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Travellers can fly to Australia cheaper than buying an open first class rail return between Birmingham and Manchester - but you'll have to be quick to snap up one of the low fares.

Tickets to jet Down Under are on sale this week for just over £200 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Australian carrier Qantas.

The airline is selling return tickets between London and Sydney for £205 - while a first-class open return rail ticket from the north-west to the West Midlands is listed at £217.50.

(Image: Qantas)

A spokesman for Qantas said: "For 100 hours only, we'll be releasing 100 Golden Tickets. From midday each day, there'll be 20 Golden Tickets from London Heathrow to Sydney, for just £205 Economy return.

"Plus, check out our Centenary Sale fares to Melbourne, Perth and Sydney from £699 Economy return."

The sale started on Monday and runs until Friday with 20 tickets released each day at midday. It also offers cheap flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Bali, Phuket, Brisbane and Auckland starting at £483 return.

Other celebrations for the anniversary include special livery on a new Dreamliner that will be seen at airports around the world, featuring every Qantas logo since 1920.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: "There are so many amazing Qantas stories that also tell the story of modern Australia. We want our centenary to be a celebration of those stories as well as how we'll be part of taking the spirit of Australia further in the years ahead."

The new 787 Centenary livery aircraft will fly across key Qantas international destinations, including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and London.

Named Longreach after the Queensland town that was key to the airline's origins, it joins nine other Qantas 787s that are all named after things that are iconically Australian, including Skippy, Great Southern Land, Waltzing Matilda and Jillaroo.