📵 How to be prepared for no reception
You will lose signal on your trip. Not maybe, definitely. Here is how to make it a digital detox instead of a bad night.
The first time I arrived in Devonport, Tasmania on the Spirit of Tasmania, at 6am in the morning, I realised I had absolutely no reception (I was with Vodafone), and had no way of finding out how to get to the accommodation I had arranged. The first lady I asked to borrow a phone at the gas station said no, and I was lucky that the next person I asked was happy to lend me her phone, that was my big “Welcome to Tassie!” slap in the face. Since then I have always made sure that I have offline map downloaded before I go anywhere.
Australia is enormous and mostly empty. There are stretches on the Bruce Highway, most of the Nullarbor, and some places on the East Coast where you will have nothing for hours. Prepare once at the start of your trip and you never have to think about it again.
1. Tell someone before you go MIA
Message a friend or your parents with your route and roughly when you expect to be back in signal. It costs you thirty seconds and it means if you do not respond, somebody knows where to start looking. Then actually message them when you are back in range so nobody panics.
2. Download everything while you still have bars
In Google Maps, download the offline area for the entire region you plan to travel, not just tomorrow's drive. Download your playlists and podcasts at the same time. The habit worth building: every time you are in a town with good signal, top up your downloads for the next stretch.
3. Check your carrier before you head anywhere remote
Not all networks are equal out here. Telstra has by far the widest regional coverage, Optus is solid along the east coast but thins out fast. My favourite for most reliable and budget friendly is ALDI Mobile Plans, as it runs on the Telstra Wholesale network which is a smaller footprint than Telstra but has different options to suit. You can even pre-order them online and have it delivered to your accommodation! Every carrier publishes a coverage map, have a look at your route on it.
4. Keep the boring documents offline
Screenshot the things you would panic without and put them in one album: your visa grant, insurance policy number, roadside assistance number, rego details, booking confirmations, your passport photo page. Then write the roadside assistance number and one emergency contact on actual paper and stick it in the glovebox. Phones die. Paper does not.
5. Know what still works with no bars
The emergency number for Australia is “000”, and it works on any network. The free Emergency+ app shows your exact GPS coordinates, which is the single most useful thing you can read out to a dispatcher when you have no idea where you are. Newer iPhones and some Android phones can also text emergency services via satellite. For genuinely remote stretches, you can hire a personal locator beacon cheaply, and some national parks and police stations lend them out for free.
Do these once and no reception stops being scary. It is honestly one of the better parts of the trip, nobody can reach you 📵
✨Fun facts
Did you know that all Telstra payphones across Australia are completely free to use? It cost Telstra more money to collect the coins and repair damaged coin boxes than the actual cash brought in LOL!
Many payphones now also have free Telstra Wi-Fi.
What if you break down with no signal?
Stay with your vehicle. A car is far easier to spot from the road or the air than a person walking, and people who leave their car to find help are the ones who get into serious trouble. Pop the bonnet, stay in the shade, ration your water, and wait. Which is the other reason to carry more water than you think you need, always.