Sea

50 years ago, a six-week sea voyage to Australia was the most affordable way of getting there. Now, the tables have turned, flying has become the affordable option, and only a couple of passenger ships cross the globe to Australia every year, costing upwards of £10,000 one-way.

Obviously, ships to Australia don’t depart all that frequently either, and it’ll still cost much more than flying due to the time and hospitality involved.

However, freighter ships sail much more frequently, and although not geared for luxury, they will often take paying passengers, though they rarely advertise or market this, so it can be difficult to track down voyages. Agencies and specialists are usually the first port of call, if you will pardon the pun.

Freighter cruises

• From the UK & Europe, Strand Voyages specialise in freighter voyages, Prices start from around £3,000.
• From the US and Canada, try Freighter World Cruises

Passenger cruises

If you’re determined to do it in style, luxury liners such as P&O’s Oriana, Aurora or Arcadia, will meander their way there in style over about 80 to 90 nights, and occasionally Cunard’s Queen Mary II, Queen Elizabeth II or Queen Victoria might be heading that way over about 50 nights.

That’s a long time to be on a boat, but luckily there’s plenty to do on board and you will get to stop off and go ashore at several exotic countries en route. This is ocean travel as it ought to be, and if you have the time to spare and upwards of £5,000, it’s an unforgettable adventure.

Alternatively, you can save money by flying part of the way and cruising into Oz for the final leg - all the style, with less time and money. These cruise lines all sail from England to Australia.

• P&O Cruises
• Cunard
• Fred Olsen

Private yachts

Qualified sailors, and well-connected blaggers, may be able to work their way across the seas to Australia on board someone’s yacht. You’ll be pretty lucky to find a yacht going all the way, but if you have plenty of time and patience and don’t mind the possibility of being stuck in some tropical port for a while awaiting your next gig, it’s a fine way to travel.

You also have to be fit, presentable, an experienced and competent sailor, certainly not prone to seasickness, and up for working extremely hard. Life on a yacht is exhausting - it can mean sailing through the night on alternate shifts; coping with rough seas in a comparatively small craft, living in cramped quarters and not having a decent wash for weeks on end. While not for the faint-hearted, it’s certainly character building.

The higher your sailing qualifications, the more likely you are to find work, but you can also register for jobs such as chef, steward/ess or deckhand. Numerous crewing boards on the Internet can help you connect the dots, if you put in the legwork.

• Work on a Boat
• Luxury Yachts
• 1stCrew.com
• Dream Sailing Jobs