October in Otley or spring in Sydney? Rain in Rotherham, or 25C in Melbourne?
Rugby fans and their families have the choice starting on Monday when tickets for the rugby world cup go on general sale in Australia. Previously tickets have only been sold as part of packages - usually fairly expensive. But this year, either by phone or on the internet, it will be possible to tailor a trip by buying tickets for individual matches.
The ratio of time spent on the beach, in the bush, or in restaurants, to sitting in the stands is up to you.
It will be more difficult to see matches during the later stages of the tournament - the semi-finals and finals are all played in Sydney - but word from Australia is that as many as 500,000 tickets will be up for grabs, and there will be plenty for those who want to combine a holiday in Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth (or all three) with watching England play.
The bonus is that for the first time since 1966, England have a genuine chance of winning an important world title. They have already beaten the favourites, New Zealand, twice in the past year and recently humbled the holders, Australia, in Melbourne.
It is not that often that Australians come second best on the sports field, and to be in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia in June was a rare pleasure if a little cold and damp. To return when the bush is in flower and the sun warm should be a delight.
The only drawback is that the dollar seems to be gaining in strength and the extraordinary value for money of a few years ago is gone - especially when it comes to eating out.
Perth
England start their two-month sojourn by going to a school in Perth for two weeks' training before playing two games at the Subiaco Oval, the second being the vital tie with South Africa which will decide their route (probably via a quarter final in Brisbane) to Sydney.
Uruguay and Georgia are in England's group, Pool C, so unless you are a rugby anorak, getting out of town to see Western Australia's remarkable natural beauty could be an option.
Safari companies such as Redback (redbacksafaris.com.au) offer all-inclusive trips north and south that represent fantastic value, but why not hire a car and head down the Indian Ocean coast through the wine-growing areas of Margaret River and on to the southern rain forests.
Around Pemberton is karri country - eucalypts that grow up to 90m high and upon whose preservation Western Australian elections have depended. Starting just outside Pemberton, an 86km trail winds through the best bits with an audio link, which can be picked up by car radio, explaining what you are seeing and its history.
To be in the forest when the sun sets is eerie and unforgettable, as is staying at the Pemberton hotel, where the public bar appears to have been built to withstand the biggest of Saturday night barneys.
Altogether, there are 190,000 acres of forest - including the Valley of the Giants with its treetop walks - running south from Nannup through Manjimup and Pemberton towards Denmark and Albany on the Southern Ocean - a former whaling town that really does feel as though it is at the end of the world. It is an odd feeling to drive for hours without seeing another car. Allow four days in total.
Melbourne
Probably the greediest place on earth for sport. The city has the grand prix and the Australian Open tennis, and is rebuilding the already enormous Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Seven world cup games will be played at the Telstra Dome (aka the Colonial Stadium), including one quarter final, the play-off for third place, and England, Wales, New Zealand and Australia pool matches. If that is not enough, there are plans to erect a huge silver screen in Federation Square.
The city has always been a favourite for immigrants, and has huge Greek, Italian, and Vietnamese communities, all of whom have created centres for their cuisine. Try Lygon Street for Italian and Victoria Street for Asian food - a three-course fish meal at Ty Ty (upstairs, not downstairs) can cost as little as $25, and the best fish in town is cooked at Minh Tan II.
The centre has bags of good hotels, but the cheaper option is to rent and self-cater somewhere on the tram network, which will make both travel and financial sense. If you do, then shop at the huge Victoria Market, which teems with delis, butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers, and has prices and freshness to die for.
For the big splurge after an England victory, try the Stoke House at St Kilda, or book Chateau Yering where the whole Yarra Valley wine phenomenon started.
Brisbane
If Melbourne has quiet (by Australian standards) sophistication and Perth is the gateway to Western Australia, then Brisbane is the centre of a much more muscular holiday industry. It also has England's probable quarter-final, possibly against Wales.
An hour north is the Sunshine Coast, an hour south the Gold Coast, which has enough holiday accommodation in October and November to take a regiment of fans, with oceanside two-bedroomed flats fetching about $700 a week and prices tailing off further inland.
Still further north is the Great Barrier Reef, but if that sounds like too much travelling, then well under an hour away from downtown Brisbane, across Moreton Bay (home of the eponymous "bug" - a crustacean that has all the benefits of lobster without the difficult-to-get-at bits), is the Tangalooma Resort on Moreton Island, a cheap and cheerful collection of single-storey accommodation that has been spawned by the attraction of watching dolphins feed.
The resort has its own marine biologist whose main task is to make sure the dolphins do not become over-dependent on their nightly hand-out, although she also runs a natural history centre which offers - to children, in particular - a useful run down on the wildlife of the area.
If feeding dolphins sounds a bit tacky, Moreton Island also offers the altogether more uplifting pleasure of watching humpback whales heading north to breed and then back south again to stock up on Antarctic creel.
In October, you should just about catch the migration, and if you are not already sold on the idea that whaling despoils the world, then an hour watching the giants play around a boat and show off for their audience should do the job. The added bonus is that Tangalooma was a whaling station that was made to see the error of its ways.
Back on dry land, there is the delight of watching old Queensland at play. Victoria may have the Melbourne Cup (November 4), but Brisbane has two racecourses and country meetings at places such as Ipswich, where town meets country and the atmosphere is more Galway Festival than Ascot Gold Cup.
There are spring carnival meetings at Eagle Farm and Doomben, and if they are anything like Ipswich on Cup Day, the band will be playing into the night, fuelled by local wine. Punters travel from deep in the bush, dressed in their Sunday best, although the headgear is just as likely to be a Viking helmet as the creation of a milliner.
The alternative is to stay in town, watch all nine of the games to be played at the recently revamped Suncorp Stadium (the games due to have been staged at Ballymore have been moved because the stadium is too small), then stooge around on the river by day and dine out at night. Try Pier Nine for fish, the oddly named Cha Cha Char for meat, and Chinatown and the Valley for ethnic treats.
Getting there: Qantas (08457 747767, qantas.co.uk) offers economy class on the Outback Fare starting from £836.10 including tax. For Mike Averis's trip, this included Heathrow-Perth, Perth-Melbourne, Melbourne-Brisbane, Brisbane- Heathrow.
Further information: Australian Tourist Commission, (0870 5561434, australia.com/guardian). Country code: 00 61 Flight time: London-Perth 18 hours. Time difference: Perth +8hrs, Melbourne +9hrs, Brisbane +10hrs. £1 = 2.36 Australian dollars.
