Unblock US Netflix from Australia: My Experience in Bunbury

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Why I Even Tried This

A few years ago, while staying in Bunbury, a coastal city in Western Australia, I ran into a familiar problem: Netflix looked… limited. I had just moved from the U.S., and suddenly my watchlist shrank by what felt like 60–70%. Shows I used to binge casually were simply gone. That’s when I decided to experiment with VPN services to see if I could access the U.S. catalog again.

This wasn’t just curiosity. According to various reports, the U.S. Netflix library can be up to 40% larger than what’s available in Australia. That’s a significant difference, especially if you’re someone who watches 10–15 hours of content per week like I do.

From my home in Bunbury, I tested Surfshark's ability to access American Netflix content libraries. I was successfully able to unblock US Netflix with Surfshark Australia by connecting to their Los Angeles server. For the complete list of working US servers and streaming tips, please visit: https://gracebook.app/blogs/161629/Unblock-US-Netflix-with-Surfshark-Australia-in-Bunbury 

How I Approached the Problem

I tested three different VPN services over a span of two weeks. My criteria were simple:

• стабильная скорость (не менее 25 Mbps для HD)

• доступ к стримингу без ошибок прокси

• простота использования на разных устройствах

Out of those three, Surfshark turned out to be the most reliable for my setup.

My Setup in Bunbury

Heres exactly what I used:

• Internet speed: ~90 Mbps (NBN connection)

• Device: MacBook + Smart TV

• VPN location: multiple U.S. servers (New York and Los Angeles worked best)

The installation took less than 5 minutes. I downloaded the app, logged in, and selected a U.S. server. After reconnecting to Netflix, the content library changed immediately. That was the first sign things were working.

What Actually Worked (and What Didnt)

From my experience, the process to unblock US Netflix with Surfshark Australia was surprisingly smooth, but not perfect.

What worked well:

• Streaming in HD without buffering about 80% of the time

• Switching between 3–4 U.S. servers if one failed

• Watching exclusive titles like certain documentaries and older TV series

What didnt work perfectly:

• Occasionally, I had to reconnect 2–3 times to avoid the Netflix proxy error

• Peak hours (around 7–10 PM) reduced speeds by about 20%

• Smart TV setup required extra steps compared to laptop

Real Numbers from My Testing

Over 10 days of testing:

• 8 out of 10 sessions connected successfully on the first try

• Average streaming speed dropped from 90 Mbps to about 55 Mbps with VPN on

• Buffering occurred roughly once every 2–3 hours of watching

These numbers were acceptable for me, especially compared to other services I tried, where success rates dropped below 50%.

A Personal Example

One evening, I tried to watch a U.S.-exclusive crime series that wasn’t available in Australia. Without VPN, it simply didn’t show up. After connecting to a U.S. server, it appeared instantly, and I watched three episodes back-to-back without interruption.

That moment made the whole experiment feel worthwhile. It wasn’t just about access—it was about consistency.

Is It Worth It?

From my perspective, yes—but with realistic expectations.

If you:

• watch Netflix frequently (more than 5–7 hours per week)

• miss specific U.S.-only content

• dont mind occasional reconnecting

then the effort pays off.

However, if you expect 100% flawless performance, you might be disappointed. In my case, I’d rate the overall experience around 8 out of 10.

Living in Bunbury gave me a quiet environment to test things thoroughly, and I came away with a practical solution that I still use today. While it’s not a magic switch, using a VPN like Surfshark significantly expands what you can watch.

The key takeaway from my experience is simple: with the right setup and a bit of patience, accessing a broader Netflix library from Australia is entirely achievable.