Ha! I thought that planes were pretty much always cheaper than trains for long distances. But it turns out they aren't. If you're willing to take days instead of hours and sleep in a chair for all those days. I have a scheme to go to Alice Springs for September and I don't want to fly. But I thought I would pay heaps for a return train fare. As it turns out you can get super budget returns from Sydney to Alice Springs for $398 going on The Indian Pacific and The Ghan.

The cheapest equivalent flight costs $544 return, and the value isn't nearly so good because it only lasts a few hours.

So I reckon catching a train is my plan. If I had a bit longer I'd get the unlimited train travel for 6 months ticket for $590. That would be amazingly brilliant, but I'd spend the whole month on trains if I trained it to Darwin and Perth as well.