Nullarbor Phone Coverage and Emergencies

Mobile coverage on the Nullarbor is patchy. You'll usually have signal near the roadhouses, but there are long stretches of the Eyre Highway with none at all. A little preparation means you can still call for help if you need it.

Mobile coverage

Telstra reaches furthest along the Eyre Highway. Other networks have much less coverage out here.
Expect signal at and near most roadhouses, and gaps between them — some of them long.
Check the Telstra coverage map (or your own provider's) before you go.
Download offline maps, music and anything else you need before you leave the city.

Calling 000

A call to 000 from a mobile is carried on any available mobile network, so it can get through even if your own provider has no coverage — as long as at least one network does. If there's no coverage at all, a normal mobile call won't work.

Install the free Emergency+ app. It calls 000 and uses your phone's GPS to show your location, so you can tell emergency services exactly where you are.
Check your phone can call 000. Since the 3G networks closed, some older phones can't make emergency calls. See the ACMA emergency calls page.

When there's no coverage

Satellite messaging on your phone. Telstra offers satellite text messaging on compatible phones when you're out of mobile coverage, and recent iPhones have Emergency SOS via satellite. Check with your provider whether your phone and plan are eligible, and try it before you set off.
A personal locator beacon (PLB) sends a distress signal to search and rescue by satellite from almost anywhere. Register it free with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, and use it only in a life-threatening emergency.
A satellite messenger lets you send and receive texts and check-ins without mobile coverage, usually on a subscription.

UHF CB radio

A UHF CB radio is worth having, especially if you're towing. Channel 40 is the road channel used by truck drivers and wide-load pilot vehicles, and channels 5 and 35 are reserved for emergencies. Other travellers and road trains are often within radio range when there's no phone signal.

If you break down

Stay with your vehicle. It's easier to see than a person, and it gives you shade.
Carry plenty of water — several litres per person — and some food.
Wave down passing traffic: the highway is busy with trucks, caravans and cars day and night.
Tell someone your plan and where you expect to stop each night, and check in when you get there.

More Nullarbor planning

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