Cheapest€71.53
- Virgin Australia VA213514:151h 36m15:51Brisbane BNEMackay MKY
Door to door 4h 46mCO2 203.7 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
Traveling from Brisbane to Mackay costs €71.53 at the cheapest and takes 4h 37m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 2 operators. The route covers 814 km. Cheapest is by Flight, fastest is by Flight.
At a glance
- Distance
- 814 km
- Fastest
- 4h 37m
- Average
- 5h 48m
- Services per day
- 9
- Cheapest
- €71.53
- CO2 per passenger
- 97.4 kg
Every way to make this journey
Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on September 29, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | 4h 41m | 1h 31m | 3h 10m | €86.28 | 203.7 kg | 2 |
| Train | 6h 18m | 5h 34m | 44m | €100.44 | 26.5 kg | 7 |
- 4h 41mFastest, by Flight
- €86.28Cheapest, by Flight
- 26.5 kgLowest CO2, by Train
- 814 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€75.66
- Virgin Australia VA561806:011h 31m07:32Brisbane BNEMackay MKY
Door to door 4h 41mCO2 203.7 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
Lowest CO2€82.84
- Queensland Rail QR928906:126h 9m12:21South Brisbane railway stationMackay railway station
Door to door 6h 53mCO2 26.5 kgChanges 0Refundable
Today's real departures
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
No live timetable for this trip yet.
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
Prices over the next three weeks
Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of traveling are marked.
| Cheapest fare by mode and day for Brisbane to Mackay | SatSep 12 | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 | ThuSep 24 | FriSep 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | €186.58 | €191.89 | €147.64 | €136.43 | €122.27 | €158.85 | €106.34 | €128.17 | €107.52 | €96.31 | €98.08 | €98.67 | €131.71 | €86.28 |
| Train | €201.64 | €223.64 | €147.74 | €144.44 | €163.69 | €188.44 | €124.09 | €133.44 | €121.34 | €104.84 | €100.44 | €127.39 | €166.99 | €107.04 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €71.53
That is the traveling done. What happens after you walk out into Mackay is not something we sell.
Rooms within reach of Mackay railway station
Hotels and apartments near downtown, most of them with free cancellation, on a map that shows what is walkable.
Search Mackay on AgodaOr compare on Booking.com
Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.
When to book Brisbane to Mackay
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €118.1490 days
- €64.4560 days
- €71.5345 days
- €87.4630 days
- €83.9221 days
- €86.2814 days
- €106.347 days
- €147.643 days
- €186.581 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €64.45.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 189 percent. The most expensive point is €186.58, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 60 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 60 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €107.52Sun
- €96.31Mon
- €98.08Tue
- €98.67Wed
- €131.71Thu
- €86.28Fri
- €128.17Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €136.43Sep
- €85.10Oct
- €81.56Nov
- €67.99Dec
- €78.61Jan
- €70.74Feb
The route
What the journey actually looks like
Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.
- Direct or connecting
- 56% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 44% involve one connection.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 814 km against 804 km in a straight line, a detour of 1 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Gladstone. The gap between arriving and leaving is 50 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 19 percent chance of not being made on the timetable alone. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is ours to fix and you are rebooked at no charge.
- First and last departure
- The first service of the day leaves Brisbane at 06:01 and the last at 14:15, across 2 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Brisbane
Rail
- South Brisbane railway station
- Alderley
- RBWH busway station
Bus
- Brisbane Coach Terminal
- South Bank
Air
- BNE
Ferry
- Brisbane Cruise Terminal
- Bulimba ferry terminal
Mackay
Rail
- Mackay railway station
Air
- MKY
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From | Fastest | Typical speed | Flexibility | On board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Queensland Rail | €82.84 | 6h 10m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power outlets, Wi-Fi |
| Virgin Australia | €71.53 | 4h 37m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €53.00 | 74% |
| Taxes | €9.54 | 13% |
| Supplier fees | €7.00 | 10% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 3% |
| Total you pay | €71.53 | 100% |
Check-in is at three and you will be in Mackay well before then. Lockers are not something we run.
Somewhere to drop the bags in Mackay?
Priced by the bag and by the day, booked before you get there, and insured while it sits.
Check Mackay on StasherOr try Bounce
Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.
Questions about Brisbane to Mackay
The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.
How long does it take to get from Brisbane to Mackay?
The fastest journey from Brisbane to Mackay takes 4h 37m door to door, of which 1h 31m is spent moving, on the Flight. Most services take around 5h 48m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.
How much does it cost to travel from Brisbane to Mackay?
The cheapest fare from Brisbane to Mackay is €71.53, checked on September 29, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €133.44. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.
What is the cheapest way to get from Brisbane to Mackay?
The cheapest way from Brisbane to Mackay is by Flight, at €86.28 for one passenger on September 29, 2026. That journey takes 4h 41m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.
What is the fastest way to get from Brisbane to Mackay?
The fastest way from Brisbane to Mackay is by Flight, at 4h 41m door to door. Only 1h 31m of that is spent moving; the remaining 3h 10m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €86.28.
When should I book Brisbane to Mackay?
Fares from Brisbane to Mackay bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €64.45. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 189 percent, measured on September 29, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Brisbane to Mackay?
Friday is the cheapest day to depart from Brisbane to Mackay, at €86.28. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 29, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Brisbane to Mackay?
December is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Brisbane to Mackay, at €67.99 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.
Who runs service from Brisbane to Mackay?
2 operators sell services from Brisbane to Mackay across 2 modes: Queensland Rail, Virgin Australia. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.
Is there a direct service from Brisbane to Mackay?
56 percent of the services we sell from Brisbane to Mackay are direct. The rest connect at Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Gladstone, with about 50 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.
How much CO2 does the journey from Brisbane to Mackay produce?
Traveling from Brisbane to Mackay by Train produces about 26.5 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Flight produces about 203.7 kg, roughly 8 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Brisbane to Mackay use?
Services from Brisbane to Mackay by Flight leave from Brisbane BNE and arrive at Mackay MKY. Allow about 3h 10m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.
Can I change or refund a ticket from Brisbane to Mackay?
1 of the 2 operators we sell from Brisbane to Mackay allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.
Where these numbers come from
Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.
Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modeled number pass for a filed one.
Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances
- On this page
- Every figure above was computed for Brisbane to Mackay on September 11, 2026: 814 km of route against 804 km in a straight line, 9 services a day, 2 operators, a cheapest fare of €71.53, and 4h 37m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
Plenty of what is worth seeing sits outside Mackay and elsewhere in Australia. None of it is ours to sell.
What to book in Mackay before you go
Day trips that leave Mackay in the morning and cover a good part of Australia by evening.
See Mackay on KlookOr browse GetYourGuide
Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.
Other ways to make this journey
Arriving in Mackay
Leaving Mackay
- 10Places you can leave for
- 1Countries
- 4Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.