GIFT GUIDE: Netflix in Australia (Plus Chromecast Guide)

Netflix is amazing! You get access to thousands of shows and movies for almost peanuts per month – the only downside is that it’s only available in selected countries and one of those not lucky enough to have Netflix locally is (surprise) Australia (not until March 15 anyway). There have been several articles on Netflix coming to Australia or similar services being introduced by Foxtel but nothing compares to the sheer amount of content available on Netflix.

So you may be thinking – praise Netflix all you want, we still can’t get it in Australia! That’s true but thanks to the magic of VPN’s and some DNS trickery, Netflix is closer than you think. In this guide, we’ll look at how to sign up for a VPN/DNS unblocking service to unblock Netflix in Australia. We’ll even throw in a guide on how to get Netflix working on your Chromecast (better late than never!).

If you’ve got a TV or Movie buff in the family, perhaps this would be a great gift? In fact, we’re running a giveaway so you can win a 6 month subscription to Getflix!* We’ll be announcing ten (10) lucky winners on Monday, 22nd of December at 12PM. To enter, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Good luck!

Of course, TechGeek doesn’t condone the use of Getflix or circumventing geo-blocking security placed by websites. It may not be wise to do it, so continue at your own risk….

Step 1: Finding a service

So there are plenty of services around to help you get around the Netflix geo-blocking service. However, for the purposes of this review, we’ll be taking a look at the Australian based service called Getflix. Getflix allows users in Australia to easily access services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and many more. The service uses their own DNS server to mask your Australian IP address and present itself as an address from the US – hence gaining access to Netflix! Pretty cool.

Step 2: Signing up

Once you’ve found a service, you’ll need to sign up. This is usually a simple process. In the case of Getflix, you’ll first need to input your email address and confirm it. You’ll then need to add a few extra details like your Name and Password. Once that’s done, you’re signed in! You will now need to setup the DNS service.

Step 3: Setting up

Now you’ll need to setup the Getflix DNS servers. There are a few ways to do this. If you want to only want to access Netflix through one computer, then you can setup the DNS servers directly on that computer. It’s a case of going to the Control Panel and changing the networking settings. Getflix already have a great guide on this. If you want to cover all the devices in your house (including Mobile Phones and Tablets), you’ll need to change the DNS settings on your router. In the case of my router (a Billion), I had to edit the WAN Profile (see screenshot below). You can find the DNS servers on the Getflix website: https://www.getflix.com.au/setup/overview

Now you’ll need to check that it’s working. Getflix actually have a handy checker on their website which will show if it’s working properly. So head to the Getflix website and you’ll see something similar to the image on the right.

If everything is OK, then you’re done! The Getflix service is now setup on your router or computer.

Step 4: Using Netflix

Now we’ll need to sign up for Netflix. Head to netflix.com and you should see a page similar to the one above. If you’re getting an error saying that Netflix isn’t available in Australia, then Getflix isn’t setup correctly. Double check your DNS settings and check on the Getflix website to see if everything is correct.

Go ahead and signup to Netflix. You’ll be asked what sort of plan you wish to go on and a few other details like your email address, password etc. The next bit might be a little tricky, you’ll need to enter your Credit Card details. Now, most Australian users have had no issues with this and their Australian issue credit card worked fine but some also have issues. So depending on which credit card provider you’re with, you might have issues. When asked for a postcode, you can enter any U.S post code in.

Step 5: You’re done!

That’s it! If you see a page similar to the above, you’re in – you’ve made it. Welcome to Netflix. You can start watching TV Shows and Movies immediately. How great is that! Might I suggest watching The Office, Parks and Recreation, Orange is the New Black or House of Cards – just to name a few.

Bonus Guide: Netflix on Chromecast

So in our Chromecast Guide, I promised I’d release a guide on how to use Netflix on your Chromecast. Well, it’s been a few months but here it is. Firstly, you’ll need to setup Getflix on your router. The Chromecast doesn’t have settings you can change, so for this to work, you must setup the Getflix DNS servers directly on your router. Due to the way the Chromecast works, it will always process it’s DNS queries through the Google DNS servers. If there are issues with those, then Chromecast will use OpenDNS. BUT if all that fails, Chromecast will fall back to the DNS servers issued by your router.

So to block out Chromecast from accessing the Google and OpenDNS servers, we’ll need to make a change to your router. What we’ll be doing is creating Static Routes.  We’ll be telling your router to route the requests to an invalid destination – effectively dropping the connection and forcing the Chromecast to use your own DNS servers.

Not all home routers will be able to do this, so you’ll need to check if yours supports this. In my case, I needed to go into the Advanced tab and then Static Routes. You’ll need to add the static route:

Destination: 8.8.8.8
Netmask: 255.255.255.255
Gateway: 192.168.1.254 (the IP address of your router)
Interface: br0 (this could be different but select your LAN)

Do the same for 8.8.4.4 and 208.67.222.222. If everything is done correctly, you’ll be able to watch Netflix on your Chromecast!

Giveaway!

Now the cool part. Thanks to our friends at Getflix, we’re running a giveaway so you can win a 6 month subscription to Getflix!* We’ll be announcing ten (10) lucky winners on Monday, 22nd of December at 12AM AEST. Perhaps this could be a little gift to yourself or the movie buff in the family. Either way, you can enter down below. Our normal Giveaways Rules apply, including having to be an Australian resident to enter. Good luck!

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