There are some really cheap flights to Adelaide at the moment from the UK and I've combined it with a great one way rental deal to allow you an amazing opportunity to really get out and about and explore Australia. I know people will have different opinions on what to see and do, some people will say do the reef over the North some prefer coastal and so on bur you can adjust parts of this trip I'm just giving you some ideas.
You'll leave London on 28th March and arrive into Adelaide on 30th March. You'll be tired and I've allowed 4 nights in Adelaide which should be enough to recover from jetlag and at least give you time to find your feet and explore this city. You'll stay in the Metropolitan hotel in Adelaide which has good reviews and is ideally located.
On 3rd April you'll fly to Melbourne where you will spend 4 nights in the city. This may seem a little weird as you may end up backtracking but it's worth it as you are saving a fair bit of money this way! You really don't need any transport at this point as Melbourne is such as easy city to get around. You'll be based at the centrally located Tune Hotel and again this has fantastic rates.
On 7th April you'll collect your hire vehicle. This is totally brilliant, a brand new 4x4 Safari Landcruiser 5 berth van!! It's brand new from the factory and needs to be delivered to Darwin by 20th April so as long as it's there by then you can literally do whatever route you want and the 4X4 will be pretty epic in the North. You may pass back through Adelaide but not stop given you've already stayed there, but of course you'll have ample time to do the Great Ocean Road too. Sights to stop off include Uluru, Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, hot springs and Katherine but just soak up the atmosphere on this epic drive, it's a bargain at under £70 for a brand new vehicle! There are some good rental options for $10 AUD a day departing from Melbourne one way to Darwin, Alice or Perth if you can find availability but with this being such a good deal I'd go all the way to Darwin!
Once in Darwin on 20th April after dropping off the hire vehicle you will spend 2 nights in Darwin at the Skycity hotel. I think it's a great city and the WW2 tunnels, the Darwin Defence Museum and the spooky prison are great city attractions.
On 22nd I have you flying to Sydney, however depending on your interests you could fly to Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef and Cape Tribulation instead of Sydney (flights are a similar price).
The Sydney option sees you stay in Sydney for 5 nights at the highly rated Glasgow Arms. This is a nice number of nights to explore central Sydney, head out to Manley and catch the train to the Blue Mountains for the day.
On 27th April you collect a car from Sydney centre and (this is a personal favorite of mine) and drive to Jervis Bay (you pass through some lovely places such as Ulladullah with yummy fish and chips). You'll stay in Jervis Bay for 3 nights at Huskisson Motor Inn. Forget Bondi Beach or the Gold Coast. Hyams Beach and the surrounding beaches in Jervis Bay are quite possibly the best beaches I've ever been too in my life. Hyams Beach has the whitest sand in the world according to the Guinness World Records and I can believe it, with squeaky sand! It rivals any I've seen in the Caribbean. It's a perfect end to your trip and on 30th April you'll drive the car back to the airport for your long journey home.
Some pictures of Hyams Beach are here https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g528972-d1643530-Reviews-Hyams_Beach-Jervis_Bay_New_South_Wales.html
As I mentioned you could head to Cairns instead of Sydney or even try and fit both in. This is just an example of a great deal that may suit the more adventurous travellers.
Breakdown
London to Adelaide flights for 2 £798.10
@ Travel Trolley
4 nights in Adelaide £140.44 @ venere.com use code AFFQ1F157
Adelaide to Melbourne flights for 2 £73.35 @ Expedia.com
4 nights in Melbourne £152.17 @ venere.com use code AFFQ1F157
14 days Campervan rental in brand new Safari 4X4 $140AUD/£68.71 @ Britz.com
2 nights in Darwin £78.26 @ www.venere.com use code
AFFQ1F157
Flights from Darwin to Sydney £179.82 @ Tripsta.co.uk
Sitting here dreaming..... Wow. Sounds amazing. Wish I could get the time off.
InsaneNutter to RoscoP_co
11 Feb 16#14
Aye same here, even if I could get the days off I don't get 25+ days a year I could actually take! *goes back to dreaming*
Anonstarter
11 Feb 16#5
HOT! Amazing effort. Thank you Rachelandgromit. :smiley:
i8thepie
11 Feb 16#6
I've flown air Brunei to Australia, it was really good if anyone has concerns. I was worried about being in the plane for so long but it says actualy quite comfortable.
purplegoldfish
11 Feb 16#7
excellent work. hot hot hot.
bob1e
11 Feb 16#8
It was always Byron Bay for me! This is some deal. Hot hot hot!
markalanious
11 Feb 16#9
If I could vote hot twice, I would.
wooookie
11 Feb 16#10
Awsome would love this.....
tommie1shunt
11 Feb 16#11
Great post
sancheez
11 Feb 161#12
Good price. Heat.
Lot of driving to get from Melbourne to Darwin! And if you go the Alice Springs route, make sure you plan it properly. Theres an awful lot of nothing between places there. You can get in trouble if you don't stock and plan right. I've flown over a lot of it when I lived there, never did that sort of distance as a road trip though.
Almost 4000km if anyone is wondering. Will vary depending on route of course ....
Considered a similar style trip doing Canada east to west but decided it was just too much time behind the wheel.
mrvot
11 Feb 168#13
sancheez
11 Feb 161#15
Split it over two holiday years. Two weeks from one, two weeks from the other. So you don't use a HUGE chunk of one years allowance. I've done long holidays like this before.
shug119
11 Feb 16#16
Mega deal.
I'm going to oz, end of February.
Any excess insurance deals,
wish I could go on this epic journey, just because the timing is not the best for me, HEAT
PKtheDJ
11 Feb 161#19
If driving north from Adelaide to Darwin I'd personally try to fit in a night's stay in Coober Pedy and visit the opal mines, stay over night in an old mine, drinking in an underground bar. Done it years ago and was a good night.
As always, the joys of a self drive hol is if you like it stay longer, if not move on. Just give yourself a couple of days grace and it'd be the trip of a lifetime.
shug119
11 Feb 16#20
Cheers looks good.
ruthbear
11 Feb 16#21
This sounds great!
onlineo
11 Feb 16#22
looks great but the flights will be tough especially for ne as we have a 10month old. I would want a 2 to 4 nights stopover in dubai and similar in Brunei of I am taking these flights. Also the enforced Adelaide to Melbourne flights would annoy me.
rachelandgromit to onlineo
11 Feb 16#24
It's not a journey that I think would work with a small baby as this trip is done on a budget with some sacrifices to be made in terms of flight times/durations whixh is reflected in the price. You may be better paying around £300 more pp to get flights with Etihad or Qatar where you have stop overs. The price may go up but it may make for an easier journey.
dramaqueen
11 Feb 16#23
i wish.....
great research!
sancheez
11 Feb 16#25
I worked with a bunch of Kiwi's a few years back. One of them actually went home to New Zealand .... for a weekend!!! :confused:
(It was for a funeral so she kind of felt she had to - sore one on the flights and jetlag though!)
coco2007
11 Feb 16#26
pako
11 Feb 16#27
Great effort! Thanks for showing the opportunity for such a great trip. Call you back once save some money for that. ;-)
baggs1981
11 Feb 161#28
For the Hire car looks like it is £3927.14 deposit so you will have to have that available in clear funds or on a credit card which the hire firm will place a hold on, it can then take a couple of weeks to release that. Almost all hire cars have something like this so isn't a shock just best people are aware especially when it is this high. Unless I'm wrong I think this is how most of them work now. Always get the excess waiver.
magpie36
11 Feb 16#29
The total of the breakdown is £2031.68 ???
rachelandgromit to magpie36
11 Feb 16#30
That's for 2 people :smirk:
daanuk
11 Feb 16#31
Excellent work and kudos for the effort.
For anyone that's not been before, do your homework on the cost of living in Australia. It is desperately expensive and yes it can be done to a degree on a budget, but by not planning in advance it will completely negate the saving you've made on the trip.
shug119 to daanuk
11 Feb 16#32
Shop at markets or Cole's / Woolworth.
magpie36
11 Feb 16#33
Oh yeah i see it now, thought it was a bit much for one person even at £1k
rachelandgromit
11 Feb 161#34
Expensive at £1k per person? For just over a month including hotels, flights, campervan rental..... Really?
Bridotronic
11 Feb 16#35
Hear from me
StillTheFlyest
11 Feb 16#36
What's the weather like there in April?
rachelandgromit to StillTheFlyest
11 Feb 16#37
It will vary greatly across Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney bur certainly warmer than the UK!
nublets2k to StillTheFlyest
12 Feb 16#39
Darwin will be hottest, around 28, and then maybe 21 for Sydney and 18 for Melbourne. There's a good chance of rain so take a waterproof.
DCFC79
11 Feb 16#38
If I could get the time off or I was between jobs with a month or 2 apart I'd be all over this.
czajunia
12 Feb 16#40
Do you know if Safari Landcruiser is classified as a motorhome for the insurance purpose?
rachelandgromit
12 Feb 16#41
Hmmm I'm not sure, it's a 4X4 too, perhaps email Britz.com and ask them to clarify.
BillyCoff
12 Feb 16#42
If only I had the time....heat added
itsillogical
13 Feb 16#43
I booked two Motorhomes back in 2014 in WA. The First leg North was using a 4x4 and because of the higher vehicle cost i ended up using Rentalcover.com as it covered up to A$7500, it cost me then A$359.50 for two weeks. Here's the summery (below) of what was covered, note the 4x4 comments. One thing i would warn do not travel at night as Roo's rule and you may end up hitting one, it's also a big country so 14 days to travel from the South to the North is a push.
Policy Information Zero Excess Rental Cover - Australia
This policy covers payments that you make for damages/repairs to any rental vehicle anywhere in Australia. There is nil excess payable on a claim (whereas the rental companies charge AU$500.00-AU$1,000.00 if you take their "reduced" excess). You do not need the supplier's excess reduction or collision damage waiver. Policyholder must be aged 25 to 84 and can be a resident or non-resident of Australia. Other drivers on the rental agreement and dependent children covered free of charge. For travel on the dates shown in Australia. Note that the supplier may require a refundable bond.
Inclusions:
Excess cover for car/motorhome rentals, loan cars from mechanics & accident replacement vehicles: AU$7,500.00 plus AU$1,000.00 Free Gap Cover (included with all RentalCover.com policies). You do not need to take the optional excess reduction at the depot as AU$7,500.00 + AU$1,000.00 is sufficient to cover your standard liability.
Important: While the rental company will charge your credit card for the damages (up to the standard liability) you would then make a claim to RentalCover.com.
Claim Fee: AU$0.00 (compare this to the "reduced" amount payable to a rental company in the event of an accident, typically AU$500.00 to AU$1,000.00)
Free additional drivers (all drivers nominated on the Vehicle Rental Agreement are covered by this policy).
The following are all covered by this policy - they are typically excluded from the excess reduction policies of rental companies:
Windscreen, tyre, roof & underbody repairs.
Single vehicle accidents.
Hitting an animal.
Accidents after dusk.
Weather-related and water damage.
Key loss/replacement.
Additional drivers that are nominated on the rental agreement
Demurrage (the supplier's lost rental while a vehicle is off the road for repairs).
The following are not covered by this policy. Please read the PDS for further information:
Damages sustained while driving on unsealed roads except where the vehicle is a 4 Wheel Drive (4x4) and where that 4 Wheel Drive’s damages occurred on a road permitted for travel by the rental company. Damages that occur on unpermitted roads are not reimbursable through this policy.
Does not cover damage caused to the Vehicle in any way by part or total submersion in fresh water nor part or total salt water submersion, with the exception of weather-related water damages.
Damage caused to the Vehicle by the renter’s wilful or negligent conduct or contravention of any legislation or regulation controlling vehicular traffic or the use of alcohol or illicit substances by either the driver or another passenger
Does not cover damage caused by use of incorrect or contaminated fuel.
Where required, RentalCover.com will utilise the resources of other claims teams that have been involved in the claims process and at all times reserves the right to exercise their discretion.
Policy number will be confirmed closer to commencement and can be cancelled at any time up to and including day of commencement.
Just found the details of who i used for the second leg of my trip which was a Merc Campervan/Motorhome/RV whatever term you want to use. https://tripcover.com.au/campervans/index.php They covered up to A$6000 and cost me AU $227.04 for 12 days. They also do car cover/
rachelandgromit
13 Feb 16#44
Thanks that is useful.
You can just take the camper from Melbourne to Alice (same price) if you wanted and then either sort out from Alice where you wanted to go or head up to Darwin from Alice (plenty of tours available).
itsillogical to rachelandgromit
13 Feb 16#45
I like the sound of that option, as you can fly up to Cairns or Brisbane from Ayers Rock via Alice
rachelandgromit
13 Feb 161#46
Flights from Uluru can be v expensive though so make sure you check this first.
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Opening post
You'll leave London on 28th March and arrive into Adelaide on 30th March. You'll be tired and I've allowed 4 nights in Adelaide which should be enough to recover from jetlag and at least give you time to find your feet and explore this city. You'll stay in the Metropolitan hotel in Adelaide which has good reviews and is ideally located.
On 3rd April you'll fly to Melbourne where you will spend 4 nights in the city. This may seem a little weird as you may end up backtracking but it's worth it as you are saving a fair bit of money this way! You really don't need any transport at this point as Melbourne is such as easy city to get around. You'll be based at the centrally located Tune Hotel and again this has fantastic rates.
On 7th April you'll collect your hire vehicle. This is totally brilliant, a brand new 4x4 Safari Landcruiser 5 berth van!! It's brand new from the factory and needs to be delivered to Darwin by 20th April so as long as it's there by then you can literally do whatever route you want and the 4X4 will be pretty epic in the North. You may pass back through Adelaide but not stop given you've already stayed there, but of course you'll have ample time to do the Great Ocean Road too. Sights to stop off include Uluru, Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, hot springs and Katherine but just soak up the atmosphere on this epic drive, it's a bargain at under £70 for a brand new vehicle! There are some good rental options for $10 AUD a day departing from Melbourne one way to Darwin, Alice or Perth if you can find availability but with this being such a good deal I'd go all the way to Darwin!
Once in Darwin on 20th April after dropping off the hire vehicle you will spend 2 nights in Darwin at the Skycity hotel. I think it's a great city and the WW2 tunnels, the Darwin Defence Museum and the spooky prison are great city attractions.
On 22nd I have you flying to Sydney, however depending on your interests you could fly to Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef and Cape Tribulation instead of Sydney (flights are a similar price).
The Sydney option sees you stay in Sydney for 5 nights at the highly rated Glasgow Arms. This is a nice number of nights to explore central Sydney, head out to Manley and catch the train to the Blue Mountains for the day.
On 27th April you collect a car from Sydney centre and (this is a personal favorite of mine) and drive to Jervis Bay (you pass through some lovely places such as Ulladullah with yummy fish and chips). You'll stay in Jervis Bay for 3 nights at Huskisson Motor Inn. Forget Bondi Beach or the Gold Coast. Hyams Beach and the surrounding beaches in Jervis Bay are quite possibly the best beaches I've ever been too in my life. Hyams Beach has the whitest sand in the world according to the Guinness World Records and I can believe it, with squeaky sand! It rivals any I've seen in the Caribbean. It's a perfect end to your trip and on 30th April you'll drive the car back to the airport for your long journey home.
Some pictures of Hyams Beach are here
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g528972-d1643530-Reviews-Hyams_Beach-Jervis_Bay_New_South_Wales.html
As I mentioned you could head to Cairns instead of Sydney or even try and fit both in. This is just an example of a great deal that may suit the more adventurous travellers.
Breakdown
London to Adelaide flights for 2 £798.10
@ Travel Trolley
4 nights in Adelaide £140.44 @ venere.com use code AFFQ1F157
Adelaide to Melbourne flights for 2 £73.35 @ Expedia.com
4 nights in Melbourne £152.17 @ venere.com use code AFFQ1F157
14 days Campervan rental in brand new Safari 4X4 $140AUD/£68.71 @ Britz.com
2 nights in Darwin £78.26 @ www.venere.com use code
AFFQ1F157
Flights from Darwin to Sydney £179.82 @ Tripsta.co.uk
5 nights in Sydney £261.21 @ www.venere.com
Hire Car 27-30 April £58.83 @ Easycar.com
3 nights in Jervis Bay £147.44 @ www.venere.com use code AFFQ1F157
Sydney to Adelaide flights £73.35 @ Expedia.com
Total pp £1015.85
Top comments
All comments (48)
Lot of driving to get from Melbourne to Darwin! And if you go the Alice Springs route, make sure you plan it properly. Theres an awful lot of nothing between places there. You can get in trouble if you don't stock and plan right. I've flown over a lot of it when I lived there, never did that sort of distance as a road trip though.
Almost 4000km if anyone is wondering. Will vary depending on route of course ....
Considered a similar style trip doing Canada east to west but decided it was just too much time behind the wheel.
I'm going to oz, end of February.
Any excess insurance deals,
As always, the joys of a self drive hol is if you like it stay longer, if not move on. Just give yourself a couple of days grace and it'd be the trip of a lifetime.
great research!
(It was for a funeral so she kind of felt she had to - sore one on the flights and jetlag though!)
For anyone that's not been before, do your homework on the cost of living in Australia. It is desperately expensive and yes it can be done to a degree on a budget, but by not planning in advance it will completely negate the saving you've made on the trip.
Policy Information Zero Excess Rental Cover - Australia
This policy covers payments that you make for damages/repairs to any rental vehicle anywhere in Australia. There is nil excess payable on a claim (whereas the rental companies charge AU$500.00-AU$1,000.00 if you take their "reduced" excess). You do not need the supplier's excess reduction or collision damage waiver. Policyholder must be aged 25 to 84 and can be a resident or non-resident of Australia. Other drivers on the rental agreement and dependent children covered free of charge. For travel on the dates shown in Australia. Note that the supplier may require a refundable bond.
Inclusions:
Excess cover for car/motorhome rentals, loan cars from mechanics & accident replacement vehicles: AU$7,500.00 plus AU$1,000.00 Free Gap Cover (included with all RentalCover.com policies). You do not need to take the optional excess reduction at the depot as AU$7,500.00 + AU$1,000.00 is sufficient to cover your standard liability.
Important: While the rental company will charge your credit card for the damages (up to the standard liability) you would then make a claim to RentalCover.com.
Claim Fee: AU$0.00 (compare this to the "reduced" amount payable to a rental company in the event of an accident, typically AU$500.00 to AU$1,000.00)
Free additional drivers (all drivers nominated on the Vehicle Rental Agreement are covered by this policy).
The following are all covered by this policy - they are typically excluded from the excess reduction policies of rental companies:
Windscreen, tyre, roof & underbody repairs.
Single vehicle accidents.
Hitting an animal.
Accidents after dusk.
Weather-related and water damage.
Key loss/replacement.
Additional drivers that are nominated on the rental agreement
Demurrage (the supplier's lost rental while a vehicle is off the road for repairs).
The following are not covered by this policy. Please read the PDS for further information:
Damages sustained while driving on unsealed roads except where the vehicle is a 4 Wheel Drive (4x4) and where that 4 Wheel Drive’s damages occurred on a road permitted for travel by the rental company. Damages that occur on unpermitted roads are not reimbursable through this policy.
Does not cover damage caused to the Vehicle in any way by part or total submersion in fresh water nor part or total salt water submersion, with the exception of weather-related water damages.
Damage caused to the Vehicle by the renter’s wilful or negligent conduct or contravention of any legislation or regulation controlling vehicular traffic or the use of alcohol or illicit substances by either the driver or another passenger
Does not cover damage caused by use of incorrect or contaminated fuel.
Where required, RentalCover.com will utilise the resources of other claims teams that have been involved in the claims process and at all times reserves the right to exercise their discretion.
Policy number will be confirmed closer to commencement and can be cancelled at any time up to and including day of commencement.
Just found the details of who i used for the second leg of my trip which was a Merc Campervan/Motorhome/RV whatever term you want to use. https://tripcover.com.au/campervans/index.php They covered up to A$6000 and cost me AU $227.04 for 12 days. They also do car cover/
You can just take the camper from Melbourne to Alice (same price) if you wanted and then either sort out from Alice where you wanted to go or head up to Darwin from Alice (plenty of tours available).