Good point, let me try it here first (navigation with data off).
As for mobile data coverage, I'm only going to the "normal" tourism places (Philllip Island, Dandenong, GOR, Blue Mountains) ; so I am assuming the mobile coverage will be fine
Is this not the case?
Coverage will definitely be patchy on the Great Ocean Road - there's a huge hole in
Telstra's coverage around Apollo Bay, because the terrain around there is mountainous and rugged and it's a pain in the ass to cover. I suspect you'll get the same issues up in the Blue Mountains, especially if you're more than about 5km away from the Great Western Highway. Bells Line of Road, the other route through the Blue Mountains, is one big coverage hole.
The Dandenongs could be touch-and-go if you go anywhere outside the towns; Phillip Island will be fine.
touchme said:
You're still within 200km of the coast or of any cities, unless you are more 1000 km inland in the outback, then it gets intermittent.
Oh dude, you could not be more wrong. You're not in Singapore any more. There are huge holes in the coverage in mountainous areas, even right near cities (Royal National Park, 30km from the Sydney CBD, is a coverage hole), and rural areas only tend to have coverage in the towns and within about 10km around (which, when there's 100km between towns, leaves some big holes in the coverage!).
Take a look at the coverage map I linked up there. Look at the area around, say, Canberra or Jerilderie or Mildura or Mount Isa. These are all pretty big cities, but they're surrounded by huge coverage gaps - especially if you switch off the "external antenna" option, which your average tourist renting a car is not going to have.