Originally Posted by
Dr. HFH
Since the decline of the rand, I believe that South Africa is now cheaper than Mauritius. At least it was in April, last time I bought an AONE4. Remember, too, that taxes and other charges depend a lot on whether you hit LHR in your routing. If you can avoid it, you may save some $$$.
The S.Africa/Mauritius question varies in a lot of relatively small-beer ways. You may find that at any one moment, AONE4 is cheaper in SA and AONE5 slightly cheaper in MRU .... and then comes the question of BA fuel surcharges v. AA etc. etc.
To come back to the OP's question, South Korea and Indonesia are possibly the most economic starting points for many Ozzies, bearing in mind the cost of getting there and back. A DONE4 is currently the equivalent of US$6,728 ex-Seoul & US$6,779 ex-Indonesia. (As Mauritius is treated as part of Africa, you should really compare with the DONE5 price there, which is US$6,855.)
As for avoiding LHR, the taxes are OK if you don't stay more than 24 hours (or if you're in WhY), otherwise, if you want to visit the UK, pay up & look as if you like it! (One avoidance strategy is to stopover in AMS or CDG & visit the UK on Easyjet or Eurotunnel. The tax difference virtually pays for the trip. Oz passports are visa-free these days in both these - in the past, you needed a Visa to enter France.)