Great sale fare$450one-way
Typical low fare$600–$800one-way
Which airlines fly it cheapest
Qantas (nonstop), Air New Zealand via Auckland.
The local trick
💡 Brisbane is a great east-coast entry point — start north, work south with the seasons.
Corridor intel — California ↔ Australia
Cheapest months: April–May and August–September (Australian shoulder seasons). Track Jetstar's transpacific sales and Qantas' 2–3 annual sales; Fiji Airways via Nadi is consistently the budget pick. Book 2–5 months out. If Southeast Asia is on your route anyway, price California → Bangkok/Kuala Lumpur too — flying the Pacific into Asia first is often $100–200 cheaper, and the Australia hop from Bali is tiny.