Melbourne: signal, data and getting around
Australia, covered by 45 Australia plans from $0.60.
Talisim editorial team · Updated
Quick answer
A Talisim Australia eSIM works in Melbourne: 45 plans from $0.60, 100MB–50GB, up to 3G, 4G, 5G, on Optus, Telstra. Top-ups: yes, on most plans. Data only: no phone number, calls or texts. WhatsApp, FaceTime, Signal and iMessage work over data. Hotspot and tethering work, as far as your phone allows, and use the same data.
Where the signal goes
Well covered, trams included, and the laneways are narrow enough to confuse GPS without troubling the network.
Getting around
Trams are free inside the CBD zone. Outside it you tap a Myki, which now lives in a phone wallet as well as on a card, and contactless bank cards are being rolled out. Drivers won't sell you one.
Neighbourhoods
Fitzroy
Brunswick Street, record shops, and the bar density is absurd.
Carlton
Italian, next to the university, and where the coffee culture started.
St Kilda
Beach suburb with penguins on the breakwater at dusk.
What's on
Australian Open
January
Melbourne Park
Two weeks of tennis in the January heat, and every hotel near the park is full.
Melbourne Cup
First Tuesday of November
Flemington
Race day is a Victorian public holiday. Offices empty and the trains to Flemington are packed.
Elsewhere in Australia
Installing for the first time? The FAQ has the four steps and the phones that support eSIM.