Best LHR-MEL-LHR ticket
 

So used to booking my own travel needs in the pointy end, I'm stumpted when it comes to sorting out the parents (who travel separately to me, in case you're wondering).

Any ideas for the best 12 month validity ticket options in Y (flexibility not vital, but helpful even if change fee involved) ex-LHR - or are there better options from other European ports? Departure/return ex-UK in northern hemisphere summer.

I'd say you are looking at about 750 GBP all up, on BA, acording to Expedia (http://www.expedia.co.uk)

Now that EK also has direct flight to MEL, I guess they might offer good prices from LHR or LGW.

depends on what time of year you depart-
CX and BA are around the £700- £750 mark

look at www.netflights.com
and use the fare price tools

also worth checking is ex FRA

and SQ is around the same should you want *

"Any ideas for the best 12 month validity ticket options in Y (flexibility not vital, but helpful even if change fee involved) ex-LHR - or are there better options from other European ports? Departure/return ex-UK in northern hemisphere summer."

There are lots of choices. Many tickets to Oz have a 1 year validity and nearly all allow date changes. I got a LHR-SYD in June for £560 including tax with Qantas. I would suggest just going to somewhere like www.airnet.co.uk . Give it a date and route and ask for "full fare list" and it'll return a list of fares which are valid for that date that they offer and also you can link in to see what the max stay,routing,stopover and change rules are.

Dave