Ararat: landline numbers and carriers

Ararat is one of the town-level numbering areas the ACMA register uses under area code 03 (VIC & TAS). The register lists 36 number blocks for it with about 43,000 allocated numbers, held by 19 carriers and spread over the 0343… and 0353… dialling prefixes. That makes Ararat the 54th largest of 475 numbering areas under 03 by block count, with 0.13% of the area code's allocated numbers. A landline that calls you from one of these blocks was issued for the Ararat area — though the line may since have been ported, and caller ID can be spoofed.

Source: ACMA register, data as of 16/10/2026

36blocks in the register
19carriers with allocations
43,000allocated numbers
1991first allocation

Where Ararat is

State or territory
Victoria
Council area
Ararat
Local time
— AEST, UTC+10; AEDT, UTC+11 in summer
Number format
03 43xx xxxx; from overseas +61 3 43xx xxxx
Nearest numbering areas
Buangor (19 km), Moyston (21 km), Maroona (21 km), Elmhurst (26 km), Stawell (31 km)

Locality, council and state: ABS ASGS Edition 3 (CC BY 4.0). Distances are straight-line between localities.

Map of the Ararat numbering area in Victoria and the nearest other numbering areas
Shaded: Ararat council area. The ACMA doesn't publish numbering-area boundaries, so the dot marks the Ararat locality rather than an exact outline; the inset shows where the map sits in Australia. Boundaries: ABS (CC BY 4.0).

How Ararat was numbered

The oldest block in Ararat was allocated on 30 June 1991 and is held today by TELSTRA LIMITED; the newest on 19 August 2026 to SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD. Most of the area's blocks — 9 of 36 — date from 2015–2019, but allocations here span 35 years. 12 of the blocks are the standard 1,000-number size, 20 are 100-number blocks of the kind the ACMA has issued to VoIP and wholesale carriers since the mid-2000s, and 1 is 10,000 numbers or larger. 8 allocated blocks have changed hands since they were first issued: the register still names AAPT LIMITED, ENGIN PTY LIMITED, GOTALK LIMITED, IPTEL PTY LIMITED, IVOX PTY LTD, TWILIO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD and VOCUS PTY LTD as original allocatees of blocks now held by other carriers.

PeriodBlocks allocated
1990–19942
2000–20044
2005–20095
2010–20145
2015–20199
2020–20247
2025–20294

The carriers in Ararat

TELSTRA LIMITED holds the largest share here with 55.8% of allocated numbers across 2 blocks; OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED is second with 18.6%, and 17 other carriers hold the rest. TELSTRA LIMITED has the longest tenure, with a block dated 30/06/1991; SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD received the newest, on 19/08/2026. OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED (1), SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD (3) and PIPE NETWORKS PTY LIMITED (2) hold blocks originally allocated to another carrier.

CarrierBlocksNumbersShareFirst blockLatest block
TELSTRA LIMITED224,00055.8%30/06/199130/06/1991
OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED68,00018.6%12/11/200427/08/2018
SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD72,5005.8%22/06/200519/08/2026
OPTUS MOBILE PTY LIMITED12,0004.7%03/10/200703/10/2007
NETSIP PTY LTD31,2002.8%14/02/201816/02/2024
PIPE NETWORKS PTY LIMITED21,1002.6%03/07/200701/05/2014
PRIMUS TELECOMMUNICATIONS PTY LIMITED21,1002.6%24/12/200420/05/2005
SOUL PATTINSON TELECOMMUNICATIONS PTY LIMITED21,1002.6%30/03/200014/07/2016
CHIME COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD11,0002.3%14/07/200414/07/2004
ADARGA PTY LTD11000.2%16/09/202516/09/2025
AGILE PTY LTD11000.2%30/03/200730/03/2007
C2A INTERNET.COM.AU PTY. LTD.11000.2%13/07/202313/07/2023
CHECK TECHNOLOGY GROUP PTY LTD11000.2%31/01/202231/01/2022
LMGPS LTD11000.2%23/11/202323/11/2023
NETERA PTY LTD11000.2%24/10/202524/10/2025
PIVOTEL SATELLITE PTY LIMITED11000.2%16/04/202516/04/2025
THE TRUSTEE FOR READING FAMILY TRUST11000.2%21/10/201921/10/2019
VIRTUTEL PTY LTD11000.2%20/12/201520/12/2015
WHY PAY MORE 4 LESS PTY LTD11000.2%10/05/201810/05/2018

Number blocks registered for Ararat

Every registered block for this area is allocated to a carrier. All 36 blocks, ascending:

Block startNumbersOriginal allocateeCurrent holderAllocatedTransferred
0343093000…1,000VOCUS PTY LTDOPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED12/08/201022/11/2010
0343099000…1,000AAPT LIMITEDPIPE NETWORKS PTY LIMITED01/05/201424/03/2026
0343115000…100=VIRTUTEL PTY LTD20/12/2015—
0343120800…100=SOUL PATTINSON TELECOMMUNICATIONS PTY LIMITED14/07/2016—
0343174600…100=NETSIP PTY LTD14/02/2018—
0343181400…100=LMGPS LTD23/11/2023—
0343186000…100=NETSIP PTY LTD26/10/2021—
0343188200…100=THE TRUSTEE FOR READING FAMILY TRUST21/10/2019—
0343205000…100TWILIO AUSTRALIA PTY LTDSYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD24/09/202024/02/2021
0343205800…100=WHY PAY MORE 4 LESS PTY LTD10/05/2018—
0343284000…1,000=SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD19/06/2020—
0343303100…100=CHECK TECHNOLOGY GROUP PTY LTD31/01/2022—
0343313900…100=C2A INTERNET.COM.AU PTY. LTD.13/07/2023—
0343356000…3,000=OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED21/11/2017—
0343373700…100=PIVOTEL SATELLITE PTY LIMITED16/04/2025—
0343375000…1,000=NETSIP PTY LTD16/02/2024—
0343389500…100=ADARGA PTY LTD16/09/2025—
0343403300…100=NETERA PTY LTD24/10/2025—
0343415100…100=SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD19/08/2026—
0343495000…1,000=OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED07/06/2018—
0343497000…1,000=OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED27/08/2018—
0353003000…1,000IPTEL PTY LIMITEDSOUL PATTINSON TELECOMMUNICATIONS PTY LIMITED30/03/200001/12/2004
0353101000…1,000=OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED12/11/2004—
0353117000…1,000ENGIN PTY LIMITEDPRIMUS TELECOMMUNICATIONS PTY LIMITED24/12/200411/08/2015
0353162100…100=PRIMUS TELECOMMUNICATIONS PTY LIMITED20/05/2005—
0353162200…100GOTALK LIMITEDSYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD22/06/200509/08/2013
0353162400…100=AGILE PTY LTD30/03/200703/09/2012
0353162500…100AAPT LIMITEDPIPE NETWORKS PTY LIMITED03/07/200724/03/2026
0353162600…100=SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD10/08/2010—
0353162700…100IVOX PTY LTDSYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD18/06/201212/06/2014
0353243000…2,000=OPTUS MOBILE PTY LIMITED03/10/2007—
0353510000…20,000=TELSTRA LIMITED30/06/1991—
0353550000…4,000=TELSTRA LIMITED30/06/1991—
0353755000…1,000=CHIME COMMUNICATIONS PTY LTD14/07/2004—
0353841000…1,000=OPTUS NETWORKS PTY LIMITED19/05/2014—
0353849000…1,000=SYMBIO NETWORKS PTY LTD28/04/2016—

Numbering areas next to Ararat in the register

Immediately below and above Ararat's blocks in the 0343… and 0353… prefixes sit Rainbow, Broughton, Lorquon, Serviceton, Telopea Downs, Marnoo, Ballan, Beaufort, Creswick, Halls Gap, Buninyong and Balliang.

Numbering areaFirst blockBlocksCarriers
Rainbow0343068000…3019
Broughton0343070000…2918
Lorquon0343072000…2818
Serviceton0343074000…3119
Telopea Downs0343076000…2919
Marnoo0343078000…2918
Ballan0343103000…3219
Beaufort0343104000…3019
Creswick0343109000…3419
Halls Gap0343112000…3319
Buninyong0343113000…3219
Balliang0343115400…3119

Had a call from a Ararat number?

No clear pattern in reports on these numbers yet. If a call worried you:

  1. Call back on a number you trust

    If a caller says they're your bank, the ATO, Services Australia, a courier or your telco, hang up and ring the organisation on the number from its website or your statement, never the number that called you. Caller ID can be faked.

  2. Report the call to Scamwatch

    The National Anti-Scam Centre uses Scamwatch reports to warn others and to get scam numbers blocked. Note the number, the time and what the caller claimed to be. If anyone is in danger, call 000.

    Report to Scamwatch ↗

  3. Register on the Do Not Call Register

    Registering landlines and mobiles is free and stops most telemarketing calls within 30 days. Charities, political parties, surveys and scammers aren't covered.

    Do Not Call Register ↗

  4. If you lost money or shared details

    Call your bank straight away on the number on your card and ask it to stop the payment. Then report it through ReportCyber, which passes cybercrime reports to Victoria Police. If your identity documents or passwords were shared, IDCARE's free support service can help you lock things down.

    ReportCyber ↗IDCARE ↗

Nationally, Scamwatch recorded $72.5 million lost to scams that started with a phone call in 2025 (down from $107.2 million), with a median loss of $3,800 per report that lost money, and phone-call scam reports are 73.7% below their 2021 level. Telcos blocked 109.3 million scam calls and 45.2 million scam texts in January to March 2026. Sources: Targeting scams 2025 (National Anti-Scam Centre); ACMA quarterly report, Jan–Mar 2026.

Ararat numbers: questions and answers

Where is the Ararat numbering area?

Ararat is in Victoria, in the Ararat council area. The nearest other numbering areas are Buangor (19 km), Moyston (21 km) and Maroona (21 km).

What area code does Ararat use?

Ararat numbers use area code 03. Its register blocks start with 03 43 and 03 53. From overseas, drop the 0 and dial +61 3 followed by the eight-digit local number.

What time zone is Ararat in?

Ararat is on Australian Eastern Time (AEST, UTC+10), with daylight saving (AEDT, UTC+11) from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April.

Which carriers hold Ararat phone numbers?

The ACMA register lists 19 carriers with allocated blocks in Ararat. By allocated numbers the largest are Telstra (55.8%), Optus Networks (18.6%) and Symbio Networks (5.8%). A number can since have been ported to another provider.

When were Ararat numbers first allocated?

The oldest block on record for Ararat was allocated on 30 June 1991 and is held by Telstra; the newest on 19 August 2026, to Symbio Networks.

How do I report a scam call from a Ararat number?

Report it to Scamwatch. If you lost money, call your bank first, then report it through ReportCyber, which passes it to Victoria Police. Unwanted sales calls go to the Do Not Call Register's complaint form (1300 792 958).

Check a number from Ararat

Scammers spoof local landline numbers to look nearby. Guides: Australian area codes, how caller ID spoofing works.