Thats interesting Tony, and it is something we have been looking into, with some trepidation.

We are having installed satellite TV dish and have been recommended to a satellite internet provider in Brisbane.  The ongoing costs we are yet to look into, but as we live in what is in Telstra terms - living in a "remote" area when we live in the middle of the Hunter Valley, we have little or no faith in the services provided by Telstra.  Our reception here is atrocious, so I would hate to think what it would be like in for eg the Bungle Bungles - little or no hope I would imagine.

Would be interested to hear from anyone who has satellite internet and their experiences.

Hi Tony and Lynne & Barry. We use a Telstra wireless modem. Currently $59 for 1 gig / month that uses Telstra NextG. There are also Bigpond plans (they are not the same as Telstra!) This is as good as it gets at the moment from a coverage point of view, about 20% of the land area at a guess. We also have a sat 'phone that has internet capability, but it is so slow and so expensive as to make it totally unviable. There is 2 way sat internet available, but the gear is $3000 odd and 'aiming' the dish takes time (you have to attend a course first!). Download is no problem, it is upload that causes the grief. Wait a few more years. Cheers, Peter

forget using your mobile for internet, no coverage when you want it, drive around a bit and you will soon see

 if you can afford a sat phone for internet, then go that way, 

we tried one of those "trial" satelite units from telstra, used it for a month, I see they dont have the offer anymore, not that I have seen anyway, we used it when we toured the great ocean road the second time, 

where we like to camp, under trees or shelter of some kind, the dish doesnt like, it likes "uninterupted line of site" so out in the open it has to go, 

everybody going past the dish must "bump it", it is an unwritten law, everybody going past the dish has to "question it", another unwritten law, everybody going past the dish must get tangled in the bloody wires yet another unwritten law, in a caravan park it is next to impossible to keep it straight, and in a free camp it is a worry about the saftey of it, 

it is a pain to set up and a pain to put away and when a cloud comes over it drops out, in some places we couldnt get it at all, south of the otways for instance and around lorne also the grampians 

in short we threw ours in the back and had a beer instead, we used the internet at cafes and libraries, when we got home we cancelled the thing and put it down as a bad experience, 

our phone also has email enabled, so if we really really wanted to email someone we could, but prefer a phone call instead 

if you have your sat dish out in the open, somewhere without the danger of idiots messing with it and you have a "perfect" line of sight with perfectly clear skys then it would be good, not anywhere near snivleisation or trees

-- Edited by dave06 at 17:37, 2008-11-26

Sattelite internet, you would honestly have to be desperate to consider this, it's slower than fast dialup and very expensive. Portability is not that flash either.
The wireless USB modem gadgets that you can now, I notice get free, from Telstra if you get a moblie from them are OK BUT LIKE ALL PHONES if there is no "Next G" network around, ie your phone don't work then internet won't work either. Don't expect coverage in the Bungle Bungles unless you have a satellite mobile and you can get some Sattelite mobiles that will act as a wireless modem but once again the cost factor is prohibitive.
Telstra is a crock; unfortunatley they are the only ones who are required to provide any rural coverage at all and they claim this puts them at a disadvantage.... If there was no Telstra there would be no mobile coverage except in population centres where they can make money.
If you have a Next G mobile and you only want basic internet for say emails and banking but not surfing for hours then get a data pack for your phone, I was quoted $29.95 for a gig per month with no contract so that if you are going to be on the road for a month or so this is probably the most practical option. I have found that so many CP's now have Wi Fi hotspots that I would only use the phone as a wireless modem as a last resort. Ususally Internet cafes will let you plug into their net for a small fee, public libraries also have net access, Maccas have Wi Fi hotspots.
But as everyone has said  "NO MOBILE COVERAGE - NO INTERNET COVERAGE"
Interesting isn't it, us GN's are happy to sit round a campfire in the evenings for entertainment but we have this "need" to get online.... I am as addicted to the net as anyone.
Basils rule of thumb For internet on the Road "If you can legally light a campfire there won't be intenet access" LOL.

Thanks everyone for your input.  Some interesting discussion and certainly some things to think about.

Telstra certainly has the monoply - and leaves much to be desired.

For us - it is no so much the 'desire" to be online, but almost a necessity with both my parents being deaf and also one of my sisters, so online or text messaging is our way of communicating.....

Guess we will just have to look for work were there is internet access from time to time??A lot of the jobs we have seen advertised specify that internet connection is available - so other options out there...and might have to go back to the old pen and paper - oh dread - oh horror

Thanks again everyone

Hi guys, Now I know I am getting a bit old but what are we really saying about internet on the road ? My understanding [or lack of it] from what has been written so far is : [a] forget satellite internet wireless enabled PC with Telstra as an ISP MAY be OK but as a rule of thumb is really only effective if NextG is available also, and [c] Maybe its best to simply rely on wireles hotspots/ internet cafes - far simpler far cheaper - but of course is dependant on being within centres of population. Have I got it right or have I missed something fundamental ? Thanks, Mike