Cheapest weeks to book at Australia’s ski resorts this winter

There’s a smart way to save hundreds of dollars on your trip to Australia’s ski resorts this winter — and it’s all based on what week you pick.

Ski enthusiasts can save up to $500 per night on their trips to Australia’s alpine resorts this winter if they aim to travel in the right week, new data reveals.

KAYAK.com.au has assessed search data and compared season averages to determine which week of winter the resorts typically offer the lowest prices for last-minute bookings.

It’s a different week for each of the resorts, landing before, during and after the school holiday break in NSW and Victoria (June 28 to July 9).

Thinking of a last-minute trip to Thredbo? Booking your trip for the week of June 28 could save you the most money. Picture: Thredbo

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“Getting the jump on the school holiday rush with a spontaneous ski trip as early as next week can potentially help travellers save around hundreds on accommodation in Mt Buller and Perisher while enjoying the first snow of the season,” KAYAK’s vice president for APAC marketing, Ben Connell, told news.com.au.

“For travellers looking later in winter, it seems the best savings could be found after the school holiday period in Falls Creek.”

There are some pretty hefty savings to be made. KAYAK compared the average nightly prices across the snow season with the cheapest weeks to book, and found travellers who visited Perisher in its cheapest week could save around $563 per night.

Visitors to Falls Creek could save around $141 a night, Hotham $54 a night, Mt Buller $182 a night and Perisher $140 a night.

For travellers booking further in advance, August is the cheapest month to fly to all airports close to ski resorts, including Albury, Cooma, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney from any domestic location.

Mt Buller appears to be Australia’s most popular ski resort this winter, according to the volume of searches on KAYAK.com.au.

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KAYAK’s latest search data for the snow season also found Mt Buller in Victoria had taken the title of the most popular ski destination for Australians in 2021, with searches 2.5 times higher than they were in the 2019 snow season.

NSW’s Thredbo was in second place, with double the number of searches, and Jindabyne in NSW the third most popular ski destination, with searches 1.5 times what they were in 2019.

Australians are also looking to make the most of the trans-Tasman travel bubble, with searches for New Zealand during the ski season up 57 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, KAYAK said.