ExXB, I'm not very familiar with this sort of thing so forgive me for asking . Are you suggesting getting a 'one off' scheduled flight to AMS/CDG then getting a ticket that routes AMS/CDG to Melbourne then back to the UK directly?
Would the same sort of thing work if we were to fly to Melbourne but return from Sydney? Sorry for the rather naive questions, how might I go about this - we have a very good small local travel agent who relishes a challenge.