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Flights to Australia take about 24 hours and will deliver travellers to one of the most exciting and diverse countries on earth. Laidback, attractive cities give way to lush rainforests, lagoons, snow-topped mountains, desert and lush vineyards.
The cities are wonderful – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra the major ones – all bustling and lively with plenty to see and do and exciting restaurant scenes that serve the very best of Australian cuisine.
Sharing the country too is a stunning collection of wildlife – goannas, galas, quolls, drongos, pademelon, echidnas as well as the more familiar kangaroos and koalas.
Travellers stepping off their cheap flights to Australia will be able to do things here they’re unable to do anywhere else in the world. These include standing where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, watching the Southern and Indian Oceans collide, camping by a billabong, learning the ropes at a jackaroo school, or visiting the world’s only numerical town – 1770, named for the year Captain Cook landed on Australian shores.
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Australia is an enormous country and its climate varies. The north can be hot and tropical and the south cool with the occasional snow. When you’re planning your trip, remember that summer lasts from December through February in most of the country. It’s also the wet season for the north. The winters, between June and August, are fairly mild. The north has dry, sunny days and the south is dry with some snow in the mountains. It’s very important to protect yourself from the sun in Australia. Cover up with a hat and use plenty of high-SPF sunscreen.
Peak Season:
Christmas to the end of January is high season. This is when children are on school holidays and the popular resorts are packed. In the north of Australia, high season is the winter months (June, July and August) when visitors from the southern states come up to escape the colder winters.
Low Season:
The summer months (October-March) are characterised by heat, humidity and rain in the northern states (the Top End, the Kimberley, and North Queensland, including Cairns).
When airlines release discounted flights to Australia they’re usually for between mid-April and mid-June. The weather can be chilly in the southern Australian cities (Sydney and Melbourne). Up North, the wet season ends by mid-May and this can be a great time to visit.
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Flying is the quickest way to get between cities in Australia.
Virgin blue flies mostly on the eastern side of Australia connecting Sydney with Melbourne, Cairns, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It also flies to Adelaide, Perth, Broome and Darwin.
Jetstar – Operating out of Melbourne, the airline flies to six destinations within Australia including Sydney, Cairns, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth.
Skywest flies in Western Australia (Broome, Perth) and the Northern Territory.
There are also bargain fares from Qantas – regular red e-deals – that the airline is quick to put in a newsletter and send out.
Train is a great way to see the country no matter what your budget. A trip on the Ghan or Indian-Pacific offer unforgettable experiences.
Coach and bus travel is economical and comfortable.
In the cities there are several types of public transport – buses, trains, ferries, light rail, monorail and trams. In Melbourne, the tourist bus and tram tours are free.
(prices quoted are from London)