Tioga5

Thanks NickyNook, It sounds like the commute may not be as bad as I first feared. I've been trying to work out the toll charges situation. I understand they only charge one way. But it appears I'd have to pay tolls for using the tunnel and the Eastern Distributor ? Is that correct and if so I calculate that to be about $10-$11 a day which seems quite a lot. Another potential destination to live is Manly - I could drive to St Leonards and my friend could get the ferry to the CBD. Is there any great difference betwen Manly and Coogee ? They both appear to be nice places, beautiful beaches, fairly lively etc. Can anybody make a strong case for one rather than the other ?

Thanks Maryrose02 that is very helpful. I think if i was driving in I would go into the office early to avoid the traffic as much as possible. Luckily my job would allow me to be reasonably flexible with working hours. My office is only a couple of hundred metres from St Leonards station by my calculations. The reason for Coogee other than Bondi is my friends preference to stay in Coogee as he is settled there. He also suggested that Bondi is always very busy and more touristy/noisy that Coogee. I haven't visited in a number of years so I am taking his advice at face value. You may disagree with his view? I am flexible about where to live. Although I would love to live by the beach realistically I would be more likely to spend time there at weekends. So living somewhere like Surry Hills or maybe Randwick and travelling to the Beach may be a better and cheaper option. I'm just trying to way up the balance between living by the beech or more central with better transport links.

Hello, I have accepted a job to move over to Sydney and will be moving in between 4-6 weeks. I have friends already living in Coogee and would ideally like to move in with them if possible (providing we can find a 3 bedroom place). They have told me that Coogee is a really nice area with a nice beach and good sports facilities. It sounds fantastic however my office for work will be based in St Leonards (North Sydney). I would realistically only be required to be the office 3 times a week due to the nature of my job however I just wondered if this commute between Coogee and St Leonards would be manageable? Does anybody on here do a similar commute and how bad is it driving through the city and across the bridge ? I could potentially use public transport but I understand that from Coogee it would be buses not trains so would still have to sit in traffic. I would like to live near the beach but at 28 and with a 'proper job' I dont think living in Bondi would suit my lifestyle. Although I enjoy going out at weekends I want to live somewhere with a less party atmosphere. Any advice on what the Coogee to North commute is actually like or any other recommendations of places to live would be greatlt appreciated. Thanks Graham