Christmas excitement has arrived across Australia, with kids rushing to the nearest payphone to be among the first to call Santa. Telstra’s Free Calls to Santa hotline is officially switched on for 2025, running from 13 November right through to Christmas Eve.

To make a free call straight to the North Pole, families simply head to any Telstra public payphone and dial #HOHOHO (#464646). It’s quick, easy and completely free.

What began in 2021 as a small idea to help children learn how to use a public phone has grown into a national Christmas tradition. More than 1.5 million calls have been made to Santa HQ in the past five years.

Santa’s Phone Has Been Ringing All Year

Even when the hotline is closed, Santa still receives plenty of calls. Since last Christmas, close to 100,000 messages have come through to his out-of-office line. That’s around 300 calls every day from children eager to check in before the hotline officially reopens.

Kid-Sized Payphones Return

Last year Telstra introduced special kid-sized payphones designed for younger children who struggle to reach a standard handset. These mini phones were a huge hit, and they are returning again this year. Families can find them in selected Telstra stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, giving little callers their very own way to reach Santa.

Where Australia Is Calling From

Call data over the past five years shows some very Australian calling habits:

  • Around 60 percent of calls come from beachside payphones and waterfront areas

  • About 25 percent come from busy city centres and shopping precincts

  • The rest come from regional towns and holiday destinations

  • Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall holds the record with nearly 10,000 calls to Santa

  • One of the most remote calls came from the First Nations community of Anmatjere in the Northern Territory

A Little Bit of Festive Magic and a Useful Life Skill

Calling Santa isn’t just a fun outing. It also helps children learn how to find and use a public phone, an important skill in the event of an emergency. With national calls and texts from payphones free all year, it’s a simple way to practise phone safety while enjoying a touch of Christmas magic.

How To Call Santa

Between 13 November and Christmas Eve, families can:

  1. Find their nearest payphone using Telstra’s Payphone Finder or Google Maps

  2. Pick up the handset

  3. Dial #HOHOHO (#464646)

  4. Listen as Santa answers from the North Pole

Telstra will also decorate select payphones around the country, and the Festive Payphone Map will help families find the most Christmassy ones.

From early December, every Telstra store nationwide will also feature an in-store Santa Phone for families who prefer to call while doing their Christmas shopping.

Telstra has switched on Australia’s direct connection to the North Pole

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by jay