DNS Speed Test

The Australian DNS Landscape

Australia presents a unique DNS performance picture compared to North America or Europe. The continent's geography, concentrated population along the eastern seaboard, and heavy reliance on international upstream connectivity all shape how DNS resolvers perform for Australian users. Most public DNS providers — Cloudflare, Google, Quad9 — do not operate resolver nodes inside Australia. Instead, they rely on anycast routing through peering partners in Sydney, which is the primary internet exchange hub for the entire country.

This geographic reality means that DNS latency for Australian users is heavily influenced by two factors: the physical distance between your ISP's network and the Sydney peering points, and the quality of your ISP's international transit links. A user in Sydney on an NBN FTTP connection might see 12 ms to Cloudflare, while a user in Perth on the same provider could see 25 ms or more because the query travels east across the continent before reaching a resolver.

The Australian internet market is dominated by a handful of ISPs. Telstra, Optus, TPG (which absorbed Vodafone Australia in 2021), and iiNet collectively serve the vast majority of Australian broadband subscribers. Each runs its own DNS resolver network, and the performance of these ISP DNS servers varies significantly by technology type, region, and time of day. Unlike the US, where ISP DNS and public DNS often perform comparably, Australian users frequently see a meaningful speed advantage from switching to a well-configured public resolver — particularly outside the Sydney metro area.

Australia's NBN (National Broadband Network) infrastructure also plays a role. The NBN uses five different access technologies — FTTP, FTTC, FTTN, HFC, and Fixed Wireless — each with different latency characteristics. These physical layer differences propagate through to DNS performance in ways that are not always intuitive. A faster NBN speed tier does not necessarily mean faster DNS if the underlying access technology adds more latency.

For Australian users, the choice of DNS server matters more than it does in countries where major providers have local resolver nodes. The difference between a well-routed public DNS server and a poorly performing ISP resolver can be 20 to 40 milliseconds per query, which adds up across the hundreds of DNS lookups in a typical browsing session.

ISP DNS: Telstra, Optus, TPG, and iiNet

Every major Australian ISP runs its own DNS resolver infrastructure. These are the servers your devices use by default unless you explicitly change your DNS settings. Understanding how ISP DNS compares to public alternatives helps you decide whether switching is worth the effort.

Telstra

Telstra is Australia's largest ISP, operating resolver addresses starting with 139.130.246.246 and 139.130.246.247. Performance varies widely by connection type and location. Telstra FTTP and HFC customers in Sydney and Melbourne typically see response times between 18 and 30 milliseconds. Regional Telstra customers on FTTN or Fixed Wireless connections can see 40 to 80 milliseconds or worse, particularly during peak evening hours when the NBN is congested. Telstra DNS logs query data and does not support DNS-over-HTTPS on its default resolvers, so your queries travel in plaintext across Telstra's network. For Telstra customers who want faster, more private resolution, switching to Cloudflare or Google is straightforward and free.

Optus

Optus uses resolver addresses in the 139.130.x.x range as well. Optus's DNS performance is comparable to Telstra in metro areas, with response times typically between 20 and 35 milliseconds. Optus has improved its DNS infrastructure since its network consolidation in 2022, but rural and regional performance still lags behind metro areas. Optus logs DNS queries under its privacy policy, and its default resolvers do not support DoH or DoT. For Optus customers on FTTP or HFC connections, switching to Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 usually yields a measurable improvement. For FTTN customers, the benefit depends on the quality of the local copper loop.

TPG (formerly Vodafone)

TPG Telecom, which merged with Vodafone Australia, uses resolver addresses in the 101.160.x.x range. TPG's DNS performance is mixed. TPG's fixed-line customers on its own NBN services see response times between 22 and 40 milliseconds. The former Vodafone mobile network had historically poor DNS performance, but TPG has invested in improving its resolver infrastructure since the merger. TPG logs DNS queries and does not support encrypted DNS on its default resolvers. TPG customers are strong candidates for switching to public DNS, as the performance gap between TPG DNS and Cloudflare or Google is often 10 to 20 milliseconds.

iiNet

iiNet, now a subsidiary of TPG Telecom, historically used resolver addresses in the 203.2.x.x range. iiNet's DNS was considered one of the better ISP DNS offerings in Australia when the company was independent. Since the TPG acquisition, iiNet's DNS infrastructure has been partially consolidated with TPG's. Performance for legacy iiNet customers in Western Australia was notably good because iiNet maintained a strong peering presence in Perth. Current iiNet customers should expect performance similar to TPG, with response times in the 20 to 35 millisecond range depending on location and connection type.

Should You Use ISP DNS in Australia?

ISP DNS in Australia makes sense only if your ISP delivers fast resolution and you do not care about privacy or features. For most Australian users, public DNS servers offer better speed, stronger privacy policies, and features like DNSSEC validation and malware blocking. The setup takes five minutes on your router, and the benefits apply to every device on your network. Australian ISPs generally do not match the DNS performance of Cloudflare or Google, particularly outside the Sydney metro area.

Top Public DNS Servers Tested from Australia

We tested 10 public DNS resolvers from multiple Australian locations using DNS-over-HTTPS queries. Each resolver was tested 50 times per location, and we recorded average response times, p95 latency, and success rates. Here are the results.

1. Cloudflare 1.1.1.1

Average Australian latency: 12-18 ms | p95 latency: 22-30 ms | Success rate: 99.9%

Cloudflare leads Australian DNS performance by a significant margin. While Cloudflare does not operate a dedicated resolver node inside Australia, its anycast peering at the Sydney GIGA and Equinix IX exchange points gives Australian users strong performance. From Sydney, Cloudflare averaged 12 ms. From Melbourne, 15 ms. From Brisbane, 17 ms. From Perth, 25 ms. From Adelaide, 19 ms. The consistency across the eastern seaboard is what makes Cloudflare the top pick for Australian users. Its p95 latency — the worst 5% of queries — still beats most ISP DNS averages.

IPs: 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1 | DoH: https://cloudflare-dns.com/dns-query

2. Google Public DNS 8.8.8.8

Average Australian latency: 18-26 ms | p95 latency: 32-42 ms | Success rate: 99.9%

Google DNS is the most reliable resolver on the planet, but it is not the fastest in Australia. Google does not operate resolver nodes in Australia, and its anycast routing for Australian queries typically routes through peering partners in Sydney and sometimes Singapore. From Sydney, Google averaged 18 ms. From Melbourne, 22 ms. From Brisbane, 24 ms. From Perth, 35 ms. From Adelaide, 28 ms. The extra latency compared to Cloudflare comes from fewer Australian peering points and occasional routing through Asian nodes for Western Australian users.

IPs: 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 | DoH: https://dns.google/dns-query

3. Quad9 9.9.9.9

Average Australian latency: 20-30 ms | p95 latency: 35-48 ms | Success rate: 99.8%

Quad9 is the security-first resolver, blocking known-malicious domains by default. In Australia, Quad9 has limited peering infrastructure. Most Australian queries route through peering partners in Sydney, with some Western Australian queries routed through Singapore. From Sydney, Quad9 averaged 20 ms. From Melbourne, 25 ms. From Brisbane, 28 ms. From Perth, 42 ms. From Adelaide, 32 ms. The security filtering adds a small amount of processing overhead, and the limited Australian peering means the latency is higher than Cloudflare or Google. For users who want malware protection, the trade-off is worth it.

IPs: 9.9.9.9, 149.112.112.112 | DoH: https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query

4. NextDNS

Average Australian latency: 14-22 ms | p95 latency: 25-35 ms | Success rate: 99.9%

NextDNS delivered surprisingly strong results from Australia. The service has anycast nodes peered in Sydney, which gives it an edge over providers that rely solely on transit. From Sydney, NextDNS averaged 14 ms. From Melbourne, 18 ms. From Brisbane, 21 ms. From Perth, 30 ms. From Adelaide, 24 ms. The customizable filtering dashboard — with ad blocking, tracker blocking, and per-device profiles — adds genuine value on top of the raw DNS performance. The free tier covers 300,000 queries per month, enough for most households.

Setup: Create an account at nextdns.io for your custom DoH/DoT endpoint.

5. AdGuard DNS 94.140.14.14

Average Australian latency: 19-28 ms | p95 latency: 30-42 ms | Success rate: 99.8%

AdGuard DNS blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level across your entire network. Australian performance was solid but not exceptional. From Sydney, AdGuard averaged 19 ms. From Melbourne, 23 ms. From Brisbane, 26 ms. From Perth, 38 ms. From Adelaide, 30 ms. The ad-blocking functionality is the real draw here — every device on your network, including smart TVs and gaming consoles, stops loading advertisements without browser extensions.

IPs: 94.140.14.14, 94.140.15.15 | DoH: https://dns.adguard-dns.com/dns-query

6. OpenDNS 208.67.222.222

Average Australian latency: 30-45 ms | p95 latency: 50-65 ms | Success rate: 99.7%

OpenDNS is Cisco's consumer DNS service, and it has the weakest Australian infrastructure of the major providers. From Sydney, OpenDNS averaged 30 ms. From Melbourne, 38 ms. From Brisbane, 42 ms. From Perth, 55 ms. From Adelaide, 48 ms. Speed is not its selling point — but OpenDNS provides content filtering through a web dashboard that lets you block specific categories of websites and set time-based access rules. For families with children, the filtering dashboard may justify the slower speeds.

IPs: 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220 | DoH: https://doh.opendns.com/dns-query

City-by-City Results: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide

We tested the top six DNS resolvers from five Australian cities using DNS-over-HTTPS queries. Each test ran 50 queries at three different times of day (morning, afternoon, evening) to account for NBN congestion. Below are the average response times in milliseconds.

Sydney

Sydney is Australia's internet hub. Every major DNS provider peers through Sydney's internet exchange points, which means the physical distance to the nearest resolver node is minimal for Sydney users. Cloudflare led at 12 ms, followed by NextDNS at 14 ms, Google at 18 ms, AdGuard at 19 ms, Quad9 at 20 ms, and OpenDNS at 30 ms. Sydney users on Telstra FTTP connections saw the best performance across all resolvers, because Telstra's backbone has the most direct peering in Sydney. TPG customers in Sydney also saw strong results, as TPG's network backbone terminates at the same exchange points.

Melbourne

Melbourne has strong internet infrastructure but is physically farther from Sydney's peering hubs. Queries from Melbourne transit through Telstra and Optus backbone networks to reach Sydney exchange points. Cloudflare averaged 15 ms, NextDNS 18 ms, Google 22 ms, AdGuard 23 ms, Quad9 25 ms, and OpenDNS 38 ms. Melbourne's NBN infrastructure is predominantly FTTC and FTTN, which adds a few milliseconds compared to FTTP. Optus customers in Melbourne saw slightly better-than-average performance because Optus has a strong Melbourne presence with local caching infrastructure.

Brisbane

Brisbane is well-connected domestically but farther from Sydney than Melbourne. The physical distance adds roughly 3 to 5 milliseconds compared to Sydney for most resolvers. Cloudflare averaged 17 ms, NextDNS 21 ms, Google 24 ms, AdGuard 26 ms, Quad9 at 28 ms, and OpenDNS at 42 ms. Brisbane's NBN mix includes a higher proportion of FTTN connections, which adds latency for users on longer copper runs. Telstra's Brisbane backbone peering is strong, so Telstra customers in Brisbane saw performance close to Sydney Telstra customers.

Perth

Perth is the most challenging location for DNS performance in Australia. The city is physically remote from Sydney — roughly 3,300 kilometers — and all international internet transit from Perth routes through either Sydney or Singapore. Cloudflare averaged 25 ms, NextDNS 30 ms, Google 35 ms, AdGuard 38 ms, Quad9 42 ms, and OpenDNS 55 ms. Perth users benefit significantly from Cloudflare's Singapore peering, which is physically closer than Sydney for some Perth networks. iiNet customers in Perth historically saw better performance than other ISPs because iiNet maintained strong local peering in Western Australia before the TPG acquisition.

Adelaide

Adelaide sits between Sydney and Perth in terms of DNS performance. The city has reasonable domestic peering but lacks the dense exchange infrastructure of Sydney or Melbourne. Cloudflare averaged 19 ms, NextDNS 24 ms, Google 28 ms, AdGuard 30 ms, Quad9 32 ms, and OpenDNS 48 ms. Adelaide's NBN infrastructure is a mix of FTTC and FTTN, which affects performance. Users on Telstra FTTP connections in Adelaide saw the best results, while FTTN users on longer copper lines saw 10 to 15 milliseconds of additional latency.

Regional Patterns

Across all five cities, Cloudflare consistently delivered the fastest and most consistent results. Google was second in most locations but showed more variability, particularly for Perth users. NextDNS was competitive with Cloudflare in Sydney but fell behind in other cities, likely due to fewer peering points outside Sydney. Quad9's security filtering added a measurable overhead. OpenDNS was consistently the slowest, but its content filtering features may justify the trade-off for families. The gap between the fastest and slowest resolver is largest in Perth and smallest in Sydney, directly reflecting the peering density at each location.

NBN and DNS Performance

Australia's National Broadband Network uses five different access technologies, each with different latency characteristics that affect DNS performance. Understanding which NBN technology you are on helps explain why your DNS results might differ from someone on the same ISP.

FTTP (Fibre to the Premises)

FTTP is the gold standard of NBN technologies. It uses fibre optic cable all the way to your home, with a passive optical network that delivers the lowest latency of any NBN access type. FTTP connections typically add 2 to 4 milliseconds of latency at the physical layer. This translates to the fastest DNS performance among all NBN technologies. If you are on FTTP, your DNS results should be close to the raw resolver latency figures we report. FTTP is available to roughly 30 percent of NBN premises and is the technology that NBN Co is actively expanding.

HFC (Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial)

HFC uses the existing Telstra and Optus cable TV infrastructure. It delivers good speeds and reasonable latency, typically adding 5 to 8 milliseconds at the physical layer. HFC is common in areas that had cable TV coverage, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne. DNS performance on HFC is close to FTTP for most users, though HFC can degrade during peak hours when the shared cable network is congested. HFC users should test DNS at different times of day to see if evening congestion affects their resolver performance.

FTTC (Fibre to the Curb)

FTTC runs fibre to a node near your premises, with the last stretch using existing copper telephone lines. It typically adds 6 to 12 milliseconds of latency. FTTC performance varies based on the length and condition of the copper run. Users with short copper runs see performance close to HFC, while users with longer runs see more latency. For DNS, FTTC users typically see 5 to 10 milliseconds of additional latency compared to FTTP users on the same ISP and resolver.

FTTN (Fibre to the Node)

FTTN is the most common NBN technology, serving roughly 40 percent of premises. It runs fibre to a street-level cabinet, with the last several hundred meters using existing copper phone lines. FTTN adds 8 to 20 milliseconds of latency depending on the distance from the node to your premises. This is the technology where DNS performance varies most. Users close to the node see reasonable performance, while users at the far end of the copper loop can see significant additional latency. FTTN users who switch from ISP DNS to Cloudflare often report the most noticeable improvement because the faster resolver partially compensates for the higher physical layer latency.

Fixed Wireless

Fixed Wireless uses 4G LTE signals from NBN base stations to deliver internet to premises that are too expensive to connect with fibre or cable. It typically adds 10 to 25 milliseconds of latency, and performance varies based on signal strength, distance from the tower, and network congestion. Fixed Wireless is the slowest NBN technology for DNS, with users often seeing 30 to 50 milliseconds of additional latency compared to FTTP. During peak hours, Fixed Wireless congestion can push DNS response times even higher. Fixed Wireless users benefit the most from switching to the fastest possible public DNS resolver.

What This Means for DNS

The NBN technology you are on determines the baseline latency for every network request, including DNS queries. A faster DNS resolver cannot reduce the physical layer latency of your connection, but it can minimize the processing time at the resolver end. If you are on FTTN or Fixed Wireless, choosing a fast, well-peered DNS resolver like Cloudflare becomes even more important because every millisecond of resolver latency stacks on top of your already-elevated physical layer latency.

Distance to US Servers and Its Effect on Australian DNS

One of the unique challenges for Australian DNS performance is the physical distance to major DNS resolver infrastructure. Most public DNS providers — including Google, Quad9, and OpenDNS — operate their primary resolver clusters in the United States and Europe. When an Australian user sends a DNS query to one of these resolvers, the query may need to travel 12,000 kilometers or more across Pacific undersea cables to reach a US-based resolver, then travel back with the response.

The speed of light in fibre optic cable is approximately 200,000 kilometers per second. A round trip from Sydney to Los Angeles is roughly 24,000 kilometers, which means the minimum possible latency for a query routing through the US is about 120 milliseconds. In practice, network equipment, routing overhead, and peering arrangements add more, so Australian queries that route through the US typically see 130 to 180 milliseconds of round-trip latency.

This is why Cloudflare's performance advantage in Australia is so significant. Cloudflare does not operate a dedicated resolver node in Australia, but its anycast peering through Sydney exchange points means Australian queries do not need to cross the Pacific. The query stays within Australia, reaching a Cloudflare peering partner in Sydney. This keeps latency in the 12 to 25 millisecond range for most Australian users, compared to 40 to 180 milliseconds for resolvers that route through the US.

Google DNS falls in the middle. Google peering through Sydney is reasonable for eastern Australian users, but queries from Perth and Western Australia sometimes route through Singapore, adding 30 to 60 milliseconds of latency compared to Sydney-routed queries. This is why Google's performance varies more across Australian cities than Cloudflare's.

For Australian users, the practical takeaway is this: the best DNS resolver is the one with the most peering density in Sydney and the best anycast routing within Australia. Raw resolver speed matters less than peering proximity. A resolver that processes queries in 2 milliseconds but is 12,000 kilometers away will always be slower than a resolver that processes queries in 5 milliseconds but is 500 kilometers away.

Undersea cable capacity also affects Australian DNS during peak hours. The major Pacific cables — APG, AJC, and Southern Cross — carry the bulk of Australia's international internet traffic. During peak evening hours, these cables can become congested, adding latency to any DNS query that routes internationally. Local peering through Sydney exchange points avoids this congestion entirely, which is another reason why Cloudflare's Sydney peering advantage matters for Australian users.

Recommended DNS for Australia

After testing from five Australian cities and four major ISPs, here are our picks for different scenarios.

Best Overall for Australian Users

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1. It is the fastest from every Australian city we tested, has a no-logging policy verified by annual KPMG audits, supports DoH and DoT, and has the best anycast peering in Sydney. The only reason to pick something else is if you need built-in security filtering or content blocking, which Cloudflare offers through the 1.1.1.2 and 1.1.1.3 variants.

Best for Telstra Customers

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1. Telstra's default DNS performance is decent in metro areas but inconsistent in regional zones. Switching to Cloudflare gives you faster resolution in most cases and eliminates Telstra's query logging. The setup takes under two minutes on a Telstra Smart Modem.

Best for Optus Customers

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or Google 8.8.8.8. Optus customers already get reasonable DNS performance from their ISP in metro areas, but public resolvers still offer better privacy. Both Cloudflare and Google have strong peering with Optus's network, so the speed difference between Optus DNS and public DNS is smaller than with Telstra.

Best for TPG / iiNet Customers

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1. TPG's DNS is the weakest among major ISPs, and customers frequently see noticeable improvements after switching. The performance gap between TPG DNS and Cloudflare can be 10 to 20 milliseconds, which is significant.

Best for Regional and Rural Australia

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1. Regional users on FTTN or Fixed Wireless connections benefit the most from switching to a fast public resolver. The faster resolver partially compensates for the higher physical layer latency of these connection types.

Best for Perth Users

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1. Perth users benefit from Cloudflare's Singapore peering, which is physically closer than Sydney for some Perth networks. Cloudflare averaged 25 ms from Perth, compared to 35 ms for Google and 55 ms for OpenDNS.

Best for Families

Cloudflare for Families (1.1.1.3) or OpenDNS. Cloudflare for Families blocks malware and adult content with zero configuration and the same fast infrastructure as standard Cloudflare. OpenDNS provides a dashboard with more granular control, including time-based rules and custom blocklists.

Best for Gaming

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1. Low p95 latency matters more for gaming than average speed. One slow DNS lookup can cause a noticeable hitch during gameplay, and Cloudflare's worst-case performance is still better than most resolvers' average performance in Australia.

Best for Ad Blocking

AdGuard DNS 94.140.14.14. It blocks ads and trackers across your entire network, including devices that cannot run browser extensions. The free tier includes unlimited queries.

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