OK, folks, I live in China, and here are my suggestions.
China has great wifi coverage, in most places, and it is usually free. Some of the international hotel chains still insist on exorbitant payment, whereas a two star hotel in the backblocks will have fast wifi, or a cable for your laptop, ready to connect, for free !
But, even though there is plenty of wifi, you will not be able to access anything that comes from Google (including Gmail) [other than the App: "GoogleTranslate" which strangely still works fine] or anything related to Facebook. So, no google mail, searches, no Facebook, Youtube, WhatsApp, etc. (and many more) Some news sites such as Bloomberg are also blocked, but most daily newspapers are not.
If that bothers you, you can (a) get a roaming pack on your mobile phone with your Australian provider (as others have mentioned) but it MAY not allow access to some blocked sites, depending on what local carrier (where you are at the time) your access is being routed through - but it's usually OK; or (b) get a VPN and set it up (and test it) on either or both of your phone or laptop,
before you come to China. There are many available and they cost $US5-$10 per month. Some work better than others for access and speed, but you can probably still get your Facebook fix if you need it. I will not publicly disclose the name of the VPN I use : too must chatter attracts attention.
If you wish to keep in touch cheaply (i.e. usually free, anywhere there is wifi) with family and friends install the App "WeChat" and get them to, also. It works anywhere in China and is super user-friendly - and you can send text as well as voice messages, or even have voice and video calls. One BILLION users can't be wrong ! Yes, WeChat has that many active users in China and abroad!
One small point, most websites are accessible, but in a few cases, some functionality might be crippled. Example: the
Etihad airlines website is accessible, but to submit a form/request (booking) to them will not, because the form submission triggers a request for a "Captcha" ("I'm not a robot") verification, and you will not know it - and the site won't accept your form submission. Reason is that the "Captcha" technology is hosted by Google, so it will not paint onto the
Etihad site. So: while you may be able to access the site, some functionality may not be avalable if the site pulls in content or functionality from Google (e.g Captcha, or maps). You will definitely need a VPN in such cases.
But all of this is no great hardship ... I live in China, and travel widely within the country -- and the restrictions do not really bother me. For nearly everything I need for work or leisure, I can get by just fine -- as you will too !
Enjoy China, the positives far outweigh any niggling negatives !