Hi folks, I just spotted fares between Sydney and Shenzhen from $618 return inc. tax, for travel between 1 September - 31 October, 2011. These are direct flights.
Shenzhen is only a bit over an hour away from Hong Kong by train, so this a very cheap and convenient way to get there. Hong Kong is a great starting point if you're planning to hop around Asia… And perhaps even over to Europe.
I've done a bit of research in regards to Hainan Airlines and these fares in particular, so check out the Flighthacker blog for further details.
Shenzhen is China proper = Visas and whole lot of hassle.