Compare Australia flights

Australia is enormous. Flight times vary considerably depending on which part you're flying to, and on the exact route you take and the length of any stopovers involved.

At the time of writing, Qantas has the only direct UK flights to Australia: from London Heathrow to Perth in just under 17 hours. All flights to the southeast or north of Australia involve one or more stopovers and a flying time of between 21 and 40 hours.

Australia’s size and diversity make it a remarkable country to visit. It’s home to the oldest continuous human culture, to extraordinary wildlife and natural phenomena, and to several of the world’s most dynamic cities – many visitors find they prefer laid-back Melbourne to Sydney, and Perth, long seen as little more than a gateway to Western Australia, is fast becoming a tour stop in its own right.

Every state is different, and deciding what to do depends on where you go. If nature is your passion, Australia has more than 500 national parks, including the famous Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. And while many of those parks are true wildernesses, others are surprisingly accessible, such as Kakadu just west of Darwin, or Sydney’s Royal National Park, which is only 35 minutes’ drive from the city.

If you plan to tour extensively there is little choice but to use internal flights. That said, for exploring the regions you want to focus on, you can't beat hiring a car. Pick one up from Perth and you can head south to Margaret River's vineyards and beaches; pick one up in Melbourne and you can take off west down the spectacular Great Ocean Road.