What's the chapest way/route to fly to australia (canberra/sydney) from the uk?

I'm looking for flights online but they're ridiculously expensive, cheapest I've seen was about �500 one way. Quite flexible on dates. Friend suggested that I fly to an unpopular destination somewhere east and then take a flight to Oz, as this might be cheaper. Anyone done this or have any advice, would be much appreciated. Cheers, Nic