Qantas days away from new route to hidden tropical paradise Palau

White sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and around 300 islands to explore — a brand new route direct from Australia is about to take to the skies.

White sandy beaches, crystal clear waters and around 300 islands to explore — a brand new route direct from Australia is about to take to the skies, and it’s going to be every tropical lovers dream.

Jetting off from Brisbane and landing in Koror, Palau, the route is Qantas’ newest destination to take off from the Sunshine State before the year is out — with the first flight set for weekly departures from December 7.

Announcing the six-hour flight in October, the service — dubbed the ‘Palau Paradise Express’ — will operate as part of a contract awarded to Qantas by the Federal Government and will help maintain strong trade, tourism and people to people links between Australia and Palau.

Home to the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Rock Islands, Palau is full of unique marine life encounters — including a jellyfish lake — towering waterfalls to be explored and even WWII ruins to visit.

Aerial view of jellyfish lake in Palau. Picture: iStock.

The Seventy Islands are part of the Rock Islands of Palau, found between the larger islands of Koror and Peleliu. Picture: iStock

The destination marks Qantas’ fifth international route to launch from Queensland in the last 12 months following the recent commencement of services from Brisbane to Vanuatu and Manila.

Qantas CEO International Cam Wallace said that with the epic response to the route announcement in October, the airline expects a big response to ticket sales.

“When we first announced the ‘Palau Paradise Express’ in October, we saw an immediate surge in website traffic for searches to the destination, which shows the huge interest from travellers for new, more undiscovered destinations,” he said.

Snorkler in the Jellyfish Lake, Eil Malk island, Palau. Picture: Getty Images.

Qantas will launch direct flights to Palau from Brisbane on December 7. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images.

“We know Australians are always looking for unique holiday spots and we’re so excited to offer Qantas customers the chance to explore Palau with our new flights.”

The airline says they will use Boeing 737-800s for the Brisbane-Koror (Palau) flights, which will operate from Australia on Saturdays and the return journey back on Sundays, with the expectation passengers will spend a good week exploring the islands.