Invest in a local SIM card
International roaming with your home provider will not be cheap. So it’s best to purchase a local SIM card from one of Australia’s three main providers; Vodafone, Optus, and Telstra. They have all sorts of plans with varying combos of data, minutes and text - all designed specifically for tourists. So purchase a mobile pack to suits your needs for the duration of your Australian holiday.
You can buy mobile packs at international airports, or from stores across Australian cities and most reasonably sized towns. Remember to take your mobile device(s) and proof of identity into the retail store when purchasing.
One of the beauties of Australia is the outdoors, but coverage is not always available in remote parts of the country. So if you are exploring the wilderness, warn friends and family that you may be out of range.
To give you an indication of the packages and their cost here are three travel packages designed for tourists, current as of June 2019.
Vodafone Travel Sim
$30 will get you:
- 10 GB data
- Unlimited standard national calls and text
$40 will get you:
- 20GB data
- Unlimited standard national calls and text
- 500 standard international minutes and Zone 1 countries
- 100 standard international minutes to Zone 2 countries
Optus
$30 will get you:
- 10 GB data
- Unlimited calls to standard national numbers, 13/1300 numbers, and voicemails
- Unlimited standard national SMS and MMS.
$40 will get you:
- 20GB data
- Unlimited calls to standard national numbers, 13/1300 numbers, and voicemail.
- Unlimited standard national SMS and MMS.
- Unlimited standard international calls from Australia to Canada, mainland China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, UK, and USA.
Telstra
$30 will get you:
- 27 GB data
- Unlimited to standard Australian numbers.
- Unlimited standard international calls to 20 destinations.
$40 will get you:
- 35 GB data
- Unlimited to standard Australian numbers.
- Unlimited to standard international calls to 20 destinations.
Are you are looking to use more than one device?
If you are looking to use a combination of devices to connect to the internet, it is more cost-effective to set up your phone as a wireless hotspot.
Free WiFi
WiFi is available in most hotels, cafes, restaurants and a number of local authority venues including all of Australia’s public libraries and Visitor Information Centres. If you are not sure - ask, as it is not always advertised.
The speed of WiFi can range from good (particularly in the cities where there is fibre) to less reliable in more remote or rural areas, where the technology is older.
So if you are looking for flexibility and speed the cellular data networks provide a better, faster service, so you can stay connected and get all those great photos home to your loved ones.
Consider a Calling Card
If your mobile phone is locked to a network back home, or you don't wish to purchase a local SIM card, you can buy a calling card for use within Australia's public phone network. Calling cards can be used to ring international countries for a specified amount of time and are generally very cost effective.
Note: Most public phones in Australia don’t take cash. A credit card or calling card is generally necessary to make a call from a public phone.
Since 2001 we’ve been helping visitors plan their dream Australian holiday. We aim to make visiting our beautiful land effortless. Let our expert holiday planners put together an itinerary for you, no obligation FREE of charge, or get some friendly advice on what small group tour would suit - Just follow the link and answer a few brief questions.
