribed concentration of alcohol) ranges are:

Novice range: any alcohol, but under 0.02, for learner, provisional and interlock licence holders, and for unlicensed or disqualified drivers;
Special range: 0.02 to under 0.05, for special category drivers, including L and P platers, drivers of vehicles with a GVM over 13.9 tonnes, coach, bus and taxi drivers, and drivers carrying placarded dangerous goods;
Low range: 0.05 to under 0.08;
Mid range: 0.08 to under 0.15;
High range: 0.15 or more.

Separate offences cover driving under the influence (s 112), illicit drug presence (s 111) and refusing a breath test or analysis. The detail is in our NSW drink driving offences guide.

What is the most you can get for a first offence?

At $110 per penalty unit:

Charge	Maximum fine	Maximum prison	Licence
Novice, special or low range	$2,200	None	6 months automatically; the court can reduce it to 3
Drug presence (s 111)	$2,200	None	6 months automatically; the court can reduce it to 3
Mid range	$2,200	9 months	Interlock order: 3–6 months' disqualification, then 12 months or more on an interlock
High range	$3,300	18 months	Interlock order: 6–9 months' disqualification, then 24 months or more on an interlock
DUI	$3,300	18 months	Interlock order if alcohol was involved, as for high range

The maximums are the ceiling, not the starting point. A second offence within 5 years brings higher maximums and longer licence periods, and a drink or drug driving penalty notice in that window counts (s 9(2A)). Full first and second offence figures are in our NSW drink driving penalties guide. The official summary is on the Transport for NSW penalties page.

Can you keep driving until your Goulburn court date?

It depends on whether police gave you an immediate suspension notice. For mid range, high range, DUI, refusal and some other offences, they can (s 224). The suspension lasts until the charge is dealt with. You can appeal it to the Local Court, but the court will lift it only if exceptional circumstances justify that (s 268). If no notice was given, you can usually drive until the court deals with the charge, provided your licence is otherwise valid. Our licence suspension appeal guide explains how an appeal works.

Is the interlock really compulsory?

Yes, for a mid range, high range, alcohol DUI or refusal conviction. The court must make an interlock order unless an exemption applies, and the exemption grounds are narrow. Living outside a big city is not one of them. If you never take up the interlock, the result is a 5-year disqualification. Our NSW interlock guide covers cost, fitting and servicing.

What if you drive trucks on the Hume?

Then you are probably a special category driver. In a vehicle with a GVM over 13.9 tonnes, your limit is under 0.02, not 0.05. A reading of 0.03 in a prime mover is a special range PCA, with the same first-offence penalties as low range. Losing your NSW licence also means losing your heavy vehicle class, and that is often the real issue for freight and farm drivers.

What if drugs, not alcohol, were detected?

Under s 111, it is an offence to drive with THC, methylamphetamine, MDMA or cocaine present in your oral fluid, blood or urine. You do not have to have been affected. Cannabis can stay detectable after its effects wear off. If police allege impairment from any drug, including a prescription medicine, the charge may be DUI under s 112, which carries higher penalties. See our NSW drug driving guide.

Can the magistrate deal with it without a conviction?

Possibly. Under section 10 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999, the court can dismiss the charge or make a conditional release order without recording a conviction. Then the automatic disqualification and interlock rules do not apply. The court considers your character, record, age, health, the seriousness of the offence and any extenuating circumstances. A section 10 is not available if you received one for a similar offence in the past 5 years (s 203). Our no conviction guide goes through the factors.

Is there a work licence for Southern Tablelands drivers?

No. NSW has no work licence or hardship licence for drink or drug driving disqualifications. Hardship, such as long work travel, shift work at correctional or other facilities, farming or caring duties, is relevant to how the court exercises its discretion within the legal limits. It cannot create a licence the law does not provide.

What should you bring to Montague Street?

the court attendance notice and any suspension notice;
your Traffic Offenders Program certificate, if you have completed one (check acceptance first);
two or three signed references from people who know about the charge;
an employer letter setting out your role, hours and travel;
evidence of counselling or GP treatment, if relevant;
copies of everything, plus a plan for getting home if you are disqualified.

Is a guilty plea always the right answer?

No. Check the police facts first. Key questions include whether the breath analysis was done within 2 hours of the driving (Sch 3 cl 2(2)(a)), whether the certificate matches the charge, and whether the identification and the place of driving are clear. A guilty plea is taken into account at sentence (CSPA s 22), but only once you are sure there is no real defence.

What happens after the sentence?

A disqualification begins on the day of conviction unless the court orders a later start (RTA s 207A). Do not drive away from court. For an interlock order, you serve the disqualification first. Then you have a device fitted, get an interlock licence and keep the device for the minimum period. If you do not, you face a 5-year disqualification. Pay any fine by the due date or arrange to pay by instalments. If you want to challenge the sentence, an appeal to the District Court has strict time limits, so get advice quickly.

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Goulburn drink driving FAQs

Where is Goulburn Local Court?

In Montague Street, Goulburn. It is open Monday to Friday; the registry hours are 9.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.00pm. Phone 1300 679 272. Mail goes to PO Box 474, Goulburn NSW 2580.

I hold a licence from another state. Does a NSW suspension affect me?

An immediate suspension notice stops you driving in NSW under any licence (s 224(4)(b)). How your home state treats a NSW conviction is a question for a lawyer in that state.

What limit applies to a P-plater?

Provisional drivers must have no alcohol in their system. Under 0.02 is the novice range and 0.02 to under 0.05 is the special range. At 0.05 or more, the ordinary low, mid or high range charge applies, the same as for a full licence holder.

Does a section 10 mean no record at all?

It means no conviction is recorded. The court still finds the offence proved, and that finding can count if you are charged again (including for the s 203 bar).

Can I appear by audio visual link?

The official list shows AVL in court room 1 at Goulburn. Whether you can appear that way depends on the court's permission. Do not assume it will be allowed.

Sources and date checked

Sources and references for this page, checked 20 Oct 2026.

Local Court of NSW – Court locations G (Goulburn) — checked 19 Oct 2026
Road Transport Act 2013 (NSW) – current version (ss 9, 54, 110, 111, 112, 203, 205, 207A, 209–212, 224, 268; Sch 3) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW) – ss 9, 10, 10A, 22 — checked 20 Oct 2026
NSW Government (Transport for NSW) – Drink and drug driving penalties — checked 20 Oct 2026

This page is general information about New South Wales law only. It is not legal advice. Every matter turns on its own facts.

Goulburn Local and District Court — court details

Goulburn Local and District Court

Street: Montague Street, Goulburn NSW 2580
Postal: PO Box 474, Goulburn NSW 2580
Phone: 1300 679 272
Registry hours: Registry 9.00am – 1.00pm and 2.00pm – 4.00pm; telephone 8.30am – 4.30pm
Days open: Monday to Friday
Facilities: Audio visual link (AVL) facilities in court room 1

➜ Get directions

Local Court of NSW, Court locations – G (localcourt.nsw.gov.au), saved 19 Oct 2026. Official fax (02) 4824 0333. These are the court registry's details, not Boorman Lawyers office details. Check your court papers for your listing time and courtroom.

NSW Traffic Law

Choose your NSW traffic law topicNSW

Guides for New South Wales traffic law matters.

NSWDrink Driving OffencesRead guide →NSWDrink Driving PenaltiesRead guide →NSWDrink Driving DefencesRead guide →NSWDrug Driving Offences & PenaltiesRead guide →NSWHigh Range PCA Guideline JudgmentRead guide →NSWLicence Suspension AppealRead guide →NSWAlcohol Interlock LawsRead guide →NSWNo Conviction Drink DrivingRead guide →NSWTraffic Offenders ProgramRead guide →NSWDUI Court Process GuideRead guide →NSWDangerous DrivingRead guide →NSWDisqualified DrivingRead guide →

Enquire about legal representation

Call 1300 941 900 or make an enquiry about legal representation.

What to have ready

Court & next listing date: Which court is on your paperwork and when your matter is listed.
Charge or reading (if known): Tell us the charge or reading if you have it — you do not need your full police facts yet.
Work & driving needs: Let us know if you rely on your licence for work or family responsibilities.

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