Give Santa a free call about your Christmas wishlist

CHILDREN in the Geelong region wanting to make absolutely sure Santa knows what they want for Christmas can get him on the phone thanks to Telstra.

The young and the young at heart are being invited to ring in the festive season with the return of Telstra’s Free Calls to Santa hotline from any of the telco’s 14,500 payphones across Australia.

Telstra has opened the lines earlier this year so you can get your wish lists in with Santa from now until Christmas Eve.

The service is very popular – in 2022, there were more than 11,000 calls made from Telstra payphones to the North Pole on Christmas Eve alone.

Nearly 2,000 of Telstra’s 14,500 payphones have decorative decals on them to show that Santa can be called, including eight in the Geelong region:

327 Autumn Street, Newtown

85 Garden Street, East Geelong

49 Newcombe Street, Portarlington

88 Newcombe Street, Portarlington

1 Stuart Avenue, Jan Juc

101 Great Ocean Road, Anglesea

54 Eighth Avenue, Winchelsea, and

38 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet.

To add an extra dose of holiday magic, children across Australia will be able to do more than just talk to Santa about their Christmas lists.

From asking about the weather in the North Pole, to what the reindeer like to snack on before their big Christmas Eve adventure, Telstra’s Free Calls to Santa hotline is more interactive this year, allowing children young and old to have more engaging conversations with the jolly man in red.

“We’re launching free calls from Telstra payphones direct to the North Pole so kids can get their Christmas wishlist in to Santa,” Telstra retail executive Jana Kotatko said.

“Our Free Calls to Santa campaign not only brings cheer to kids this Christmas, but it’s a really great way to educate them on how to use one of our payphones.

“We take for granted, I think, that everyone knows how to use a traditional phone, but many young people have grown up with a smartphone or a mobile phone and they may not neccessarily know how to use a traditional payphone.”

To phone Santa, head to any Telstra payphone around the country until December 24, dial #HO HO HO (#464646), make sure you’re ready with a few questions for Santa, and tell him what’s at the top of your wish list.

To find your nearest Telstra payphone, including the eight in Geelong with decorative decals, head to tel.st/festive-payphone-map