Cheap flights to England top many an Australian's wish list. The green and pleasant land is a huge drawcard for many reasons - family ties, career advancement, a launch pad for travel around Europe, and a deep, deep connection to the past.
London is the magnet for many travellers. The world city is renowned for its fascinating mix of old and new, traditional and modern. The broad sweep of The Mall that runs up to Buckingham Palace, site of many special Royal moments over hundreds of years, contrasts with the dark alleys of the East End, where Jack the Ripper stalked his victims in the 1880s. London's villages, its markets, museums, nightlife, shops and cutting-edge style are utterly absorbing, so much so that you may be tempted not to go beyond Zone 6, but there's far more to England than its capital city.
There are the cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Liverpool, the port city on the northwest, is famous for its arts scene, its soccer team, and, of course, as the place that spawned the Beatles. Manchester, about 50km away, has its magnificent public buildings, its fabulously successful soccer team and its own impressive music scene.
There are the university towns of Oxford and Cambridge, the historic towns of York and Bath, the small villages of the Cotswolds and the seaside towns of Brighton and Blackpool.
Then, there are England's literary enclaves - Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire (William Shakespeare's birthplace), Haworth village and Derbyshire (where the Brontes lived and Charlotte Brontë set Jane Eyre), Dorset (where Thomas Hardy was born) and Kent (where Charles Dickens lived). For the Harry Potter trail, start at Kings Cross Station in Central London, platform 9¾.