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Australia is a long way from everywhere, but that doesn’t mean you always need to spend 14 hours on a plane to get overseas. Depending on where you live, you can swap the long-haul flight to Europe for an international escape in under four hours, and in one case, just 80 minutes!
Here are some of the quickest international getaways from Australia.
Dili, Timor-Leste – from the Top End
Flight time: 1 hour 20 minutes from Darwin
If you’re flying out of Darwin, you can be in Timor-Leste in just 80 minutes. Dili is still relatively under the radar, with good diving straight off the coast, mountain trails, Portuguese history and a cool coffee scene. It’s also closer to Darwin than Alice Springs, which gives you some idea of just how near it is. Intrepid Travel recently named Timor-Leste one of the least visited destinations in Southeast Asia on its 2027 Not Hot List, making it a good time to go and discover something different.
Denpasar, Bali – from the West Coast
Flight time: 3 hours 40 minutes from Perth
For Perth, Bali is practically the overseas neighbour. The flight takes under four hours, which is less time than you might spend driving south on a busy long weekend. Once you land, you’ve got the beaches and beach clubs of Uluwatu, the markets and restaurants of Ubud, or the easy option of finding a good nasi goreng and calling it a day.
Noumea, New Caledonia – from the East Coast
Flight time: 2 hours 10 minutes from Brisbane
From Brisbane, you can be lounging on the sparkling shores of New Caledonia – Australia's top trending island destination right now – in just over two hours. Noumea is a handy option if you want a taste of France without committing to a 26-hour flight to Paris. There are French bakeries serving breakfast baguettes, restaurants and bars alongside South Pacific beaches, plus the UNESCO-listed lagoon – the largest lagoon in the world, which is great for snorkelling. Apparently, they record new marine species each year, so you never know what you might find.
Auckland, New Zealand – from the South Coast
Flight time: 3 hours from Sydney, 3.5 hours from Melbourne, 4 hours 15 minutes from Adelaide
For travellers in Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide, New Zealand is an easy one. Auckland is about three hours from Sydney, 3.5 hours from Melbourne, and just over four hours from Adelaide. Once you land, you can catch a ferry to Waiheke Island for wine, head out to the black-sand beaches on the west coast, or sample the city’s top restaurants. If you need an adrenaline kick, try the AJ Hackett SkyJump, where you’ll step off a platform 192 metres above the city and hurtle towards the ground at roughly 85 kilometres per hour.
