Awesome landscapes
In the periphery of the blazing red centre are luscious rainforests and stagnant billabongs, aggregates of coral so large they disrupt tides (Great Barrier Reef) and a band of iconic coastal cities. Holding it altogether from the centre is the mystical Uluru; as much a window to a pre European culture as it is a symbol of modern day Oz. Road tripping is one of the best ways to live the Australian outdoor lifestyle; drive the flat, open wilderness of the Boomerang Coast, the southwest’s wine regions and the beckoning bush.
Hot cities
Australian cities are a delightful combination of Epicurean pleasures and world class beaches –they’re world leaders in terms of lifestyle. Stop in independent eateries and cafes in Melbourne’s alleyways to Instagram your favourite street graffiti or explore the intricacies of the Sydney Opera House before hitting the beaches of the Gold Coast. Arrive early to Perth’s bars to swig cold suds alongside work hard/play hard locals ordered home early by cool bosses.
Local charms
Billabongs, gibbers, willy willys and min-mins. The features of Australian wilderness are strange and unexpected but then this continent has been an island for 50 million years, a long time to be alone. The wildlife is just as outlandish – platypus, echidna, wallabies and devils. There’s the chimp-ish call of the kookaburra, prematurely born marsupials tucked in mummy’s pouch and prehistoric emu’s stomping around the outback.
When to go
The climate varies considerably from the tropical regions of its northern borders to the temperate climes of the southeast and southwest. It is by in large an arid continent – it has ten interior deserts and it’s the driest places in the world other than Antarctica. Australia’s cities and towns are built around the coastal perimeter.
Weather varies significantly from state to state. Australia is in the southern hemisphere so summer is from December to February and winter is June to August. There’s the tropical savannah climate of the northern territory (Darwin) compared to the hot and dry Mediterranean weather of the Southern Territory’s coast.
Flights are cheaper from mid-April until late June, a good time to be in the north but not elsewhere as this is autumn time. Prices peak in the run up to Christmas and note that flying over Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve can mean very good savings. Deals pop up year round but the start of the year is generally a good time to look.
The climate is tropical the closer to the equator you are (hot and wet summer, hot and dry winter). Australia’s midriff is semi arid to arid (hot and dry summer, cold dry winter) although coastal areas have noticeably wetter winters and cooler summers. In the south, December to February are hot and dry, with mild wet winters are the norm; again it’s noticeably cooler along the coast.
Airports and Airlines
Search and find great deals on return flights to Australia for 2017 – 2018 today. Conduct your search without entering specific dates or destination airports to see the lowest possible rates for your flight. Use the control panel above to enter your travel details or compare the various deals we currently have for airfares using the tabs. To get the cheapest flight deals, search by month and well in advance.
Sydney and Melbourne on the east coast are two of the most popular Australian destinations but it’s the west coast that is the most accessible and cheapest point of entry for European visitors. Carriers like Qantas, British Airways, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airlines and Emirates normally include a stopover in Asia for UK to Australia flights.
If your chosen flight entails a layover, consider making your trip a multicentre one and extend you stay in common refuelling cities such as Singapore or Dubai. It can make your flights cheaper. As of March 2018 you’ll be able to fly directly from the United Kingdom to Perth with Qantas.