I know globalgig, I think you can order it online and have it shipped now.

I would just pop by a local Woolies or Coles when you get there and get a local SIM. It's relatively cheap that way. I bought a $2 Telstra SIM last week. With Telstra I think the plans were $20 for 2GB, $30 for 5GB, $50 for 22GB, $90 for 42GB or something similar. Telstra is good if you're planning to travel off the beaten path a bit. If you're planning on staying closer to the cities, Optus or Vodaphone will get you a better price for data I would think. I also use the MVNO Amaysim, which offers data only plans like 2GB for $15, $25 for 5GB, and $70 for 100GB.

But either way I'd strongly recommend a local SIM for data only. You can get them at most airports when you arrive as well, if getting to a store is challenging.

A common question

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trav...australia.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocea...rport-sim.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocea...australia.html

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocea...australia.html

Woolworths & Coles are the 2 largest supermarket chains. Have many shops

Comparison web sites --->
https://www.whistleout.com.au
http://youcompare.com.au

Edit
https://www.coles.com.au/our-range/o...s/coles-mobile

Telstra seems to be having a lot of network issues lately.

I used Vodafone on my recent visit. Ordered it ahead for like A$20. 18GB of data, unlimited Australia text and calls. I had them ship it to the hotel I stayed at in Adelaide and picked it up at the front desk when I arrived. I think they have offers that change frequently.

A couple of years ago, I bought a Vodafone SIM at SYD and could never get 4G on my iPad.

I went to Vodafone stores in the city and they could not help me.

Finally I bought Telstra SIM and it was 4G.

Sometimes they run promos, though maybe only in the summer.

Based on my experience last month, I'd buy one at the airport and not wait for a grocery store. There were quite a few hurdles we had to jump thru to get the Woolies one to work (ie it didn't work for a non local to activate). There were some reasonable deals upon arrival too.

More annoying than the routing via the UK are the restrictions that Three puts on its Feel at home roaming. It's a relatively flexible wording and, AFAIK, prevents you from using your contract over longer continuous periods.

Magic, thanks for all the suggestions

3 in Australia
 

I have a UK 3 SIM in my iPad , was in NZ and Australia for 5 weeks in Feb - Mar this year I didn't use it daily but thought their roaming data speed was pretty decent , certainly good enough for Google Maps I think their T and Cs say something like max 13 gb a month when roaming Worth giving it a try , after all its free ! Tethering is technically forbidden , but there are ways..

A bit late to this, but I got an Optus 4G SIM card at Sydney airport at the start of a week's stay in May. It was only 10 AUD and I had good signal and data speeds all week.

Next week I'll be driving all over Western Australia exploring wildflowers for three weeks. We will only spend a day or two in Perth. This site implies that Telstra has the best coverage in outlying areas, is this correct? And if so, is there a difference between the various Telstra MVNOs? I'm mostly interested in data packages of at least 2GB.

Thanks for your help. Ordering a $30 Telstra SIM online requires an Australian billing address, which I don't have. Did you pre-order the free SIMs?

I preordered a promotional SIM, like 10 AUD for like 5 GB at the time, in 2015.

I had them deliver to a Sydney CBD hotel and I don't recall the billing address being an issue. I think I may have done the support chat too.

The only hassle was that they used some kind of courier service and they wouldn't take the signature of the hotel reception clerks. It had to be me so they timed it to deliver right after I'd checked in.

I actually had to go downstairs to reception to meet the courier and sign in person.

Yeah probably a lot less hassle to buy in person at the store. It takes up time but maybe be unavoidable.

Also, in another visit, I picked up a Vodafone SIM at SYD and could NEVER get it to connect to 4G. Really annoyed me. I ended up buying a Telstra SIM half way into that trip. I had gone into a Vodafone store in the city and they couldn't tell me why it wasn't connecting to 4G.

So be wary of those airport kiosks. They had one right in baggage claim at SYD so I went for it. I'm not even sure if it was an actual Vodafone kiosk.