Fares start at $64, and with cost-of-living still biting, the timing couldn’t be better.
Jetstar has never exactly been shy about a birthday party. But this year, as Australia’s dominant budget carrier turns 22, the airline has gone big, dangling the promise of a free return flight to anyone willing to book within the next 48 hours.
The mechanics are simple: purchase an outbound “starter fare" on a qualifying route, and the return leg comes back to you at $0. Over 75,000 such seats are available across more than 80 routes, spanning everything from quick domestic hops to long-haul flights to Osaka and Seoul.
Jetstar’s Return for Free sale is back. (Credit: Joseph via Unsplash)
The timing is calculated. With cost-of-living pressures still squeezing household budgets across Australia, the free-return offer lands as something of a permission slip – the final psychological nudge for the trip that’s been sitting on the back burner all year.
Domestic fares start at $64 (Adelaide to Melbourne’s Avalon airport), with Sydney to Ballina Byron at $86, Brisbane to Cairns at $139, and Perth to Sydney at $289 – all with a free seat waiting for you on the way home. International options range from $249 for Perth to Bali through to $559 for Brisbane to Tokyo, with Seoul, Phuket, and Osaka also on the list.
Domestic fares start at just $64. (Credit: Hendri Lidayani via Unsplash)
“Low fares are in Jetstar’s DNA," said Prue McKenzie, the airline’s executive manager of customer and digital. “Our Return for Free sale delivers the kind of value we’re known for at a time when cost-of-living pressures are squeezing household budgets."
Travel dates span mid-January to late February 2027 for domestic routes, and mid-June 2026 through to mid-March 2027 for international. The 48-hour public sale window opens at midnight AEST tonight (4 May) and closes at 11.59pm Wednesday 6 May. Club Jetstar members also get 12 hours of exclusive early access from midday today, a quiet but effective loyalty play.
Given how fast these seats have gone in previous years, that sell-out caveat is not idle fine print.
Emily Murphy is Australian Traveller's Email & Social Editor, and in her time at the company she has been instrumental in shaping its social media and email presence, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire others to explore Australia's vast landscapes. Her previous role was a journalist at Prime Creative Media and before that she was freelancing in publishing, content creation and digital marketing. When she's not creating scroll-stopping travel content, Em is a devoted 'bun mum' and enjoys spending her spare time by the sea, reading, binge-watching a good TV show and exploring Sydney's vibrant dining scene. Next on her Aussie travel wish list? Tasmania and The Kimberley.
Traipse Jurassic cliffs and wander secluded beaches on Australia’s most enchanting walks.
Australia’s landscapes are made for hiking. Take the Red Centre, dusted in shifting sands and dotted with miraculous geological formations. Or our rainforests, left behind as the sole souvenir from continents that no longer exist. Down south, mottled night skies hang above crashing seas and unwavering cliffs. It makes sense, then, that hiking holidays are rising in popularity. No wi fi, no traffic. Just you and the path less travelled on the Great Walks of Australia in remote and iconic destinations.
What are the Great Walks of Australia?
If nature is your happy place, you’ve likely heard of the Great Walks of Australia, part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences program since 2013 – a curated collection of 15 all-inclusive, eco-luxury journeys showcasing the country’s most spectacular landscapes with expert guides and incredible meals. GWOA launching in 2013 as
From exploring the peaks of a World Heritage listed island, to journeying through the heart of Australia, and the gentle pull of the majestic Murray – there’s a walking holiday to suit walkers of all experience levels (and interests).
Joining a Great Walks of Australia hike means the pressure is off with all meals, guides and eco-luxury accommodation included.
Where can you hike?
1. Scenic Rim Trail, Queensland
Enjoy incredible food along the way.
Around 23 million years ago, volcanoes spewed magma across Queensland’s Scenic Rim. Now, what’s left of the fiery landscape takes the form of the UNESCO-listed Gondwana rainforest.
The Scenic Rim Trail is a four-day guided hike that takes you through the ancient rainforest. You’ll venture out into breathtaking viewpoints across the Main Range National Park. Enjoy a packed lunch, listen out for the duplicitous calls of the lyrebird and enjoy the silence.
You’ll spend your nights in boutique eco-cabins and incredible hospitality.
2. Murray River Walk, South Australia
Walk through vibrant wildflower fields.
Murray River Walk pairs easy hiking with blissful evenings cruising the Murray River. Over four days and nights, you’ll follow kangaroo trails through red dirt dusted with vivid patches of wildflowers.
Each day ends on a solar-powered, custom-built houseboat. Watch towering, red sandstone cliffs float by from the top deck spa. Then, it’s three-course meals sourced from local produce and served alongside the region’s best wines.
The entire region you’ll be traversing is within the Riverland Ramsar site. Watch as spoonbills forage for food in the tranquil wetlands, emus parade through the wildflowers, and regent parrots flit above.
3. Maria Island Walk, Tasmania
Spot adorable locals.
Your Maria Island walk begins with a private boat transfer to an untouched, white sand beach. Barefoot in the sand, you’ll quickly realise – aside from your guide and group – you’re completely alone. Spot countless wombats and hear the distant calls of Tasmanian Devils as you spend four days leisurely traversing the island.
Explore the incredible Lord Howe Island. (Image: Luke Hanson)
Lord Howe Island feels like another world. With its patchwork blue coral lagoons and magma-honed peaks, it’s easy to forget you’re in New South Wales.
This walk has the highest level of elevation in the Great Walks of Australia’s collection. It’s because of this that you’ll witness nature like never before. UNESCO-listed volcanic peaks and coral reefs that grew out of solidified lava will become your daily norm.
Along the way, step onto beaches that lie undisturbed for weeks at a time. Then, snorkel the southernmost reef in the Pacific Ocean.
This five-day, fully guided, premium hiking experience inside Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was developed in partnership with Aṉangu Traditional Owners. Begin your walk dwarfed by the shade of Kata Tjuṯa’s towering dome formations. Following remote desert trails through the red sands, crest dunes and traverse mulga woodlands as you draw closer to the monolithic walls of Uluṟu.
Each night, dine under the lamp light of the Milky Way in the warm desert air and sleep in new flagship, environmentally sensitive private camps and lodge. This is the first time that travellers have ever been allowed to spend the night inside the national park.
6. The Twelve Apostles Signature Walk, Victoria
See the Twelve Apostles in a new way. (Image: Ken Luke)
The Great Ocean Road’s rugged splendour is best experienced on this signature four-day, 44-kilometre guided walk. You’ll follow the rugged limestone stacks of the shipwreck coastline: wild, crashing waves, curious wildlife, and two national parks.
Finish each day at your luxurious lodge, where you’ll sit with your feet soaking and a glass of wine in hand. You’ll have a single lodge to call home on this walk, meaning you’ll only need to set out with a day pack.
7. Three Capes Signature Walk, Tasmania
Walk along the edge of the world. (Image: Luke Tscharke)
On Tasmania’s Three Capes Signature Walk, you’ll feel like you’re walking along the edge of the world. From your boat landing on a remote beach, climb slowly upward for spectacular views and wildlife encounters with pods of dolphins, fur seals and echidnas. Spend days walking Jurassic dolerite cliffs with the wild Southern Ocean as your only constant.
Stay in architecturally designed eco-lodges nestled at the very edge of the world. Think floor-to-ceiling windows, a plunge pool and even an on-site spa to tend to ailments from the hike.
