Hire a Car or use public transport?

[LouiseMark]

Hi all

We heading to Sydney early December for our activation trip. We will be staying in Lane Cove National park. We are in Sydney for 10 days before flying to Brisbane where we will hire a car. When we were in Sydney in 2004 we used public transport but then it was just us and one baby. Now it is us and 3 kids. Should we hire a car in Sydney? Or be adventurous and use public transport? I have heard Bayswater rental is very reasonable but that parking can cost you a small fortune. What is the cost of public transport and is it suitable for 5 of us to get around daily? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[AFreshStart]

Hi LouiseMark,

A large part of that is knowing where you will be going in Sydney. If by Sydney you mean the actual CBD and surrounds, then I'd most certainly use public transport. We own a car and live an 8-minute drive from the CBD and have taken my car in TWICE in a year. Parking is almost non existent and if you do find a garage it's $10 AN HOUR, though you can get Early Bird specials, in by 9am out by 5pm for $25-$40 a day, but tack on the car rental costs and fuel...

We have two young kids, 3 + 5 years old and we catch public transport regularly. Just order Opal Cards, they allow you to catch busses, trains and ferries, as long as your journey's are 1-hour apart after you take 8 trips the rest are free for the week and there is a cap of $15 a day. Sundays are "Family Days" you can go anywhere for $2.50 per person, so take a day trip to the Blue Mountains or trip up to Newcastle etc.

The city is also littered with GoGet's, these are cars your can hire by the hour, just join and then book the car on-line, use it and return it to a open bay in the City, this is a good option if you don't want to commit to daily rentals.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Matt

[monsta]

If you are in Lane Cove National park, then you will have to walk out the park which could take over 10 mins. There are no busses inside the park.

Then factor in that you are probably going to exit onto Lane Cove road which is always very busy, lady game drive which is very busy during peak traffic or Delhi road which is always busy and its very windy and hilly. So, not ideal places to catch a bus from if you have kids who might run in the road.

Also, being able to duck up to the Coles, Woolies or Aldi in Chatswood at 7pm in the car to buy groceries is going to be super usefull.

But your biggest problem with a car is going to be getting to a train station. AFreshStart already warned you not to drive into the CBD. That means finding a place to park where you can catch a bus or train from.

Do not! park at a shopping mall near a train station and leave your car there all day. You will get zapped over $40 in parking costs.

On a Sunday or Saturday afternoon or evening, you could drive up to Gordon and park in the council car park next door to the station. There is a three hour limit during the work day or on Saturday mornings, so that won't work for those times .

Or alternatively, drive to Fontenoy Road, parallel park on it and catch the 292 bus into the city. A lot of people do that when they commute to work. Just make sure you don't miss the last 292 bus back from Wynyard. It's a 15 min walk from the Macquarie park train station to Fontenoy Road.

Hope that helps! Just remember Lane Cove National park is between Macquarie Business Park and Chatswood. A LOT of people work in those places, so traffic around there is beyond a nightmare during peak times. Seriously, you can count the number of floors on the skyscrapers in Chatswood while standing in the national park (if you have a good eye).

Edited November 1, 2015 by monsta

[rozellem]

I am assuming you are staying in (the fab!) Tourist park. You and the kids will have a ball. Good choice. http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/lane-cove-river-tourist-park-caravan-park

This is from their website.

Reception is located at the tourist park entry, on Plassey Rd, Macquarie Park.

• Public transport, including buses, is available from North Ryde Railway Station, on Delhi Road. This is a 700-metre walk from reception.

I would use this site below and figure out how to get to your destination.

http://tp.transportnsw.info/nsw/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en

I would try and avoid a rental car, unless you are going further afield, like checking out Bondi or the Northern Beaches, or investigating outer suburbs. DO NOT go into the city with a car.

[LouiseMark]

Thank you all for your input!

We are super excited for our trip to show the kids what Australia is all about!

I think we will do a little of both - car hire and public transport.

[rozellem]

Hey, bring a stoller or pram if you have one and there is a kid that might lag behind. Good for hanging bags onto too.

[monsta]

@LouiseMark that's a wise decision. The area around the national park has really exploded in recent years. It's a lot more built up. So, getting around will be a challenge.

They are in the process of upgrading the train line. Just Google for the Sydney Rapid Transit. If you catch the train during peak hours, you will see that the upgrade is long overdue. They are also installing light rail in the CBD in George Street. So, that affects the busses travelling to the CBD.

That's why I suggested a park and ride scenario

Oh and if you have the time, drive to kissing point park. You can park for free and catch a riverboat ferry to darling Harbour or go up the paramatta river to Paramatta. The ferry is the slowest way imaginable to get anywhere, but it sure is scenic. Just make sure to avoid the main road, Lane Cove Road like the plague during peak hours.

Edited November 8, 2015 by monsta

[Tiermelk]

On a Sunday or Saturday afternoon or evening, you could drive up to Gordon and park in the council car park next door to the station. There is a three hour limit during the work day or on Saturday mornings, so that won't work for those times .

Or try Killara Station. You`ll find free all day parking in the surrounding streets within 5 minutes walk from the station and free parking in the council car park on weekends.