I know Australia Road trips always go down well and I've been looking at offers on one way rentals again. This is alot of Australia in a short space of time so ideal for those that haven't got much leave and can't commit to longer holidays but it does mean a fair bit of driving but Australia driving is easy and with plenty of opportunities to stop off. I know in an ideal world it would be great to take months off work but not all of us have that much leave!
25th/26th May
Flying with Qatar airways you'll end up in Adelaide on 26th May where you'll get your hire car at the airport. The drive is an easy one into the city. You'll stay at the Adabco Boutique Hotel, which has good reviews and in the centre of the city.
27th May
You'll drive today to Mount Gambier. It's a nice drive as there are plenty of things to stop off, such as Robe and do so you don't need to rush this trip. The lake and sinkhole nearby the hotel is well worth a visit. Your accommodation is the Limestone Coast Tourist Park (ensuite cabin).
28th May
Carrying on the Great Ocean Road you will see many attractions such as the pretty town of Port Fairy, London Bridge, the 12 apostles, Loc Ard Gorge and beautiful scenery. You'll overnight in Lorne at the Foreshore Lorne.
29th May
You will drive into Melbourne today, finishing the great ocean road. You will drop off the hire car and stay at the Brady Hotel in the CBD of Melbourne.
30th May
You'll get your 4x4 camper today and the east coast is your oyster! You need to return the 4x4 to Cairns by the 11th June so you can work out what you want to see and do. The drive from Melbourne to Sydney is really beautiful and I'd strongly recommend Jerbis Bay/Hyams as a beautiful beach. You will have to work out exactly what you want to see and do in the time you have as there are a lot of attractions (personally I hated Surfer's Paradise)! Heading to Cairns will give you the option to then do the barrier reef bit you will also want to stop at Sydney too.
11th June
You'll return the 4x4 and fly back To Adelaide for your evening flight home. Note there is a longer stop in Doha but you may be able to get a free hotel too!
Breakdown
Long haul flights £695.66 book via Skyscanner
Hire car Adelaide to Melbourne $134.56 AUD/£68.12 book at thrifty.com.au
Adelaide Hotel £35.76 book at Venere
Mount Gambier hotel £36.12 book at Venere
Lorne hotel £42.90 book at Venere
Melbourne hotel £43.69 book at Venere
4x4 rental £65.81 book at thrifty.co.au (you'll need a credit card for the bond)
Flights from Cairns to Adelaide £201.49 for 2 book at Jester
what an amazing trip, such a shame I am only off work for one week, or it would have been booked!!!!
jarjarmustdie
13 May 163#3
Heat added for the time and effort put in
moeman
13 May 161#4
just beware the shortest route between Melbourne and Cairns is about 1800 miles and travels inland, visiting any of the coast and you can add another few hundred.
rachelandgromit to moeman
13 May 16#7
Yes, it is a fair distance and if you adjusted your flight you could easily add another week and the 4x4 is only $10 a day. You will need to look at where you want to stop off at as it's unlikely you will be able to see and do everything on your wishlist with the time you have.
tovers93
13 May 16#5
Does car rental at that price actually hold true? Seems ridiculously cheap
rachelandgromit to tovers93
13 May 16#6
Yes! The 4x4 is a one way rental special - relocations at just $10 per day. I've had free rentals in the past too where they just need to get cars from one place another!
7777777
14 May 16#8
I love the full of exploring, creative , diy holidays.well done OP, inspirational (inspiring?) post.
onlineo
14 May 161#9
great idea, great prices. If you have never been to Oz before, This is a massive drive that you will not want to do, think new York to Orlando and back again for the coastal distances. it will also be winter in Oz. so temperature will be poor until you reach Brisbane and further north.
plus most of the barrier reef is dead or dying :disappointed:
razorsharp193 to onlineo
15 May 16#30
Great effort by the OP but this is far too much land to cover in 2 weeks. Better to stick to a smaller area as otherwise it won't feel like a holiday and will be too rushed. A relocation deal is good for getting a cheap camper van and going from one place to another but that's it, it's no good for a holiday (as you need to get the van from one place to another in a set period of time). Great for backpackers to get from place to place cheap, but not great as a holiday as you don't really get time to spend 'holidaying' as your main aim is to get the van to its destination.
mwallis50
14 May 16#10
Pretty sure your airfare is £695 each not for two. I can't get anywhere near your £1200 total for two people for the entire trip
rachelandgromit to mwallis50
14 May 16#11
Plug those dates into Skyscanner or Kayak as per screen shot, gone up a little bit to around £366pp but at the time of posting yes, that was the flight price for two!
rachelandgromit
14 May 16#12
Flight valid still for 2 people got to checkout and followed it until payment screen. £694.86 for 2 people at checkout so price has actually dropped.....
tovers93
14 May 16#13
Is there any way to find these specifically and then build a trip around them?
thedvdmonster
14 May 161#14
rachelandgromit
14 May 16#15
I'm signed up to most newsletters, Apollo, Britz, Jucy amd Vroomvroom, keep an eye out on all those sites and if you are going to Oz register with agencies etc..... Last minute rentals are common.
johnmcga
14 May 161#16
Absolutely love the spirit of this post, but I'd argue Melbourne to Cairns is far too long a drive to cover in 12 days. Over that sort of distance, you're better off focusing on a smaller area of Australia, or incorporating a flight or two to maximise your time.
Adelaide, Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road would be more than enough to see over this kind of period, although the weather can be variable at this time of year!
I have to say though, despite that: what a bargain!
GAVINLEWISHUKD to johnmcga
14 May 161#19
I suppose it all depends on how much you drive regularly. If all you do is normally pop to the shops and take the kids to school is will seem epic.
It probably going to be 4 hours driving a day. If there are 2 of you its only 2 hours each. I'd probably get up at 6am (it's a camper remember) have a wash and a quick breakfast and be on the road by 6:30am. This will give me a whole day at my destination. I might even do a few hours in the evening. Depending on the situation.
But yes for many people it will be a challenge. :smiley:
tovers93
14 May 16#17
Thanks! Wish I could find something similar in Europe...
martynf65
14 May 161#18
Stop!! I want this!! sadly cannot, but OH MY what a post.
HUGE Kudos to you rachelandgromit
rachelandgromit to martynf65
14 May 16#20
Thank you very much!
As some of said, there is a lot of driving but for those short on time that don't have months to spend down under it's a good opportunity to see as much of Oz as you can. I'd personally skip through Brisbane and Surfer's Paradise it felt a bit Benidorm/Blackpool like but that's probably as I preferred the less well known places and beaches. Fraser Island is pretty good though.
Two years on the run I took all my annual leave in one go to spend a couple of months in Oz each year, brilliant but returning to work knowing you have no leave left was depressing! A couple of years ago I also did Xmas in Bali and NYE in Sydney then the drive Sydney to Melbourne and the beaches around Jervis Bay were the best in Australia and are in the record books for 'the whitest sand in the world'. Everyone should do NYE in Sydney once in their lives.
Skymonkey
14 May 161#21
A lot of effort went into this. Well done, have some heat for that alone. Nice deal, certainly something I would consider and love to do!
swblue
14 May 16#22
Not the right time for us unfortunately but thanks for posting. Would definitely be interested in something similar on later dates. Heat added.
hotukdeal92
14 May 16#23
Great effort OP.
Bridotronic
14 May 16#24
An awful long way for such a short trip. Been to Oz 4 times and it takes me about 3 weeks to get over the jet lag
rachelandgromit to Bridotronic
14 May 16#25
Unfortunately not everyone has that amount of time off work. I've been lucky and not suffered that much with it in Australia but for some reason when I went to Argentina (Ush) I was terrible. It took me until a good few days, at which point I was heading to Antarctica before I felt marginally better (and I think that was only because I had sea sickness instead)!
GAVINLEWISHUKD
14 May 16#26
You are a "westy" like me. Suffer jet lag going West not East like most people. I just used to think it was holiday blues coming back. People used to say 'You can't get jet lag going West". I think it's now accepted you can. I'm also left handed so am a real freak! :laughing:
rachelandgromit
14 May 16#27
Haha, that must be it! I swear I get the same jet lag symptoms going to London from the North West ....... on the train!
johnmcga
15 May 16#28
That's a fair point. That style of holiday just wouldn't work for me — I love a good road trip, but I like to have time to stop and explore my desintation(s) — but I can totally see the appeal. And the quoted price is a steal!
bargaindeals
15 May 16#29
Oh dear, another non event from the OP.
Perhaps they can tell me where the deal is?
SoFreshSoNice
15 May 161#31
booked it.. thanks op!
stevetheman
15 May 16#32
Brilliant deal. I did this on a year out in 2005, amazing memories. But it took me 5 weeks to drive from Sydney to Cairns. And I lived in Sydney for 3 months and Cairns the same. This duration is not going to touch the surface of seeing Australia. But if you really want to go and there is no other option then this deal is a bargain. But Oz is incredibly expensive at the moment.
poisondwarf
16 May 16#33
You mean food and drink?
stevetheman
18 May 16#34
Absolutely everything in oz. 50% more money than uk.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
25th/26th May
Flying with Qatar airways you'll end up in Adelaide on 26th May where you'll get your hire car at the airport. The drive is an easy one into the city. You'll stay at the Adabco Boutique Hotel, which has good reviews and in the centre of the city.
27th May
You'll drive today to Mount Gambier. It's a nice drive as there are plenty of things to stop off, such as Robe and do so you don't need to rush this trip. The lake and sinkhole nearby the hotel is well worth a visit. Your accommodation is the Limestone Coast Tourist Park (ensuite cabin).
28th May
Carrying on the Great Ocean Road you will see many attractions such as the pretty town of Port Fairy, London Bridge, the 12 apostles, Loc Ard Gorge and beautiful scenery. You'll overnight in Lorne at the Foreshore Lorne.
29th May
You will drive into Melbourne today, finishing the great ocean road. You will drop off the hire car and stay at the Brady Hotel in the CBD of Melbourne.
30th May
You'll get your 4x4 camper today and the east coast is your oyster! You need to return the 4x4 to Cairns by the 11th June so you can work out what you want to see and do. The drive from Melbourne to Sydney is really beautiful and I'd strongly recommend Jerbis Bay/Hyams as a beautiful beach. You will have to work out exactly what you want to see and do in the time you have as there are a lot of attractions (personally I hated Surfer's Paradise)! Heading to Cairns will give you the option to then do the barrier reef bit you will also want to stop at Sydney too.
11th June
You'll return the 4x4 and fly back To Adelaide for your evening flight home. Note there is a longer stop in Doha but you may be able to get a free hotel too!
Breakdown
Long haul flights £695.66 book via Skyscanner
Hire car Adelaide to Melbourne $134.56 AUD/£68.12 book at thrifty.com.au
Adelaide Hotel £35.76 book at Venere
Mount Gambier hotel £36.12 book at Venere
Lorne hotel £42.90 book at Venere
Melbourne hotel £43.69 book at Venere
4x4 rental £65.81 book at thrifty.co.au (you'll need a credit card for the bond)
Flights from Cairns to Adelaide £201.49 for 2 book at Jester
Make sure you use the 12% code on Venere
Total £1189.55/£594.78pp
Top comments
All comments (34)
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plus most of the barrier reef is dead or dying :disappointed:
Adelaide, Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road would be more than enough to see over this kind of period, although the weather can be variable at this time of year!
I have to say though, despite that: what a bargain!
It probably going to be 4 hours driving a day. If there are 2 of you its only 2 hours each. I'd probably get up at 6am (it's a camper remember) have a wash and a quick breakfast and be on the road by 6:30am. This will give me a whole day at my destination. I might even do a few hours in the evening. Depending on the situation.
But yes for many people it will be a challenge. :smiley:
HUGE Kudos to you rachelandgromit
As some of said, there is a lot of driving but for those short on time that don't have months to spend down under it's a good opportunity to see as much of Oz as you can. I'd personally skip through Brisbane and Surfer's Paradise it felt a bit Benidorm/Blackpool like but that's probably as I preferred the less well known places and beaches. Fraser Island is pretty good though.
Two years on the run I took all my annual leave in one go to spend a couple of months in Oz each year, brilliant but returning to work knowing you have no leave left was depressing! A couple of years ago I also did Xmas in Bali and NYE in Sydney then the drive Sydney to Melbourne and the beaches around Jervis Bay were the best in Australia and are in the record books for 'the whitest sand in the world'. Everyone should do NYE in Sydney once in their lives.
Perhaps they can tell me where the deal is?