【Australia 1-Year SIM】The 2 Cards We Chose After a Thorough Comparison, and the “Inconvenient Truth” We Learned on the Road
When starting a long-term stay, caravan trip, or farm work in Australia, the first challenge everyone faces is: “Which mobile network should I choose?”
Since we wanted to avoid the hassle of monthly recharges and keep costs down, we looked into 365-day long-term prepaid plans.
If you search online, you will mostly find the same standard advice: “Telstra is the only choice for the outback!” or “Low-cost SIMs have poor network quality.” While it is tempting to just pay for a major carrier, we laid out all the options available as of July 2026—from major providers to low-cost MVNOs—and closely examined what we actually needed for our lifestyle.
Here is the conclusion we reached, along with the real network conditions we experienced firsthand in regional areas.
1. The Real Options We Identified (As of July 2026)
This is the raw data we gathered at the time of our contract, comparing the standard retail price against the actual promotional offers for each provider’s highest-tier plan.
⚠️ Note The prices and data allowances listed below are confirmed facts from our research as of July 2026. Because sales and discounts change frequently depending on the season, promotional details outside this specific period are listed as “unconfirmed.”
| Network | Provider | Standard Retail Price | Actual Plan Details (As of July 2026) | Network Characteristics & Specifications |
| Telstra Network (Reputedly best in regional areas) | Telstra (Major) | $395 / 180GB | $395 / 330GB (Includes 150GB bonus data) | The ultimate network insurance. Covers the vast majority of the country. Peace of mind for farm work and travel. Speed capped at 150Mbps. |
| Boost Mobile | $300 / 240GB | $300 / 295GB (Includes 55GB sign-up bonus) | The only MVNO with full access to the Telstra network. Allows regional coverage at a lower fixed cost. | |
| Optus Network (Metro & major regional areas) | Optus (Major) | $350 / 220GB | $350 / 220GB (Standard plan) | Speed capped at 250Mbps. Best suited for users primarily staying in metro areas. |
| amaysim | $320 / 240GB | $199 / 240GB (Promotional price) | Excellent value and unique perks. The maximum 240GB plan drops to $199 right now. Includes a 15GB birthday month bonus. We would have both chosen this if not for regional network concerns. | |
| Vodafone Network (Metro-focused) | Vodafone (Major) | $350 / 220GB | $350 / 320GB (Includes 100GB bonus data) | No direct discount, but offers extra data. A viable option if you stick to cities and major highways. |
| Kogan Mobile | $300 / 500GB | Around $190+ / 200GB〜 | Sells high-capacity data vouchers depending on the season. Uses Vodafone network. | |
| Lebara | $300 / 425GB | $300 / 425GB | Includes a data bank feature up to 500GB and generous international call allowances. |
2. Why We Skipped the Rest and Chose “Telstra Major” and “amaysim”
Out of all these options, we ultimately decided to get one Telstra Major SIM and one amaysim (Optus network) SIM, splitting our lines across two different networks. Our logic was straightforward:
① Why we ruled out Vodafone-based networks first
On paper, some of these plans offered highly attractive data capacities for the price. However, based on online reviews, traveler testimonials, and blogs, many users noted that the Vodafone network tends to lose coverage in certain regional farm areas and inland locations. Since our priority was network stability while traveling and working in regional areas, we decided to minimize risk and left them out of our final selection.
② We would have both chosen amaysim if we were staying in the cities
As an MVNO, amaysim’s top-tier 240GB plan drops to $199 under the current promotion. Compared to the standard pricing of the major carriers, this offers massive annual savings. Additionally, amaysim gives you a 15GB bonus data allowance for free during your birthday month. If our lifestyle was strictly city-based without any regional travel risks, we would have both chosen amaysim without hesitation.
③ Why we still paid more to keep one Telstra Major SIM in the mix
We had two reasons. First, we wanted a reliable backup plan to avoid total blackouts while traveling, and Telstra happened to be offering a large 330GB allowance with their bonus data promotion. Second, we needed to maintain a 24/7 remote monitoring system (SwitchBot cameras and temperature sensors) inside our caravan to ensure our cat’s safety while we were away. By splitting our risks between Telstra Major and amaysim (Optus), we built a system where if one network went down or lost signal, the other could still keep our devices online.
3. The “Inconvenient Truth” We Learned on the Road
However, once we actually headed out to regional farm areas (such as around Mildura) and began using the setup, we discovered a reality very different from the online consensus.
Real Eye-Opener #1: Telstra Major has surprisingly frequent maintenance and outages
Even though we paid a premium for “peace of mind,” we found that Telstra Major frequently runs network maintenance during weekday daytimes, and unexpected outages occur at a rate of roughly once a month or more. Losing your connection right in the middle of a weekday when you actually need to use it made us realize that assuming a major carrier is always reliable is a misconception.
Real Eye-Opener #2: The low-cost amaysim worked better in some regional areas
Despite the common belief that Telstra is the only network that works in the country, we ran into several situations while working on the farm where the expensive Telstra SIM simply could not find a signal, while the budget-friendly amaysim (Optus network) showed a strong connection and browsed smoothly.
Depending on where local base stations are positioned, it is completely normal for a budget SIM network to outperform a major carrier in specific regional pockets.
Conclusion: Our Dual-Network Strategy Was the Right Choice
While Telstra’s frequent daytime maintenance and outages can be frustrating, our experience taught us a valuable lesson: never put all your eggs in one basket by putting both phones on the same network.
Using the wider coverage map of Telstra Major as our baseline insurance policy, while relying on amaysim—with its excellent value and birthday perks—to fill in the gaps and handle outages, proved to be the best approach.
In fact, if we didn’t have our cat with us in the caravan and didn’t need a backup network for the 24/7 pet camera, we would have easily both chosen amaysim. That is how impressed we were with amaysim’s value and its actual performance in the field.
If you are planning to travel or work on farms across Australia, combining a major carrier with an MVNO across two different networks is easily the most practical and reliable way to stay connected.
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