Australian researchers are overcoming the hurdles of hypersonic plane design, helping to bring the era of travelling at faster than speed of sound a step closer.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne have developed a cheaper and more efficient way to make heat-resistant ceramic parts that could be used to build rockets and hypersonic airliners.

Carolina Tallon is working on the project with Professor George Franks at the Defence Materials Technology Centre.

"The ceramic pieces we have made are stronger and will survive to higher temperatures than those used on the space shuttle," Dr Tallon told Fresh Science.

The ceramic mixture they have created would withstand temperatures of 3400C, and would be used in the parts of the plane that would get the hottest, such as around the nose and wings.

Hypersonic flights would allow passenger planes to fly at five times the speed of sound.