THERE is increasing demand for upmarket holidays Down Under, with clients willing to upgrade accommodation and pre-book luxury add-ons, according to tour operators.
The trend is good news for agents, who can raise their commission total and boost the level of service to clients by suggesting upgrades. Operators have added more top-of-the-range product. The reason for this trend is the number of repeat visits to the country, according to Qantas Holidays general manager Sally Pollitt.
She said: “As air fares to Australia are more affordable, UK tourists are now visiting the country several times. The first trip is to see the icons and the second and third for seeing more of the country.
“We are seeing an increased demand for luxury resorts and hotels and top-of-the range rail and cruise packages.”
Travel Weekly looks at some of the options available.
Great train journeys
Visitors to Australia can enjoy the Orient Express experience following the company’s launch of the Great South Pacific Express on the east coast.
The luxury train runs from Cairns to Sydney via Brisbane, with stops en route to visit attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest in Kuranda.
The train journey can be booked through UK operators such as Classic Connection Australia, Kuoni, Hayes and Jarvis and Qantas Holidays.
A range of sleeping cabins are available with the most luxurious being two Commissioner compartments with double beds. A one-night/two-day trip ranges from £520 (standard) to £1,710 (Commissioner) per person, based on two sharing, when booked with Qantas Holidays.
A three-night journey from Cairns to Brisbane, including an excursion by seaplane or helicopter to the outer Great Barrier Reef, costs from £979 per person with Hayes and Jarvis.
Other popular trains include The Ghan, which follows the route of the Northern Territory’s pioneers through the isolated Outback desert to Alice Springs.
Holidaymakers can hop on board from three cities – Adelaide (twice weekly, a journey of 22hrs and one night on board); Melbourne (weekly, taking 31hrs and one night on board); and Sydney (weekly, taking 45hrs and two nights en route).
Passengers can choose from three standards of travel – coach class, holiday class and first class.
Tickets can be booked in the UK through Leisurerail or UK tour operators. For a much shorter train trip, holidaymakers in Adelaide, south Australia, can choose totake a ride on The Barossa Wine train.
The 90min journey takes in the famous vineyards of the Barossa Valley for about £80 per person and is bookable through Hayes and Jarvis.
Heavenly hotels
No visit to Australia this year would be complete without a trip to New South Wales, the location of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Two of the most exclusive hotels in New South Wales include the 100-room Observatory Hotel in Sydney and the 86-room house Lilianfels Hotel, located in the Blue Mountains 60 miles west of the capital.
Both were recently taken over by Orient-Express Hotels and are well located for tourists who want to explore all the major attractions in comfort.
The hotels can be booked through Classic Connection Australia with prices for The Observatory from £78 per person per night. Gold Medal features Lilianfels from £68 per person per night.
Elsewhere the new Park Hyatt Melbourne which opened in Victoria last year has caused quite a stir and is now considered to be one of Australia’s premier hotels.
Its 240 guest rooms are the largest in Melbourne and all bathrooms have a separate shower as well as deep bathtubs with inset televisions.
Some of the rooms even have spas, open fireplaces and terraces, while in-room technology includes voicemail directed to a guest’s mobile phone.
The hotel is featured by a number of UK tour operators including Connections Down Under with rates from £289 per person for three nights.
But if the Park Hyatt is full there are other options. These include the trendy 34-room Adelphi which has a glass-bottomed rooftop lap pool.
Upmarket but offbeat
Upmarket doesn’t necessarily mean laid back and stuffy.
Those in search of a little luxury and adventure should head for El Questro Homestead in Western Australia which is certain to set the heart racing in one way or another.
The stunning one million acre wilderness park in east Kimberley offers a range of accommodation including a luxurious six-room homestead plus tropical gardens, pool, spa and tennis courts.
Guests can choose from a variety of activities and hop on a horse for a ride around the ranch, jump in a dinghy for a cruise on Chamberlain River, enjoy the natural thermal pools of Zebedee Springs, or fly over the Bungle Bungle National Park in a helicopter.
Prices with Gold Medal are from £293 per person per night to stay at The Homestead inclusive of meals, bar, transfers from within the Kimberley area and activities.
Alternatively, travellers in Northern Territory who want to splash out on a short but adventurous tour can hop on a motorbike in the outback for a view of the Olgas and Uluru mountain ranges.
A 4hr trip with Uluru Motorcycle tours costs £115 per person and is bookable through Travel 2 or Tradewinds.
Alternatively, for a touch of class combined with culture, holidaymakers can take a flight to the Aboriginal lands of Arnhemland from the North Territory.
A three-day tour with Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris costs around £700 and is also bookable through Travel 2 and Tradewinds.
if money were no object
This is an actual itinerary for a 30-day luxury holiday Down Under with Kuoni for two adults and a child.
Day 1: flights from Glasgow to Heathrow on British Airways (economy) and then Sydney (first class).
Day 2-6: five nights in Sydney in Novotel, harbour view room, (most upmarket hotels fully booked due to Olympics).
Day 7: fly to Ayers Rock on Ansett Australia (economy), stay two nights, room only, in Sails In Desert resort (standard room).
Day 9: flight to Sydney and one night in the Novotel.
Day 10: one night on the Great South Pacific train in luxury Commissioner cabin from Sydney-Brisbane.
Day 11: one night in the luxurious Heritage Brisbane.
Day 12: two nights on the Great SouthPacific train from Brisbane to Cairns in Commissioner cabin.
Day 14: three nights in Hilton Cairns, standard room.
Day 17: board the Coral Princess for a three-night cruise staying in deluxe state room.
Day 20: TSV (? -from where) to Cairns on Ansett (economy), then one night in Hilton (standard).
Day 21: fly to Hamilton Island with Qantas (economy) then on to Hayman Island for eight nights in beachfront room.
Day 29: fly to Brisbane on Ansett (economy) then Heathrow on BA (first class). All private transfers.
Total price: £41,032 for two adults and a child.
Beach bums
The number of exclusive, upmarket beach and island resorts in Queensland is high – and so are some of the rates charged.
However, most are well worth penny pinching for a couple of months and many of the island resorts are particularly suited to honeymooners splashing out on that holiday of a lifetime.
One of the most glamorous island resorts is Hamilton Island which opened a five-star 55-room Beach Club last November following a £2.2m refurbishment programme to the original property.
Last month Qantas began flights to the island from Cairns in addition to direct services from Sydney and Brisbane.
Facilities include luxury private villas, a Sunsail Maritime Sailing Academy, swimming pool, Club Lounge with library and Internet facilities and personal host for every guest to organise any itineraries they might wish to pursue.
The Beach Club is bookable through major operators such as Gold Medal which offer rates from £94 per person per night.
The operator also offers other luxurious island resorts such as Dunk Island from £76 per person per night; Bedarra Island from £295 per person per night inclusive of all meals/drinks; Heron Island from £73 per person per night inclusive of meals; Lizard Island from £295 per person per night inclusive of breakfast; and Hayman Island from £106 per person per night.
The latter is the most exclusive, according to Kuoni, which says guests are greeted with champagne and can stay in suites with their own spas. Prices per person per night include breakfast.
Meanwhile, in Western Australia luxury travellers in search of rest and relaxation can head for Cockatoo Island Resort on the Kimberley Coast, a short scenic flight from Broome.
Guests can stay in deluxe two or three-bed heritage-style villas and can indulge in deep-sea and big-game fishing, cruises to deserted islands, trips to local pearl farms and whale watching.
Prices with Gold Medal are from £204 per person per night inclusive of meals.
Upmarket but offbeat
Upmarket doesn’t necessarily mean laid back and stuffy.
Those in search of a little luxury and adventure should head for El Questro Homestead in Western Australia which is certain to set the heart racing in one way or another.
The stunning one million acre wilderness park in east Kimberley offers a range of accommodation including a luxurious six-room homestead plus tropical gardens, pool, spa and tennis courts.
Guests can choose from a variety of activities and hop on a horse for a ride around the ranch, jump in a dinghy for a cruise on Chamberlain River, enjoy the natural thermal pools of Zebedee Springs, or fly over the Bungle Bungle National Park in a helicopter.
Prices with Gold Medal are from £293 per person per night to stay at The Homestead inclusive of meals, bar, transfers from within the Kimberley area and activities.
Alternatively, travellers in Northern Territory who want to splash out on a short but adventurous tour can hop on a motorbike in the outback for a view of the Olgas and Uluru mountain ranges.
A 4hr trip with Uluru Motorcycle tours costs £115 per person and is bookable through Travel 2 or Tradewinds.
Alternatively, for a touch of class combined with culture, holidaymakers can take a flight to the Aboriginal lands of Arnhemland from the North Territory.
A three-day tour with Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris costs around £700 and is also bookable through Travel 2 and Tradewinds.
Great train journeys
Visitors to Australia can enjoy the Orient Express experience following the company’s launch of the Great South Pacific Express on the east coast.
The luxury train runs from Cairns to Sydney via Brisbane, with stops en route to visit attractions such as the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest in Kuranda.
The train journey can be booked through UK operators such as Classic Connection Australia, Kuoni, Hayes and Jarvis and Qantas Holidays.
A range of sleeping cabins are available with the most luxurious being two Commissioner compartments with double beds. A one-night/two-day trip ranges from £520 (standard) to £1,710 (Commissioner) per person, based on two sharing, when booked with Qantas Holidays.
A three-night journey from Cairns to Brisbane, including an excursion by seaplane or helicopter to the outer Great Barrier Reef, costs from £979 per person with Hayes and Jarvis.
Other popular trains include The Ghan, which follows the route of the Northern Territory’s pioneers through the isolated Outback desert to Alice Springs.
Holidaymakers can hop on board from three cities – Adelaide (twice weekly, a journey of 22hrs and one night on board); Melbourne (weekly, taking 31hrs and one night on board); and Sydney (weekly, taking 45hrs and two nights en route).
Passengers can choose from three standards of travel – coach class, holiday class and first class.
Tickets can be booked in the UK through Leisurerail or UK tour operators. For a much shorter train trip, holidaymakers in Adelaide, south Australia, can choose totake a ride on The Barossa Wine train.
The 90min journey takes in the famous vineyards of the Barossa Valley for about £80 per person and is bookable through Hayes and Jarvis.