Easter holidays tips: Places in Australia where prices go up the most

Thinking of a quick family jetaway over Easter? Maybe a dose of Queensland sunshine, a sprint along Victoria's Great Ocean Road or a visit to Sydney's Royal Easter Show? Data just released by comparison site finder.com.au might have a bearing on your choice.

This data looks at the cost of a four-night Easter holiday for a family of four including flights, a rental car and hotel stays at 10 eastern Australian destinations. To establish which locations have the highest price surge over the Easter long weekend, the data compares that cost with the same four-day family holiday over a typical autumn weekend.

According to the finder.com.au survey, the destination experiencing the highest 'Easter Tax' is Surfers Paradise, where the family holiday doubles in price over the four-night period. In second and third place, an Easter break in Brisbane and the Great Ocean Road both cost over 50 per cent more than the standard four-night autumn break.

At the other end of the table, spending those four nights in either Melbourne or Sydney looks like a winner, with fairly modest rises in both cases.

According to finder.com.au money expert Bessie Hassan, just one factor accounts for the dramatic rise in the cost of a Queensland Easter getaway, "Our research shows that it's flight costs in particular that blow out the most over Easter. Airlines base pricing on demand, and with everyone looking to fly within a short window to make the most of the extra long weekend, this is causing prices to surge dramatically."

Striking a cautionary note, Hassan adds that while any accidents or injuries will likely be covered by Medicare within Australia, travel insurance is still important to cover theft as well as any flight cancellations. "If you're forking out extra for flights and accommodation over this period, domestic travel insurance starts as low as $29, giving you coverage in case of the unexpected."

Australia's top 10 domestic travel destinations

This data is computed by taking flight prices from three cities, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, to the destination. The flight cost is the average price for a family of four travelling from the two furthest cities. In the case of Surfers Paradise for example, the flight cost is the average price for a family of four travelling from Sydney and Melbourne. When the destination is the Blue Mountains, the flight cost is the average for travel from Melbourne and Brisbane.