Virgin launches 24-hour Halloween sale with scarily low prices

Elizabeth WhiteheadBy Elizabeth Whitehead
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No trick – Virgin Airlines is serving up Halloween treats in the form of sweet deals.

Set your timers! This Halloween, Virgin Australia will slash over 500,000 fares, with prices starting at $45. The sale will be live for one day only, from midnight to midnight AEDT on All Hallows’ Eve (Thursday 31 October). The discounted fares will apply to select travel dates between 15 January and 31 May next year. It’s the perfect time to take a getaway and extend your summer, whether that means chasing waterfalls in the NT’s Top End or sipping bubbly in a Tassie Vineyard.

The stand-out fare is a $45 deal between Sydney and Byron Bay, two of NSW’s ultimate summer destinations. We’ve put together a 60-second flash-guide to having the perfect summer in Sydney, as well as a round-up of Byron Bay’s prettiest waterfalls to get your summer wanderlust simmering.

Sun setting over Main Beach, Byron Bay.
Byron Bay still manages to retain just enough of the free-spirited hippy roots that made it famous. (Image: Destination NSW)

The sale also includes fares between Melbourne and Launceston for $65, offering the perfect chance to hop between Australia’s capital of cool and Tassie’s UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

Windsor, Melbourne
Melbourne regularly tops lists for its cultural cachet. (Image: Visit Victoria)


Be at the ready! The sale will last until the end of the 31st, or until sold out. Shop here .

Other domestic sale fare highlights (one-way Economy Lite fares, valid in both directions)

  • Sydney to Gold Coast from $69

  • Sydney to Sunshine Coast from $69

  • Brisbane to Proserpine (Whitsundays) from $79

  • Melbourne to Hobart from $79

  • Brisbane to Sydney from $89

  • Melbourne to Sydney from $89

  • Adelaide to Hobart from $99

  • Melbourne to Canberra from $99

  • Brisbane to Hamilton Island from $115

  • Brisbane to Townsville from $149

  • Brisbane to Darwin from $189

  • Perth to Launceston from $219

Elizabeth Whitehead
Elizabeth Whitehead is a writer obsessed with all things culture; doesn't matter if it's pop culture or cultures of the world. She graduated with a degree in History from the University of Sydney (after dropping out from Maths). Her bylines span AFAR, Lonely Planet, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Refinery 29. Her work for Australian Traveller was shortlisted for single article of the year at the Mumbrella Publishing Awards 2024. She is very lucky in thrifting, very unlucky in UNO.
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Look up: The Aurora Australis might be visible tonight

    Rachael ThompsonBy Rachael Thompson
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    The most severe solar storm of the year is underway.

    A powerful solar storm is happening right now, and if you’re in southern Australia, tonight might be your chance to see the colourful display.

    According to the Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (ASWFC) at the Bureau of Meteorology , a severe geomagnetic storm is underway. They have issued an Aurora Alert, meaning space weather activity is favourable for viewing the spectacle: “Severe geomagnetic storm in progress. Aurora may be observed during local nighttime hours in good observing conditions at regions as far equatorward as middle latitudes.”

    According to the ASWFC’s website, Aurora Alerts are issued “when space weather activity favourable for viewing aurora is in progress. When an alert is current, the alert information indicates the latitudinal range in terms of high, middle, low and equatorial regions where aurora may be visible under good observing conditions.”

    What is the Aurora Australis?

    A man with a head torch looking at the Aurora Australis
    Tasmania is the best place in Australia to see the spectacle. (Image: Tourism Tasmania)

    The Aurora Australis – also known as the Southern Lights – is one of the most dazzling natural displays visible to the human eye. Put simply, the phenomenon occurs when the sun releases a massive burst of charged particles and magnetic fields into space.  These particles are captured and funnelled toward the southern poles by Earth’s magnetic field, colliding with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The collisions result in light being emitted and a spectacular natural dancing rainbow ensuing. 

    The past two years have been particularly good years for viewing the phenomenon. 

    How to see the Aurora Australis

    An Aurora Australis display at night along the coastline
    A Southern Lights display can last minutes to hours. (Image: Unsplash/Graham Holtshausen)

    Tasmania has historically been the best spot to see the Aurora Australis due to low light pollution and its position closer to the South Pole than mainland Australia. South Arm Peninsula, Bruny Island and Cockle Creek are popular viewing locations on the island.

    But the good news is the ASWFC has shared that it’s possible the Aurora Australis could be seen further north, in mid to southern parts of Australia.  

    In Victoria, Wilsons Promontory National Park, Point Lonsdale and Phillip Island are favourable locations; in New South Wales, Jervis Bay, Kiama or the Blue Mountains might offer you the glowing display; and in South Australia, the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island and Eyre Peninsula offer excellent southern exposure. 

    A Southern Lights display can last minutes to hours, with the best active window typically being between 10pm and 2am.

    You can read more about the natural light display in our Southern Lights guide and stay up to date via the Bureau of Meteorology website