![Port Campbell's Cairns Street Telstra public payphone could be in Victoria's most picturesque location. More than 800 calls were made from the payphone over the past year. More than 54,000 calls were made across the five south-west council areas in the past year. Picture by Sean McKenna Port Campbell's Cairns Street Telstra public payphone could be in Victoria's most picturesque location. More than 800 calls were made from the payphone over the past year. More than 54,000 calls were made across the five south-west council areas in the past year. Picture by Sean McKenna](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/154914734/4a41e8a2-6538-4334-929d-3dadbd8fb003.jpg/r0_307_6000_4000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Surrounded by cliffs and the rolling sea, hundreds of calls are being made on what could well be one of Australia's most picturesque public payphones.
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Located on the beachfront at Cairns Street, it is one of three Telstra payphones in Port Campbell.
While most people carry smartphones, phone booths across the south-west are still getting a staggering amount of usage.
Telstra regional general manager Steve Tinker said more than 800 calls were made on the Port Campbell payphone over the past year.
More than 54,000 calls were made across the five south-west local government areas in 2022.
The phone with the highest usage in the region was at BP One Stop Warrnambool, in Warrnambool City Council with 6851 calls.
This was followed by 2241 calls at 179 Gray Street, Hamilton, 1502 at 23 Henty Street, Portland, 1309 at 194 Manifold Street, Camperdown, and 1245 at 73 Sackville Street, Port Fairy.
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Mr Tinker said public payphones had been part of the Australian landscape since the 1880s.
"Even in the age of smartphones, they're still playing a critical role in our community," he said.
"They can be used to update your mates about the surf or have a chat with Nanna, but for vulnerable people like the isolated, homeless or those escaping an unsafe situation, the availability of public phones can also be a vital lifeline."
People no longer need to fumble around in their pockets or wallets to find some coins to make a call.
Public payphone calls to Australian landlines and mobile phones has been free since August, 2021.
In 2022, Telstra also made access to Wi-Fi through the payphones free.
"We are committed to supporting digital inclusion and keeping customers in vulnerable circumstances connected," Mr Tinker said.
"Making payphone calls and Wi-Fi free and accessible to everyone is a reminder technological change is about more than just innovation."
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