hi all...

i'm currently booked on a Beaches & Reefs tour, going from Sydney to Cairns... i have about 5-6 days from the end of the tour to get back to Sydney to catch my flight home, and was wondering about some options of getting back to Sydney.

in Europe, trains were easy & cheap, but a quick search found that a train from Cairns to Sydney was quite expensive.

would flying be the best/cheapest option?

Given that you are travelling 1/2 way around the world, I would suggest you do not spend your last few days stuck on ground transportation. So decide if you want to spend another day in Cairns then fly back the next day. Go to the Meeting Place section of these boards and see what other people on your tour are doing. But yes ... Fly back to Sydney though.

- Vic

flying back to sydney would be quicker and cheaper.

since u have 5 or 6 days at the end of your tour, why don't u do ur tour and then at the end re-visit the place u liked best. there are lots of last minutes flights avaliable on virgin blue and jet star which aren't too expensive. these would be preferrable over the bus or train, both aren't very fast and stop a lot. those 2 airlines fligh to more rural places which internation flighst dont go, so check those out for more flighst

Flying is the cheapest option in Aus - try Jetstar or Virgin blue airlines

try Quantas
I got a flight from Brisbane to Sydney for $87 AUD

As an Aussie, I'd definately recommend flight. It's way too far for the other options - you lose valuable sightseeing time. Just watch with the cheap flights though, particularly with Jetstar, Virgin and Tiger (if you want to risk that one). While they're definately affordable, the fares don't always include checked baggage. Pay for that when you book your flight though, and it's normally only about AUS$8 extra. Keep it in mind but...