Certain websites and online content are inaccessible from within Australia for a variety of reasons. The most common of these are the various regulatory laws the country has for online content, like the Copyright Amendment Bill of 2015. This particular law allows Australian courts to order the blocking of overseas sites if they are deemed facilitating copyright infringement, such as torrent and streaming sites.
There are also separate regulatory rules within each Australian state which can affect site accessibility on a regional level. It’s a complicated minefield which can be navigated by choosing the right VPN.
Overseas sites can themselves also restrict incoming traffic from Australia. This practice is known as geo-blocking, and is usually done by commercial websites if they have not yet officially made their services available in the country. They may also do this if they have set up a different dedicated site for the country. In this case, any attempt to access the international site will be directed to the Australian version instead.
In case you encountered an inaccessible overseas site or content, do some research to determine why they are being blocked. This will give you an idea of how to go around it and access the content. The vast majority of the time, a VPN will allow you access to these sites one way or another. This is why we so highly recommend them for people living in Australia who want to do something as simple as watch the BBC online.
A virtual private network (VPN) works by encrypting your Internet connection and masking your IP address. It then reroutes your traffic through its servers, which has their own unique public IP address. You can select a different IP address just by switching to a different server, making it appear as if you are in a different location.
Choosing a VPN server that has the same location as that of a geo-blocked website, like a server in the USA, will let you freely access it. IF you’re blocked from watching a YouTube video in the USA, switch to a VPN server in the USA and enjoy that content!
Yes, it is perfectly legal to use virtual private networks (VPNs) in Australia. There are restrictions on what you can use them for, including:
Violating these restrictions will be punishable under the appropriate laws, but will not prohibit you from using VPNs for other purposes in the future. Don’t worry, you’re safe to buy any VPN that we list above!
Hulu is an online media streaming website that broadcasts shows from popular producers like Fox Sports, PBS, and SyFy. It also airs its own original productions like Marvel’s Runaways and the drama series The Path. It is currently available only in the United States and its territories, as well as Japan.
If you are in Australia you will need to use a VPN to both sign up for a Hulu account, and to stream the shows you want to watch. Hulu is actively blocking VPNs, but there are a number which still work. It’s like an ongoing game of whack-a-mole!
Note that bypassing the geo-block is legal since you are still paying for your subscription, but the site may still block some VPNs from accessing its content. Be sure to look for providers that are able to work around that issue.
Yes, there are, but you need to be careful when using such services since they have certain limitations:
These limitations may make free VPNs unsuitable for data-heavy applications, like watching videos online. Some of these free VPNs are connected to the popular paid ones, making it easy to upgrade to the latter if you need better features. Basically, everything you really want to do with a VPN in Australia is much better and easier done with a paid VPN.
There are hundreds of good-quality VPN providers available for users from the Land Down Under, but we have chosen these five as the best Australian VPNs you can try out.
Read our full reviews above for each provider to learn more about their features and decide which one will best suit your needs.
Many Australian VPNs will cost you anywhere from AU$4 per month, to AU$14 per month. Note that these rates are just for basic VPN services. If you want more dedicated ones, like those for use with streaming sites, you will have to pay extra. Considering everything you get in return, from top-level encryption, to access of blocked international sites, they are well worth their cost
Our ratings for best australian vpn are based on our professional experience and extensive tests with VPN providers between April 2014 – July 2014, taking into account user feedback and reviews we receive. As a friendly disclosure, some VPN providers do compensate us for customers we refer them, but this in no way effects their ranking on our website, nor our reviews.
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