her first australian port of call was fremantle, arriving 6 july 1909 and a local reporter of the perth daily news gave comprehensive background on the wireless equipment: "messages through space; m+aphy installed on rms mantua a great success; the p. and o. rms mantua, the first english mail boat travelling to australia carrying the marconi wireless telegraph, arrived at fremantle this morning, and great public interest was taken in the skeleton looking apparatus placed on both mast heads. the particular instrument carried on the mantua has a range of 250 miles, and in this respect differs greatly from the huge liners which cross the atlantic, but it is considered that this range will more than suffice should emergencies arise during the vessel's progress through the pacific and indian oceans. on the atlantic liners again two operators are carried, but so far the mantua has hardly found enough employment for one telegraphist. during the voyage out the mantua's operator, who is one of marconi's skilled young men, flashed out messages each day in the hope of gaining connection with some other instrument over the vast expanse of water. when the mantua emerged from the red sea, the first vessels she greeted a la marconi were two japanese merchant vessels, which, though scores of miles out of sight, returned the felicitous greetings of the britisher. then a prowling english man-o'-war skirting round the shallows of the seychelles islands, snapped back a hearty business-like message. during the whole of the journey from tilbury to port said people were sending messages ashore to their friends. it was a novelty, and although costing about 1s. a word to dispatch, with a minimum charge of 6s. 6d., the luxury was largely availed of. the morea and malwa, sister ships to the mantua, are also fitted up with wireless telegraph apparatus." she arrived at hobson's bay, melbourne on 12 july 1909 and it was reported that "the steamer is fitted with the marconi system of wireless telegraphy, and during the passage out other vessels and people on shore were freely communicated with. captain f. w. vibert, who is a well-known visitor to hobson's bay, has command of the mantua." upon arrival in sydney, the wireless officer a. f. goodliffe was interviewed and reported on the problems with obtaining acknowledgement of transmissions with many naval vessels due to protocols in place. but noted that approaching sydney, communication had been established with hms "pyramus".