A telehealth consultation works the same way in Ballarat as it does in Brisbane, but the distance it saves and the clock you book against vary a lot between regional cities. Townsville is about 1,350 km by road from Brisbane, so a telehealth appointment saves a two-day round trip. Geelong is 75 km from Melbourne, so it mostly saves a morning. Queensland does not move its clocks in summer, so in December a patient in Cairns is an hour behind a clinic in Melbourne.
Key points:
- Registration is national. AHPRA runs one National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for 16 health professions, so the same public register covers a Clinician whether you call from Dubbo or Darwin.
- Daylight saving splits the country from October to April. New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and South Australia move their clocks forward. Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not.
- A phone consultation is a real option. If your connection drops out, or you are on satellite internet, a telephone call needs only reception.
Victoria
Victoria’s three largest regional cities sit within two hours of Melbourne. Geelong is about 75 km away, Ballarat about 115 km and Bendigo about 150 km. For patients in these cities, telehealth is mostly about time. A 30-minute appointment in the city still costs a half day once you add the Princes Freeway or the Western Highway, parking and the drive home.
Further out, the trip gets much longer. Shepparton is about 190 km from Melbourne, Warrnambool about 260 km and Mildura about 540 km, closer to Adelaide than to the CBD. A Mildura patient attending a Melbourne appointment in person is usually looking at a flight or an overnight stay.
Victoria runs on daylight saving from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April, the same as New South Wales, so a Victorian booking with a clinic on eastern time sees the same clock as the clinic all year.
New South Wales
Newcastle and Wollongong sit within two hours of Sydney, while the inland cities are five hours or more away by car. Wagga Wagga is about 455 km from Sydney, Dubbo about 390 km and Tamworth about 410 km. On the north coast, Lismore is about 740 km by road from Sydney and closer to Brisbane.
In summer the border matters too: Lismore and the Tweed are on New South Wales time, an hour ahead of the Gold Coast from October to April. If you work across the border, check which state’s time your booking confirmation uses.
Queensland
Queensland’s regional cities are spread over 1,700 km. Toowoomba is about 125 km from Brisbane, Rockhampton about 630 km, Mackay about 970 km, Townsville about 1,350 km and Cairns about 1,700 km.
Queensland does not observe daylight saving. From the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April, Townsville and Cairns are one hour behind Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra. A 10am appointment in Melbourne is 9am in Cairns. Most booking systems show the time in your own zone, but it is worth reading the confirmation email twice in October and April, the weeks the gap opens and closes.
South Australia
Adelaide and the rest of South Australia run on central time, half an hour behind the eastern states, and South Australia also moves its clocks for daylight saving. Mount Gambier is about 435 km from Adelaide, Whyalla about 385 km and Port Lincoln about 650 km.
A 2pm appointment in Sydney is 1:30pm in Adelaide all year, so check the minutes on a booking confirmation as well as the hour.
Western Australia
Western Australia does not observe daylight saving, so Perth is two hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in winter and three hours behind from October to April. Bunbury is about 175 km from Perth, Geraldton about 420 km and Kalgoorlie about 595 km. In the north, Karratha is about 1,530 km from Perth and Broome about 2,240 km.
For a Pilbara or Kimberley patient, an in-person appointment in Perth means a flight. A telehealth consultation involves no travel at all, provided the booking time has been converted correctly. Book from the clinic’s calendar in your own time zone wherever you can, rather than converting a time someone reads out on the phone.
Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT
Launceston is about 200 km from Hobart, and Burnie and Devonport sit on the north-west coast a further 100 to 150 km on. Tasmania keeps the same clock as Victoria all year.
The Northern Territory runs half an hour behind the eastern states in winter and does not move its clocks in summer, so the gap widens to an hour and a half from October to April. Alice Springs is about 1,500 km from Darwin and Katherine about 320 km.
Queanbeyan, across the border in New South Wales, keeps the same clock as Canberra.
When the connection is the problem
Much of regional Australia connects through the NBN’s fixed wireless towers or its Sky Muster satellite service. Both carry video, though satellite adds a short delay that can make conversation feel stilted. Before a video call:
- Close other apps and pause any downloads or streaming on the same connection before the call.
- Sit near the modem rather than at the far end of the house.
- Keep your phone charged and nearby. If the video freezes, your Clinician can call you back and finish by telephone.
If your connection is unreliable all the time, ask for a telephone consultation from the start. The consultation covers the same ground; you simply do not see each other. Our guide to what to expect from your first telehealth consultation sets out what to have ready either way.
Where to start
The process does not change with your postcode. You complete a short eligibility check, book a time, and speak with an AHPRA-registered Clinician by video or phone. How it works walks through each step, and the fees page lists what each consultation costs. If you would rather ask questions first, a free ten-minute info call is available seven days a week.
For a wider look at what telehealth changes for patients outside the capitals, read Telehealth and Regional Australia: Closing the Distance.
Road distances are approximate and taken along the main highway route. Registration details are from AHPRA’s “What we do” page, read 16 October 2026. This article is general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice. Speak with a registered health practitioner about your own circumstances.
