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Long weekends like Australia Day, Easter and the Queen's birthday are the perfect excuse to get away on a spontaneous trip. While exploring your own backyard on your days off is always a good idea, you might be surprised to know you can actually travel internationally for a decent three or even four day holiday from most capital cities in Australia.
And no, we're not just suggesting you pay our Kiwi friends a visit for the weekend… although there is that option.
To bring you the best destinations to jet set to, we sought out flights with a travel time of 4 hours or less, because you shouldn't spend all your time flying when you should be maxing out your holiday hours.
We’re going to get this one over and done with early. Located southeast of Australia, New Zealand makes for the perfect long weekend break due to its proximity to Australia as well as the frequency of direct flights between major cities.
Flights from eastern Australia are between 3-4 hours to major New Zealand cities such as Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin. The shortest direct flight is between Sydney and Queenstown at 3 hours.
Search for flights to New Zealand
The French Polynesian territory of New Caledonia might seem a world away culturally, but it’s only a short flight from Australia’s eastern cities. Renowned for its beaches marine life and island culture, you can get to it for under four hours from Melbourne or under three hours from Sydney and Brisbane.
Search for flights to Noumea
Australia’s love affair with Bali isn’t without reason. From its powder soft beaches to its affordable budget flights, it’s best flown for a short trip from Perth or Darwin. If you’ve got a few more days to spare, you can get up to Bali from Sydney or Brisbane for a little over 6 hours.
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If you’ve seen and done Bali or are looking for a more authentic Indonesian experience, East Timor’s capital Dili. Located on the north coast of the country, Dili features pristine views of the bay and Atauro island. Darwin is the only Australian capital that offers short, direct flights to it, with a travel time of 1 hour and 20 minutes.
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Featuring over 300 islands and a tropical landscape of sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and rugged mountains, Fiji is a relaxing outpost not far off from Australia’s east coast. Ideal for young families, honeymooning couples and pure relaxation, it’ll take you less than four hours to fly to from Sydney or Brisbane making it ideal for a three or four day holiday.
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Much like Fiji, Vanuatu is a South Pacific Island with much to offer for families and couples and adventure seekers. Snorkel through coral oceans, rewind in plush cabanas and uncover historical WWI relics over a short trip. You can get here in just over three hours from Sydney or under three hours from Brisbane.
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Brisbane is topping the list here for the best destination to start at for an international holiday that won’t waste your time to get to. On top of Fiji and Vanuatu, Brisbanites also have the option to travelling to the Solomon Islands for a paradise-filled adventure that's less than four hours away. Dreamy, laid-back, historical and landscape rich, spend your days stretching out on the beach, swimming in lagoons or wandering volcanic rims. The choice is yours.
Search for flights to Solomon Islands
Papua New Guinea’s largest city is accessed easiest from Brisbane and is a grittier more city-based experience. With a flight time of just over 3 hours, over the course of your three day holiday you can drink up views of the bay, scour marketplaces, chow down on local eats. visit museums and see play it like a local.
Flights to Port MoresbyFind out where you can go. Note, unfortunately there are no direct, international flights from Adelaide.
| From | To | Flight time (direct) |
|---|---|---|
| Darwin | Dili, Timor-Leste | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| Darwin | Bali | 2 hours 40 minutes |
| Brisbane | Port Vila, Vanuatu | 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Brisbane | Luganville, Vanuatu | 2 hours 45 minutes |
| Noumea | Noumea | 2 hours 5 minutes |
| Sydney | Noumea | 2 hours 50 minutes |
| Sydney | Queenstown | 3 hours |
| Brisbane | Auckland | 3 hours 10 minutes |
| Melbourne | Queenstown | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| Sydney | Port Vila, Vanuatu | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| Brisbane | Port Moresby | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| Brisbane | Honiara, Solomon Islands | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Brisbane | Christchurch | 3 hours 25 minutes |
| Brisbane | Wellington | 3 hours 25 minutes |
| Melbourne | Christchurch | 3 hours 25 minutes |
| Brisbane | Queenstown | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Melbourne | Wellington | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Melbourne | Noumea | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Brisbane | Fiji | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Hobart | Auckland | 3 hours 30 minutes (no direct flights) |
| Melbourne | Auckland | 3 hours 35 minutes |
| Brisbane | Dunedin | 3 hours 40 minutes |
| Perth | Bali | 3 hours 40 minutes |
| Sydney | Fiji | 3 hours 55 minutes |
| Sydney | Wellington | 3 hours, 10 minutes |
| Sydney | Auckland | 3 hours, 5 minutes |
| Sydney | Christchurch | 3 hours, 5 minutes |
If you can stretch your holiday even further and push that flight time just a smidgen, it’s possible to make it even further north than Bali. From Perth you can get up to Jakarta in 4 hours, 45 minutes and from Darwin, you can reach Singapore in just 4 hours 35 minutes.
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