Australia
Twenty-four hours from Dublin and worth every minute. Cities that work, distances that don't, and a coffee culture that quietly outclasses most of Europe.
From Ireland, Australia is a long way away - 22 to 28 hours of flying with at least one stop from Dublin, 19 to 24 from London. The good news is the airlines that work this route (Qantas, Emirates, Singapore, Qatar) are mostly very good at it. The country is genuinely vast - flying Perth to Sydney takes longer than London to Athens - and it rewards picking a side and doing it properly. Trying to do the east coast and the west coast in a fortnight is the classic mistake.
I have spent time in Perth, Adelaide, Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns and around Ballina. If you are short on time, the move is to stopover in Perth on the way in, fly the Kangaroo Route on Qantas (worth the upgrade), and not skip the smaller cities - Adelaide and Perth are underrated and a long way from the east-coast crowds.
The Best Time to Visit Australia
Australia's seasons are the opposite of the northern hemisphere, which catches some visitors out. Their summer (December-February) is brutal in much of the country - Perth and Sydney both regularly hit the high 30s, Darwin sits in tropical wet season with monsoon rain. December also coincides with school holidays, so accommodation prices spike everywhere people actually want to be.
March to May is the sweet spot for southern cities. Sydney and Melbourne are warm but not sweltering, the light is excellent, and prices have settled back down. I went to Perth in late March - 28°C every day, blue skies, beach weather without the sunburn risk. The Top End (Darwin, Kakadu) needs the dry season - May to October - or you'll spend the trip indoors watching it rain.
Winter (June-August) is fine for the north and tropical Queensland. Sydney drops to 8-15°C, which is mild by European standards but feels cold to locals. It's the only realistic time to visit Uluru and the Red Centre - summer there hits 45°C and is genuinely unsafe.
Monthly temperature
Wildly regional. The south (Sydney/Melbourne/Adelaide) flips European seasons - Australian summer is December-February. The Top End runs on wet/dry not summer/winter. Pick a region, then pick a season.
Getting there
Select your origin to see the best routing options.
One stop is the norm; Qantas flies the famous London-Perth nonstop. Expect 19-24h from London, a few hours more from Dublin.
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qantas | LHR - PER - MEL/SYD | 1 stop | ~21h | The QF9/QF10 Kangaroo Route via Perth; the LHR-PER leg is a 17h nonstop. Reviewed in economy across both sectors. |
| Emirates | LHR/DUB - DXB - SYD/MEL/PER | 1 stop | 22-24h | The most flexible one-stop and the best option from Dublin, via Dubai. |
| Singapore Airlines | LHR/MAN - SIN - SYD/MEL/PER | 1 stop | 22-24h | Via Singapore, which doubles as a worthwhile stopover layer. |
| Qatar Airways | LHR/DUB - DOH - PER/SYD | 1 stop | 22-24h | Via Doha; strong cabin, good connections to Perth. |
No nonstop from the East Coast. Either backtrack to a West Coast gateway or take the Qantas Dallas nonstop.
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qantas | DFW - SYD | Direct | ~17h | The closest thing to an East-of-California nonstop, via Dallas. |
| United / American | JFK/EWR - LAX/SFO - SYD/MEL | 1 stop | 21-24h | Connect through a West Coast hub to the trans-Pacific nonstop. |
| Qatar / Emirates | East Coast - DOH/DXB - Australia | 1 stop | 24-27h | The Gulf routing eastbound - long, but a single change. |
The shortest way in - nonstop across the Pacific in around 15h from California.
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qantas | LAX/SFO - SYD/MEL/BNE | Direct | ~15h | Multiple daily nonstops to the east-coast cities. |
| United | SFO/LAX - SYD/MEL | Direct | ~15h | Nonstop from San Francisco and Los Angeles. |
| Air New Zealand | LAX/SFO - AKL - Australia | 1 stop | 17-19h | Via Auckland, with a Pacific stopover option. |
Domestic flights are the only realistic way to cover the distances. Qantas and Virgin run the trunk routes; Jetstar is the budget option. The reviews below are first-hand sectors.
| Carrier | Route | Type | Flight time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qantas | PER - MEL | Direct | ~4h | The QF10 second sector after the London nonstop. Reviewed. |
| Virgin Australia | SYD - BNK (Ballina Byron) | Direct | ~1h 30m | A regional 737 run that captures what Australian short-haul feels like. Reviewed. |
| Qantas / Virgin / Jetstar | SYD - MEL - BNE - PER | Direct | 1-5h | The trunk network between the major cities; book ahead for the best fares. |
Where to go
Pick a side and do it properly. City guides below; full city hubs are on the way.
Sydney →
The obvious arrival city. Harbour walks, beaches, and where to base yourself across the CBD, Darling Harbour, Potts Point and Manly.
Perth →
Where the Kangaroo Route lands. Beaches, wine country, and far fewer crowds than the east coast.
Adelaide →
Underrated. Wine country at the doorstep, a walkable centre, and smaller crowds than Sydney or Melbourne.
Darwin →
The Top End gateway, for Kakadu and Litchfield. Dry season only - the wet is humid, rainy and quiet.
Getting around Australia
Australia is the size of continental Europe with the population of Romania, so domestic flights are the default for anything beyond a couple of hundred kilometres. Trains exist but coverage is patchy - the Indian Pacific (Perth to Sydney) and the Ghan (Adelaide to Darwin) are journeys rather than transport. City public transport is generally good, the airport trains in Sydney and Perth are the right call on arrival, and a hire car is essential for the outback and regional drives. Driving is on the left.
Tested routes
2024Qantas QF9 economy: London to Perth (the 17-hour nonstop)Good→2024Qantas QF10 economy: Perth to Melbourne (sector two)Good→2024Virgin Australia: Sydney to Ballina Byron (737 economy)Good→Planning the logistics?
The facts above are the short version. The full libraries - every carrier, lounge and stopover - live one level down under Getting There.