Melbourne to Sydney

Q: I need to travel between Melbourne and Sydney in January and would like to find out about one-way fares by air, train and bus. Can you find out how long the journey takes and where I can book online? - Brenda Peer

A: The cheapest fares for the three modes of travel are relatively similar - the big difference comes in the journey times. Flying is the quickest by far. The journey only takes one hour 20 minutes. Booking with Jetstar, I got a fare of 59 Australian dollars (R406) for a seat with 20kgs of luggage. A seat without luggage is available for 49 Aussie dollars (R337) Book on www.jetstar.com. The next fastest was the train service, but this takes over 10 hours. I checked the Countrylinks Melbourne XPT train and the fare was 69 Australian dollars (R406). The train runs twice each day. Book on www.railaustralia.com.au. Finally, the Greyhound Australia bus service between the two cities takes more than 12 hours. The best fare I could find was 65 Australian dollars (R447). Check fares on www.greyhound.com.au. (5/12/10)