Some readers were curious to know how I put together my Qantas Explorer Itinerary for Australia and how the costs work out. If you haven't read my general guide to Qantas Explorer yet, it's worth checking that out first. This article is in two sections which maps the fact you have to buy your international flight AND Qantas Explorer tickets at the same time to get the discount. While there's lots of technical detail here, it's also a great jumping off point if you're making some plans. If you just want to browse city and accommodation guides, everything is hyperlinked for you.
Section 1: International Flights
Here's how I selected my flights from the UK to Australia:
I wanted to fly QF10, one of the longest direct flights in the world, from London to Perth.
The QF10 ticket actually goes to Melbourne via Perth, but you can stop off in Perth and pick up the QF10 Melbourne leg another day (same on the return journey). This got me two cities on one ticket.
West Coast Stop/Start
I get jetlag and hoped a Western Australia stop and start point would help minimise it, rather than hopping straight to the East Coast.
I bought this ticket in 2019.
Ticket total: £1029.72 GBP
Section 2: Domestic Flights – Australia
This is the itinerary I put together for my 5 week trip to Australia. There are lots of links to other helpful reviews and travel tips – clicking on the city names on the left will bring up everything for that city. Any blue text in boxes on the right are a link to a flight review, accommodation, food or excursion.
City
Date
Places I visited
12-02-19
Part of QF10 Flight
* Perth City
* New Norcia
* Busselton
* Margaret River
20-02-19
Part of QF10 Flight
* Melbourne
* New Norcia
24-02-19
QF432 – Part of Qantas Explorer Itinerary
* Sydney
* Central Coast
03-03-19
QF5660 – Part of Qantas Explorer Itinerary
* Uluru
05-03-19
QF1940 – Part of Qantas Explorer Itinerary
* Alice Springs
07-03-19
QF1936 – Part of Qantas Explorer Itinerary
* Darwin
* Rydges Hotel Darwin Central
* Kakadu National Park
* Raw Comedy at The Playhouse
Adelaide
10-03-19
QF757 – Part of Qantas Explorer Itinerary
* Adelaide City
* Barosso Wine Region
Melbourne
18-03-19
QF682 – Part of Qantas Explorer Itinerary
* Return to Melbourne to pick up QF10
* I flew from Melbourne – Perth – London as part of my QF10 ticketing.
I bought the Qantas Explorer ticket in 2019.
Ticket total: £585.30 GBP
[Qantas stated at the time that this equated to $813.02 AUD]
My Qantas Explorer itinerary included 6 flights
Average cost: £585.30 / 6 = £97.55 per flight
Remember you MUST buy the Qantas Explorer ticket (the domestic multi-city itinerary) at the SAME time as the International Economy flight. See my complete guide for more details.
I hope you found this information useful. Please leave a comment if you'd like to see more of these itineraries and pricing. You can share this article using any of the social media links below.
