Advertisement

You can now fly direct from London to Australia

Photo credit: Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia - Getty
Photo credit: Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia - Getty

From Harper's BAZAAR

The first direct flight to Australia from the UK has landed, connecting London and Perth with no stopovers. The 17-hour Qantas route is the world’s second-longest, after Qatar Airways’ Doha to Auckland voyage. You’ll need to keep up your DVT-avoiding exercises and drink plenty of fluids – indeed, the meals on the 9,009-mile journey have been specially designed to help keep passengers hydrated – but the less-than-a-day new flight is a big improvement on the airline’s original ‘Kangaroo route’, which used to hop from Sydney to London via Darwin, Singapore, Calcutta, Karachi, Cairo, Tripoli and Rome (taking a whopping 96 hours).

Qantas is planning a direct connection between London and Sydney within the next few years. But in the meantime, we bring you the best of Western Australia, the gateway to which is now just 17 short hours away…

Photo credit: Courtesy of El Questro Homestead
Photo credit: Courtesy of El Questro Homestead

El Questro Homestead, the Kimberley

Slight disclaimer: there’ll be an additional three-hour flight from Perth to Kununurra and then a two-hour transfer by road required to reach this remote riverside ranch, an hour by air east of Broome – Australia is nothing if it isn’t massive. But it sure is worth it: where else can claim a million acres for its gardens? And that’s on top of salt plains, gorges, dusty orange-coloured cliffs and thermal springs – and the majestic, beehive-shaped mounds of the Bungle Bungles (AKA Punulurru). El Questro Homestead offers outback adventures in the middle of nowhere. Visit elquestro.com.au.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Empire Retreat
Photo credit: Courtesy of Empire Retreat

Empire Retreat, Margaret River

At this charming, homestay-style hotel in Margaret River, Australia’s famous wine-producing region, a three-hour drive south of Perth, guests are encouraged to come and go as they please, watching kangaroos hop around the garden, drinking champagne in the hot tub and helping themselves to freshly baked muffins in the kitchen. It is the perfect base to explore this wine country, which, thanks to a heaven-sent mix of salty sea breezes and not-too-hot summers, regularly produces award-winning vintages. Estates worth a visit include Aravina, Fraser Gallop and Watershed; at each, you can enjoy a delicious lunch while stocking up on wine. Visit empireretreat.com.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Sal Salis
Photo credit: Courtesy of Sal Salis

Sal Salis, Exmouth

This series of tents sits amid the white sand, turquoise waters and dunes of Cape Range national park and right on the edge of Ningaloo Reef, where you can swim with whale sharks between April and July. Beyond the coral fringing, humpback whales, orcas, manta rays and dolphins are known to regularly pass by. Guests can stake out the beach at sundown with conservation experts from the Jurabi Turtle Centre in search of any stray loggerheads scuttling up the beach to nest. Visit salsalis.com.au.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Como
Photo credit: Courtesy of Como

Perth

And if you want to stay put in Perth, there’s plenty here to keep you entertained. Australia’s latest city to get a hipster makeover, Perth has no shortage of flat whites, trendy 'taches and bohemian districts. In Fremantle, once most famous for its prison, built by incoming British convicts in the mid-19th century, stay at the Hougoumont, named for the last convict ship that delivered felons to Western Australia. The mural in reception lists each individual’s date of arrival and crime. Other Freo hotspots include the Williamsburg-worthy Don Tapa, serving South American flavours at the Mantle, a lively so-called ‘activity hub’ on James Street; and Bread in Common, for freshly baked delights from the wood-fired oven and creative cocktails. And for somewhere a little slicker, book Como the Treasury, which, predictably, is housed in one of Perth’s historic state buildings; these days, there’s no cash in the vaults – just a superb spa.

You Might Also Like