FionaS Posted September 4, 2016 Report Share Posted September 4, 2016 Hello People-in-the-Know re: Sydney Upper North suburbs (specifically Castle Hill & Cherrybrook) So - we're finally here in Sydney and loving it so far. We've been here nearly 2 weeks and we still have so much to get organised before our 40ft container arrives at the end of September! Most importantly, we need to find a home of our own. Rental. We are staying with friends in their Cherrybrook home whilst we look for a rental property of our own. We are falling in love with this area (as well as Castle Hill) due to the villagey-feel and the seeming good bang-for-buck that we might get in the renatl market (compared to suburbs closer to the city). I am looking for straight-forward and honest feedback on what the commute to and from the city (weekdays, peak times) is REALLY like. i.e. how long does it honestly take, in reality, to get into the city using the express buses from both Cherrybrook and Castle Hill (assuming a smooth ride with no unforeseen accidents etc). I would really appreciate your feedback. There is no point we sign a lease for a home here if were don't make peace with the realities of the commute. Thank you all who take the time to reply on this forum. Your insights really are so important if we are to have a good shot a being happy here. F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozellem Posted September 5, 2016 Report Share Posted September 5, 2016 Fiona, on a local level (local info for local people......my bad League of Gentlemen joke,sorry) you will have more luck joining a Facebook page like "South Africans in Sydney (the Hills)" for this type of question. Good luck with the house hunting. ps. The page mentioned above have a great camping event twice a year, highly recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilotg2 Posted September 5, 2016 Report Share Posted September 5, 2016 Hi, i do this trip (Castle Hill to CBD and back) once or twice a week in and out of traffic times. Without traffic i've done it in 40min. With traffic 60min on average. After 5pm from the CBD you generally won't get a seat but one usually frees up halfway through the journey. If you go for Castle Hill it's certainly do able if you live near the bus stop route. I live a 2min walk away, jump on the bus that takes me straight into the CBD. Having to not change transport modes makes the journey very bearable!! When you have to change, wait for another bus, train etc. i feel that can take the life out of you mopre than a longish direct route. It's worth downloading an app called TripView, it's excellent and there is a free version. Search by route 610 and 610X. You can also see timings of journeys. Let me know if you get stuck with the App as it's not that intuitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica25 Posted October 14, 2016 Report Share Posted October 14, 2016 Hi, we have lived in Cherrybrook for 18 months now (well just moved to Dural a month ago). So honest answer, it depends on what you consider a long time. My husband does the journey every day and while there are bad days (say 1h:30m) generally door to door is just over 1 hour. This is less than the old commute in the car in JHB and easier as its on the bus. Plus the train is opening in 2019 (time will tell if this is a improvement). Leaving from the city a bit later can even cut travel time to 40m ish and in general he spend less time traveling than colleagues living in the Northern Beaches (1/2 the distance from the city). To sum up, you can live closer in, but Cherrybrook is a good bet if you ever want to buy a house bigger than a shoe box and it has good Schools. You can get even better value in Kellyville but I believe that is further out although it will also have the train. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted December 22, 2016 Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 We lived in the Hills for 11 years. The commute to and from the city was a nightmare. It was normal to spend up to 3 hours a day just in transit. We traveled by car or on public transport - there was simply no quick and easy way. We moved to the city 11 months ago - 10 minutes to work (and everywhere else). That's my honest, warts & all opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGSHARK Posted March 3, 2017 Report Share Posted March 3, 2017 What is the general opinion of Baulkham hills compared with Cherrybrook, i.t.o better schools, better commute times, better rental prices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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