📍What Is The Cheapest Way To Travel From Sydney To Brisbane. (2024.)

NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE CHEAPEST WAY TO GET FROM SYDNEY TO BRISBANE IS?

Brisbane is the gorgeous capital of Queensland and a stunning destination thanks to its enviable riverside lifestyle and the array of incredible attractions it has to offer, many which capitalise on its status as Australia’s premier River City, such as the striking Story Bridge and the stunning South Bank precinct.

Down south, Sydney is New South Wales capital and a world class city famous for its magnificent harbour and spectacular architectural icons, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. It is also the gateway to the country with over 16 million domestic and international travellers visiting the breathtaking city, meaning that many of the River City’s excess of 2 millions visitors do so from the Harbour City.

While there are several ways to get there, here’s a run down of the cheapest ways to travel from Sydney to Brisbane, from flights, to trains and buses, and all the pros and cons associated with these modes of transport.

➡️ Relocation Service.

It might come as a surprise, but the cheapest way to get to Brisbane from Sydney is by driving a rental car from the Harbour City to the River City. That might sound ridiculous, but when people hire vehicles and return them at a different location to where they rented them from, or the these places simply need to move some of their fleet from one part of the country to another, instead of doing it themselves, they get the travelling public to do it for them.

An excellent company that runs this service is iMoova, which partners with some of the biggest names in the auto-hire industry such as Avis, Europcar, Britz, Jucy, Travellers Autobahn helping them get their cars where they need to be while providing people the cheapest rentals imaginable. They literally start from $1. It’s a win-win situation.

In addition to getting dirt cheap prices for all sorts of vehicles, such as 2WD, SUVs, 4WD, campervans and motorhomes, you also get a few days to get it from A to B and sometimes a couple more as bonus and occasionally petrol and ferry service depending on the company and the route.

It’s an epic deal, but there is a caveat to travelling this way. The vehicles are typically only available short notice if at all so it’s not great for planning in advance. But even if you don’t mind spontaneous travel, booking things last minute at the other end, hotels in particular, are more expensive the closer to the date you visit, which may end up negating the phenomenal offer that these relocation services offer.

➡️ Flight.

A much faster, more reliable and easier to plan way to get from Sydney to Brisbane is by commercial aircraft. There are several domestic carriers that fly this incredibly popular one and a half route such as Qantas and Virgin.

However, it’s the budget carrier Jetstar that is leagues above the rest when it comes to prices, especially when one of their frequent sales are on, which often brings the standard fare down to around $59 and sometimes even lower! Plus, 7kg carry-on baggage is included, so if you can travel light, it’s a phenomenal deal, and that’s only one of the many they have.

If you join their club, you can get even cheaper fares on top of the ridiculously affordable sale prices, which is why it is my favourite go-to airline for air travel!

➡️ Interstate Trains.

Another way to travel get to the QLD capital from the NSW is by interstate train. The XPT, which stands for Express Passenger Train, departs from Sydney’s Central station and takes 14 hours to reach Brisbane’s Roma Street Station.

While there are two departures daily, one at 7.08am and the other at 2.41pm, only the afternoon one takes you the entire way by train, with the morning one only going to Casino, then the rest of the journey is on a bus.

Passengers can choose between an Economy or First Class seat or for the afternoon trip only, private Sleeper Cabins are also available.

➡️ Touring Bus.

Touring buses are another affordable option for people travelling between the two cities. Companies like Greyhound have plenty of comfortable seats in their vehicles to make the 16 hour overnight journey as pleasant as possible.

While a single ticket is sometimes dearer than the XPT train, if you travel a lot, whether that be as visitor, as a local or for work, getting one of these travel passes can make commuting between these places and many others across the country cheaper in the long run.

➡️ Long Distance Rideshare Services.

If you don’t mind sharing a car with other passengers you don’t know and who may want to start a conversation with you, a great alternative to get to Brisbane from Sydney or anywhere else in Australia are long-distant ride sharing services.

It operates similarly to Uber where you download an app and register a route, only where you’re going is typically much further and the more people who are raring to go from near where you’re at to where you’re going can make travelling considerable distances like the 970km it takes to get from capital A to capital B.

Although there are some very cheap ways to travel from Brisbane to Sydney, how you can benefit from these affordable modes of transport depends on your budget, the time that you have to spend travelling, your flexibility when it comes to booking, and how easy it is to do so, how safe you feel with certain methodologies and other personal preferences as to whether they’d suit you.

If you are planning to visit Brisbane, consider looking at these other posts.