Nope, some operators will not allow you to book your own flights (where I always prefer to book my own); i.e you are not permitted to join unless on their specified flight (start and end), so they have been eliminated from consideration. They want to escort you as if you are a child all the way from Aus and cant get yourself to a starting point (and yes I did email them for clarification).
Zero interest in cruises
One I looked at today that does allow you to remove the included international flights gives a measly $500 saving, so you know the flights they would have put you on could only be a LCC and indirect route. At least you can opt out on that one.
