Tropical paradise is just a hop, skip and a jump away – let’s keep it that way. Photo: Hayley Nicholls.
The Customs Officers of Canberra Airport – all four of them – brace themselves when they hear the approaching crowd.
The click-clacking of hundreds of beaded braids foreshadows the arrival of a relaxed Canberra crowd, as they disembark the Fiji Airways Boeing 737 and sweep effortlessly into the swiftest border security experience of their lives.
Of course, the phrase ‘Canberra crowd’ is a bit of an oxymoron – which is exactly what makes direct international flights out of our nation’s capital both an alluring experience and one vulnerable to being axed.
If you feel like you’ve seen repeated announcements over the years about Canberra Airport going international, you’re not wrong. There have been multiple attempts to connect our nation’s capital with the wider world, all of which have proved unsustainable.
In 2016, Singapore Airlines gave us access to Singapore and New Zealand, but withdrew the service around two years later, citing a lack of demand.
Qatar Airways came along in 2018, providing passage to the major international hub of Doha, before that service fell victim to COVID and never bounced back.
Most recently, Bali came within reach as Batik Air tested a direct Canberra-Denpasar route in 2024. They clearly didn’t like what they found, however, as the number of weekly flights was quickly reduced due to lack of demand, before the service was eventually withdrawn after only four months in operation.
And this is why we can’t have nice things!
Now we have the tropical paradise of Fiji on our doorstep, but can we make it stick?
Having recently experienced the beautiful simplicity of this dream holiday, I’m here to recruit. I demand we generate demand!
Having travelled to Fiji twice before, let me tell you – flying direct is a game-changer.
The saving in costs, time and effort – coupled with the ‘no fuss’ nature of a Fijian resort package holiday – transformed the entire experience into a genuinely relaxing and recharging family break.
From the literal get-go, things were simplified.
We taxied to the airport; however, a week in the indoor long-stay carpark sets you back under $200 and is literally steps from the terminal.
As we calmly found our gate, I recalled with horror the hundreds of dollars (valuable cocktail money) previously wasted on the return trip to Sydney – not to mention the hassle of ferrying our luggage and confused children into a shuttle bus to get from the Blu Emu carpark to the distant international terminal.
Convenience is priceless when it comes to family holidays, and you can’t put a price on a happy and relaxed Mum. But if I had to – it would be a billion trillion dollars.
Safe in the knowledge that only our humble Canberra Airport stood between me and a Fijian Iced Tea by the pool, this Mama’s pre-holiday nerves were non-existent.
On return, border security at Canberra Airport was such a low-stress experience that I barely registered it was happening.
What I did register was the relief at being home immediately.
We’re no strangers to long-haul travel with children, and every single time, the most exhausting part of the journey proves to be the final leg from Sydney to Canberra.
It’s a special kind of torture to arrive ‘home’ only to hurl ourselves into the hustle through Sydney airport and re-load onto what feels at this point like a toy plane, where we’re invariably surrounded by well-groomed professionals travelling for work, while we look and sound like a herd of bedraggled stray cats.
No, on this blissful occasion, our entire Fijian flight family left and arrived as one. The faces we saw in the departure lounge were largely the same that surrounded us on arrival home – albeit slightly sunburnt and notably more relaxed.
In true Canberra style, I even recognised the Customs Officer from our departure.
What a wholesome welcome home!
Removing the jarring journey through Sydney and simply arriving in Canberra quickly and calmly meant we could stay in our holiday vibe. It blurred the barrier between holiday and home, and kept us on ‘Fiji time’ a little longer.
By the way, Fiji as a holiday destination is heaven on earth – for anyone who enjoys anything, and particularly for families.
Mealtimes are free from arguments and washing up, snorkelling is a peaceful sensory wonderland, and Kids Club – well, need I say more? Each day, we were free to discover new activities and adventures, or to simply transform into a sloth in a deckchair.
I literally can’t think of a demographic that would not benefit from a Fijian escape.
So, have I made my case?
I hereby advocate that Fiji become the new ‘go to’ for Canberrans, like a cool cousin of Batemans Bay – familiar and comfortable, but a little more adventurous.
Canberra, this Fijian debut is a chance to prove ourselves. And who knows? If we’re very ‘demanding’, we might eventually get further than the Pacific Ocean.
