Mitchell Falls, Kimberley. The seclusion of some of Austarlia’s iconic attractions is what makes it so expensive to visit. Photo: iStock
I would like to leave in a few months to see crocodiles and Aboriginal rock art in Kakadu. The same goes for cruises on the Kimberley coast, bracketed by a few days in Broome and Darwin. Ditto Lord Howe Island in October when the redtail tropical birds breed along the cliffs. Governments of all stripes drive me on and subsidize my trips at half price – but I just can’t afford it.
Don’t get me wrong, I can do cheap. There’s a lot to love about Australia that doesn’t dive deep into the piggy bank. A hike in the Blue Mountains with the earth twisting at my feet and waterfalls splashing from the embankment costs next to nothing. Victoria’s Black Spur Drive with Wine Tasting in the Yarra Valley – Fantastic! I have a hidden fascination for cheap motels that sadly isn’t shared by my partner, but Australia’s iconic experiences – that you will remember forever – are scorchingly expensive.
Whether it’s hotels, ski lift passes, rental cars or cruises, Australia has a reputation for being an expensive travel destination. It’s all down to Australia’s high wages, tour operators will tell you. “Really?” Europe has high wages, but travel in Australia dwarfs it. Here are a few examples.
Cruises
A 10-night Kimberley cruise will set you back more than $ 10,000. That is the starting price per person and one of the cheaper cabins. Opt for something exclusive like a deluxe cabin aboard Ponant’s chic Le Laperouse and pay $ 12,610 each for this 10-night cruise. In contrast, a cabin on an 8-night cruise with Ponant through the Greek islands this summer starts from USD 6,510 per person. On board a Seabourn ship, almost the last word in cruise excellence, a 14-day cruise from Barcelona over the French and Italian Riviera, Corsica, Sardinia and Malta starts from $ 12,799 per person, less per day than a Kimberley Cruise.
Day cruises
A day cruise to the Great Barrier Reef aboard the Quicksilver catamaran from Cairns is $ 266 for an adult and $ 666 for a family, but only if there are no more than two children. An 11-hour cruise from Milazzo in Sicily to the island of Panarea to tour the largest fortified citadel in Sicily, swim on the Red Beach and then continue to Stromboli in the evening to watch the nighttime pyrotechnics of one of Europe’s most active volcanoes in at $ 95 each Adult.
Car rental
The Sixt car rental company in Lucerne, Switzerland, put me behind the wheel of a Mercedes Benz A-Class for 700 US dollars for a week in August. A Budget Toyota Yaris in Darwin costs $ 647 for the same week. In Hobart, this Yaris comes with a weeklong price point of $ 947 from Alamo. Tasmania is currently the most expensive place in the country to rent a car. Car rental companies sold their fleets during the pandemic, and now that interstate travelers are returning, they have raised prices to take advantage of the scarcity.
See: More than $ 2000 a week: Rental costs skyrocket due to the shortage of cars
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train
A 3-day trip aboard the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin starts in November at $ 4,869 for two people sharing a Gold Twin cabin. This includes meals and tours in Alice Springs and a cruise on Nitmiluk Gorge near Katherine. That’s roughly the equivalent of a Grand Class Room on board the Spanish Belle Epoque train Al Andalus on a 7-day journey through the delights of Andalusia.
Ski lift passes
A two-day ski lift pass in Niseko, Japan, popular with Australian skiers, cost $ 175 in the ski season that has just ended. In fashionable Kitzbühel in Austria, which is preferred by Euro Royals, the same ski pass would have cost you 182 US dollars in the main season in winter 2020/21. At Mount Buller in August 2021, a two-day ski pass will sell for $ 298. At Thredbo in July and August, it’s a staggering $ 338. Via the Tasman at Treble Cone in New Zealand, you’ll pay around $ 250 for a two-day ski pass next season.
Why our iconic experiences are so expensive
Isolation is a reason. Many of these experiences take place in remote regions, often in the wild. Setting up high-end accommodation in a remote location – and in this case, “high-end” – can mean a posh camp that qualifies for the “glamping” day – good quality food and rich and satisfying daily experiences delivering costs a bomb if you’re catering to a small number of guests willing to spend more than $ 1000 per person per night. The Kimberley Coastal Camp, the Bamurru Plains in the floodplains of the Mary River of the NT, and Arkaba in the Flinders Ranges of SA are just a few that come to mind. The costs are even higher for those who are only able to work a few months a year due to the climate (including our ski resorts).
Given such prices and the complete lack of international visitors willing to pay for these world-class experiences, one might think it would be easy to book yourself, but domestic tourism is on the rise right now. After being cooped up last year, we really want to break free and since all foreign parts except New Zealand are off-limits for a vacation, domestic tourism is becoming a gangster and there are many who are cashed in and hot.
A trip aboard the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin? You are lucky to have a booking in November or December. The same goes for a Kimberley cruise. Huts at the lower end of the price spectrum have all but disappeared for 2021. Pinetrees, the largest property on Lord Howe Island, is firmly booked through Christmas. Hawk Dreaming Wilderness Lodge in Kakadu is full this year, and so are many accommodations in Australia’s largest national park.
“We are fully booked until the end of the season,” an accommodation company in Kakadu told me. “We have never seen such bookings before.” It is the festival after the famine. After a year of no tourism revenue in 2020, tour operators are making hay while the sun is shining.
If you’re looking to cruise the Top End, the Red Center or the Kimberley Coast, you better book now because the prospects for overseas travel next year are as sure as the throw of the dice.
See also: Fabulous Freebies: Top 10 Free Things to Do in Australia
See also: Your complete guide to Australia’s destinations at half the price
