* Orocobre, Galaxy merge to form A$4 bln lithium miner
* Crown Resorts jumps on offer to buyout James Packer
* Travel stocks gain on Australia-NZ travel bubble
* Energy stocks fall on weak oil prices
April 19 (Reuters) - Australian shares edged higher in subdued trade on Monday, led by banks and miners, while some travel-related stocks advanced as a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand began.
The open-border system between Australia and New Zealand allows Australian residents to fly across the Tasman Sea for the first time in more than a year without having to quarantine for two weeks. Australia and New Zealand have reported relatively fewer COVID-19 cases compared with most countries of the developed world. Centre Travel Group FLT.AX and Corporate Travel Management CTD.AX advanced as much as 0.7% each, while Helloworld Travel HLO.AX was up nearly a percent.
Also aiding sentiment were positive corporate earnings and upbeat economic data from the United States that sent major Wall Street indexes to fresh peaks on Friday. .N
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO was up 0.2% to 7,079.00 by 0025 GMT, its highest in 14 months.
Banks .AXFJ climbed more than half a percent, while miners .AXMM added 0.8%, with heavyweights Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) RIO.AX and Fortescue Metals FMG.AX gaining 1.7% and 1.3%, respectively.
Lithium miner Orocobre ORE.AX jumped 6% to hit its highest in more than three years after it said it would buy rival Galaxy Resources GXY.AX to form the world's fifth-largest lithium miner company valued at A$4 billion ($3.09 billion). Galaxy shares climbed 4% to hit their highest since January 2018. Resorts CWN.AX jumped 0.5% after it received a A$3 billion ($2.32 billion) offer from U.S. private equity firm Oaktree Capital to buy James Packer's 37% stake in the casino operator. the benchmark index's gains, energy stocks .AXEJ , fell 1% to their lowest since March 19, with Woodside Petroleum WPL.AX and Oil Search OSH.AX losing 1.3% and 1.8%, respectively. O/R
In New Zealand, the benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 advanced 0.6% to 12,756.84. Auckland International Airport AIA.NZ and Air New Zealand AIR.NZ add 3.4% and 1.7%, respectively.
($1 = 1.2947 Australian dollars)