Magistrate Ian von Einem disqualified Chuan Yu Huang, 24, of South Terrace, Penola, from driving for nine months for dangerous driving on April 20 this year. He also placed Huang on a suspended three-month jail term for the offence.

The court was told that Huang, who was on a working visa and pruning vineyards, was not aware of the road rules in Australia at the time of the accident but had since learnt them.

Mr von Einem said Huang could have easily killed or seriously injured someone because of his driving.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Nathan Brown said a motorcyclist suffered injuries that included a bone fracture when he fell off his bike after striking the vehicle that Huang was driving on the wrong side of the road.

Leading Senior Constable Brown said Huang had wanted to see the sunset over the Twelve Apostles and had overtaken a van on double lines on a bend because he thought the van was travelling too slow.

He said the injured motorcyclist had been the leading rider in a group of four motorcyclists and had been forced to ride between Huang’s oncoming vehicle and the oncoming van but had struck the left-hand side of Huang’s vehicle.

Huang had driven to the right of the oncoming motorcyclists to avoid a collision, Leading Senior Constable Brown said.

Mr von Einem told Huang it was “pure luck” he was not going to jail for culpable driving.