Discover Australia Holidays Questions & Answers

Hi we recently had travelled with Discover Australia and to our disappointment, our bus tours were nothing as described on their website. Basically we felt that we have been cheated by the misleading Itinerary descriptions Discover Australia is offering. My advice, STATY AWAY from this unscrupulous operator. You WILL be disappointed and Cheated.!!!

thanks so much for your honesty Joseph. I don't want to be stuck in an unknown country and fork out more money to get home.

Sue, why are you sending me 2 emails regarding a Ghan trip????? I complained about the Uluru booking.

This is to the wrong email, I did not travel on the Ghan train.

No I haven’t travelled with them to Tasmania. However, if things go wrong with your trip getting a refund from this company is impossible. We were half way thru a trip on the Ghan which was turned back due to Covid. We got limited reimbursement in the form of a credit and had to pay for our own flights Adelaide to Gold Coast and our airfare from our final destination was not cancelled so that was not reimbursed at all (4 flights Darwin to Gold Coast). We used our credit on a Indian Pacific which due to NSW floods we were diverted thru Victoria. Discover Australia was reimbursed by Journey Beyond Rail for $150 for each passenger in Nov ‘22 …. we are yet to see a cent of this money, it appears they do not look after their clients. I would never recommend travelling with them, if things go wrong they’re a nightmare in every sense of the word!! Never expect to be refunded!!

Don't do it! The advertised holidays sound amazing and wonderful value for money but me tell you, you get what you pay for! Tasmania is everything itvis described to be but the organisation of the trip leaves a lot to be desired. We chose a 15 day trip staying Hobart them Launceston. All inclusive! We paid for the trip as advertised which included breakfast but after i paid i received a call to say breakfast could not be included so our accommodation was upgraded and we were credited $200 The did not arrive until about a week before and the $500 worth of vouchers offered were not even worth printing! On arrival to Tassie we had to go in search of our transfer then arriving at the hotel we found our accommodation to be alot less than expected! Breakfast was at a cost of a fixed $29.50 per person per day that was almost $600 We had been credited with $200! As far as the tours on luxury coaches was concerned yes they were definitely an upgrade from horse and cart! We had to go find our meeting places and generally the buses were mini so cramped and not at all comfortable As for the tours themselves they were ok but mostly they chose rhe cheaper half day tours where they advertised full day and some lunches! You see the pattern here? I could go on and on! Do i recommend visiting Tassie ? Definitely! Do i recommend Discover Australia? NO NEVER!

Sorry to say we have booked 2 great holidays through Discover Australia. Sure they were delayed by Covid but all went smoothly. Email contact was good, rarely needed to phone. Have recently returned from a great trip to Perth on the Indian Pacific. Sorry to hear of other's experiences. BTW, the voucher book was a waste of time.

Don't bother with consumer complaints, they will only mediate a conversation, and then if an agreement is not found you'll need to take them to a civil tribunal. My suggestion is to cut out the middleman and take them to court from the get-go. I put in a VCAT application to sue them for the money they owed me plus pain and suffering, and time lost due to their negligence and breaking the contract and they paid out what they owed and all the extras I asked for. I kept all my email communication with me so I had lots of evidence. This total process took 5 months but it was worth it cause they are forced to take it seriously and make a decision. They will not go to court cause they are cowards and will pay out whatever you ask for.

I am not sure what's HolidayMax . My review was about Discover Australia . My only advice about them : run as far and as fast as you can from their services . The website is the only attractive part that ( now I understand) is designed to suck you in by promise of reasonable price , flaxibility and best service. From the moment you pay , you will not be able to talk to the travel agent , they don't answer your emails, you are not able to complain as management does not allow contact with them . Our travel documents arrived one day before departure , full or mistakes and unexpected changes , but too late to do anything about it . We booked a 6 days tour , which was supposed to have 6 tours . As result we only had 3 tours and now it's the third week that I am fighting for refund for cancelled tours . No-one to talk too , not even promise of how long we have to wait . Do yourself a favour , stay away and enjoy your trip . RM

hmm holiday max is the same company as discover australia i think but not 100% sure but was about to book a european holiday with them and have luckily read these reviews and maybe saved myself about $15,000 ,i will now not book with them,PHEWW.

I had booked a trip to Tasmania for 9 days with Discovery Australia in Feb this year, and everything went to plan and even better some transfers were just my husband and I. Totally loved it. Now I have left a deposit with Holiday Max for a European 28-day tour and looking forward to it.

No it is definitely NOT! Do not book with these people - Super shonky. We are submitting complaints to A Current Affair - ACCC and any forum that we can find.

No, does not sound normal. Contact Kuranda Railway direct and they have pick up and drop off from Cairns. For bookings call 1800 KSRAIL(577 245) in Australia +61 7 4231-9045 outside Australia external link 

We are really angry about the behaviour of this company. It is cold comfort to know how many other people have had similar dreadful experiences. We are trying to get the company investigated but not hopeful. My advice is to stay clear - Book direct with the Indian Pacific.

I couldn't agree more. I have booked my trip on the Indian Pacific with Beyond Rail. So many travellers we ran into had horrific experiences with Discover Australia. Don't book with them!!!

Unfortunately I saw the poor reviews too late. I had already booked and paid. I have written a letter to A Current Affair asking them to investigate this company. I suggest you do the same. The more people who bring this to the public's attention the better

I have also written to a Current Affair and I agree that if more people write then there will be a better chance of it being investigated. This company needs to be exposed!!

I'm in similar boat too. Saw the bad review too late. Have credits from Covid cancellation and now wish to rebook that trip again in June. No response. No help from the reception just the same response that email was received and someone will contact me. It is nearly three weeks now! If I don't hear back by next week looks I will be contacting ACC and Current Affair as well.

We also saw the bad reviews too late. I’m really worried about our upcoming holiday - first time away in nearly three years, it was suppose to be a treat.

Same here! Booked and paid over one year ago. Due to Covid cancelled and rebooked for 2023. They have full payment for 4 travellers! Fool me, sadly! Many emails, many sloppy phone conversations and now no response. So so unimpressed. Current Affair come on down!

Thank you for all the comments. I was keen to book my holidays to Ayer’s Rock thru Discover Australia but now looking for alternative reliable honest tour operator/s.

Stay away!

We tried to make a complaint through the ACCC but that website re-directed us to the AFTA (Australian Federation of Travel Agents) and we met a dead end there. The next possible step was legal proceedings which was only viable if costs could be recovered from DAH.

I hope you will win the legal case. Bad tour operator should not be in business. You can also share your story on Facebook to warn others.

To Discover Australia Holiday, with so many posted complaints from paid customers, any honest tour operator will try their best to resolve each issue immediately. Good operator will try their best to help each customer. If not, dishonest company will not last for long. Bad reviews on social media spread like wild fire - destroying any new customer's trust and confidence to book any tour from your company. Anyone, like me, will check out the tour company before purchasing any tour. I will also warn my social circle of friends of your company's performance. Hope, all all your customers' complaints will have a satisfactory outcome. Please Do the right thing to rebuild the reputation of your company.

We also been waiting for refund almost a year now. Can anyone had a success? VCAT, DFAT, ACCC, Current Affairs ??? Please help & advise us the steps we need to take for a good outcome (refund paid back to each one of us). Let's all pray!!!!

What's the question?

An answer to our Phone Calls & E-Mails about our AGREED - Refund for our cancelled Discover Australia Holiday booked in 2019? Please advise who you are / represent "Regretful??

To Discover Australia Holiday, with so many posted complaints from paid customers, any honest tour operator will try their best to resolve each issue immediately. Good operator will try their best to help each customer. If not, dishonest company will not last for long. Bad reviews on social media spread like wild fire - destroying any new customer's trust and confidence to book any tour from your company. Anyone, like me, will check out the tour company before purchasing any tour. I will also warn my social circle of friends of your company's performance. Hope, all all your customers' complaints will have a satisfactory outcome. Please Do the right thing to rebuild the reputation of your company.

FINALLY we achieved a resolution! Great that we are well and truely finished with this company! It took patience and perseverance but we finally got there. Prospective customers be warned!!!!

try this email: customer.service@discoveraustralia.com.au Though I wouldn't hold your breath :(

To Discover Australia Holiday, with so many posted complaints from paid customers, any honest tour operator will try their best to resolve each issue immediately. Good operator will try their best to help each customer. If not, dishonest company will not last for long. Bad reviews on social media spread like wild fire - destroying any new customer's trust and confidence to book any tour from your company. Anyone, like me, will check out the tour company before purchasing any tour. I will also warn my social circle of friends of your company's performance. Hope, all all your customers' complaints will have a satisfactory outcome. Please Do the right thing to rebuild the reputation of your company.

Same has happened to our party of 4 for an Indian Pacific, Adelaide, Murray Princess Kangaroo Island trip. No vacancies available until 2023. Due to age & health concerns likely to be 6 ft under by then

Hope family members are entitled to our money back after we are 6ft under

To Discover Australia Holiday, with so many posted complaints from paid customers, any honest tour operator will try their best to resolve each issue immediately. Good operator will try their best to help each customer. If not, dishonest company will not last for long. Bad reviews on social media spread like wild fire - destroying any new customer's trust and confidence to book any tour from your company. Anyone, like me, will check out the tour company before purchasing any tour. I will also warn my social circle of friends of your company's performance. Hope, all all your customers' complaints will have a satisfactory outcome. Please Do the right thing to rebuild the reputation of your company.

I don’t think so but they are notorious for not answering phone or emails. Very frustrating. The tour themselves are great.

Thankyou Freddie, do you speak from a position of business relationship with this company?

I don't bother to call them, just keep on sending emails. The tour themselves are great.

Thanks for the posting. I will not be using this company. I appreciate all of the posting most of which appear dissatisfied.

To Discover Australia Holiday, with so many posted complaints from paid customers, any honest tour operator will try their best to resolve each issue immediately. Good operator will try their best to help each customer. If not, dishonest company will not last for long. Bad reviews on social media spread like wild fire - destroying any new customer's trust and confidence to book any tour from your company. Anyone, like me, will check out the tour company before purchasing any tour. I will also warn my social circle of friends of your company's performance. Hope, all all your customers' complaints will have a satisfactory outcome. Please Do the right thing to rebuild the reputation of your company.

No do not use this company unless you like lots of stress and no communication

You have sent me insurance details please addressed to Hi Allara you have messaged the wrong person which is understandable in your situation.