Collinsville, located 273 kilometres north-west of Mackay, is experiencing lack of telecommunication services due to an increased volume of residents from renewable energy projects.
The region is also impacted by bush fires and cyclones.
Residents experience extreme difficulty in taking calls, sending messages and accessing internet services. In an event of a natural disaster could result in lack of access to information and placing additional pressure on emergency services.
Telstra supports the vital upgrades needed to restore service to Collinsville.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
QLD
Community Location:
55 kilometres west of Bollon on the Balonne Highway
Description of community needs:
In the Barrington Station area, proximal to the Balonne Highway, there's an old Main Roads camp situated on a high ridge. This site would be ideal for a mobile black spot tower, as it is elevated and already has rural power access.
Installing a tower here would significantly improve mobile coverage in a currently underserved area, where connectivity is extremely limited or non-existent.
While there are towers west of Cunnamulla, a large area east of town remains without coverage. This stretch of road spans 182 kilometres with minimal to no mobile service, and with the bushfire season approaching, reliable telecommunications in this area are critical.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
NSW
Community Location:
Buxton, Razorback Road, Yanderra, Loomes Hill—The Oaks
Description of community needs:
The mobile reception is critical for residents, businesses, emergency services and the public who travel through the Hume electorate using major thoroughfares linking regional towns to wider Sydney.
There are many new developments and a large influx of new residents who haven't experienced natural disasters at these locations. These locations have been impacted by bushfires.
Razorback—Remembrance Driveway Old Hume Highway, Picton Side
Buxton
Mount Hunter
Additionally, Loomes Hill—The Oaks.
These are key thoroughfares, high natural disaster areas, and key access corridors for evacuations.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
QLD
Community Location:
Thallon Qld 4497
Description of community needs:
Thallon has thriving industries such as agriculture and tourism. The constant influx of workers and travellers swells the local population significantly, contributing to mobile tower congestion.
The tower is not fit for purpose for the growing demand for data services which is notably at capacity during the height of harvest and tourist season.
The Thallon community is prone to natural hazards including flooding, bushfires, drought, storms and heatwaves. During these heightened periods, access to information about road closures, emergency warnings, evacuation notices, river heights and access to general communications is vital.
State or Territory:
VIC
Community Location:
2244 Licola Road, Glenmaggie Victoria 3858 (between Chesterfield Road North and Kellehers Road)
Description of community needs:
Blanket Hill is home to a remote community in Wellington Shire. This location would give wide coverage to areas currently with no mobile service including Cowwarr and major camping grounds (Montana and Paradise Valley).
With the approaching bush fire season, telecommunications are going to be critical. The area has been subject to a number of weather events over the last 20 years including bushfires, damaging storms and flooding. This location is ideal sitting at 260 metres above sea level with 360 degrees uninterrupted line-of-sight.
This location (along with Seaton 3858) are both priority areas as identified by Telstra and the local community.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
VIC
Community Location:
Seaton 3858
Description of community needs:
Seaton is a remote area at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in Wellington Shire. The area has been subjected to bushfires (2006, 2013) damaging storms (2021) and flooding (2023—November and December).
The area has very limited mobile coverage that impacted emergency services' ability to provide timely assistance to the community. The area is also the gateway for tourism to the high country where the mobile network is heavily relied upon in the event of emergencies.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
NSW
Community Location:
Hill End
Description of community needs:
Mobile coverage at Hill End is limited and sporadic. There are 111 residents (2021 Census).
The Hill End community has a public school, police station, general store, hotel, Volunteer Bushfire Brigade, boutique accommodation providers, museum and camping grounds.
The public school, police station and RFS will all benefit from better connectivity, as well as the local business community.
Hill End is primarily reliant on tourism and phone coverage is a minimum expectation for visitors from major cities. Better connectivity is likely to help boost tourism in the area and will improve safety for residents.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
QLD
Community Location:
30 kilometres west of Charleville on the Diamantina Developmental Road.
Description of community needs:
The mobile phone coverage west of Charleville towards Quilpie has improved in the last number of years through Australian Government and carrier investment, but there are still some mobile black spots in strategically important areas - particularly closer to Charleville.
The Ward River is approximately 20 kilometres west of Charleville and is an important recreation, tourism and camping location but suffers from a lack of mobile coverage due to the topography being a river watercourse valley backed by a significant range of hills.
An additional mobile base station would enhance the highway coverage and safety of the popular recreation area.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
WA
Community Location:
Pingelly townsite
Description of community needs:
The town of Pingelly is in a mobile black spot as it is in a valley. The Shire of Pingelly conducted a series of mobile phone coverage surveys (phone and data) and no locations in 2024 even rated a ‘poor’ signal strength.
All locations were classified as ‘no signal’, with frequent disconnections experienced. The proposal is to locate a new tower in Pingelly which will provide a service comparable to other areas.
Co-contributions:
• Willing to discuss potential co-contributions (financial and/or in-kind) with program applicants
State or Territory:
NSW
Community Location:
Rugby
Description of community needs:
Rugby is located on the main road between Boorowa and Crookwell. This road is a major thoroughfare linking rural towns. This proposal is supported by the local RFS and first responders who have had to leave emergency situations to obtain mobile service to call for assistance. The township of Rugby has no mobile phone reception and being a rural township has had multiple bushfires impact the region.
