Tioga5 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Thirty minutes on the bus from Coogee to Central station, then another twenty mins or so on the train to St Leonards. How far is the station from where you work? On the other hand, it's nice to live with or close by your friends at Coogee and if you only have to be in the office three days a week, that might be all right. Driving to St Leonards in the rush hour? I don't know. Could be twenty minutes or it could be double that depending upon the approaches to the Harbour Bridge and/or Tunnel. You could live where I live in Surry Hills, within walking distance to Central and travel out to Coogee to see your friends. But, coming out to a new country, maybe lonely on your own, living with your friends might be the best option. Coogee is not that different to Bondi, a little smaller, a little quieter, but not much. I was down there today, as it happens. I think I prefer Bondi but I don't know why you think it would not suit your lifestyle? If you want a quieter beach, try Bronte or Clovelly, or Maroubra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tioga5 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 If your friends alreadly live there and like it, may as well stay I reckon at least in the short term and see how it goes I'd say that's an *OK* commute. It might get on your wick, it depends on you really. If it's only 3 days a week I doubt it will be unbearable. Remember going from the CBD to St Leonards you'll be going against the traffic, over the biggest bottleneck as well (the bridge and approaches) which will help. Irrelevant if you take the train of course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 I live in Coogee. My OH used to commute daily from here to Artarmon (just short of St Leonards). It's a piece of cake - Alison Road, Anzac Parade, Eastern Distributor, tunnel and you're there. He would do it in 25 minutes - sometimes less. Don't be tempted to drive over the bridge (number of lanes are reduced for those travelling in the opposite direction to 'normal') and don't be tempted to do it if you don't have parking provided at St Leonards, because finding on-street parking in that area is very hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tioga5 Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 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 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickyNook Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) Yes, tolls would cost you around $10 a day - depending on the time you travel. Manly to St Leonards wouldn't be as good a trip as Coogee to St Leonards. Driving from Manly involves Spit Bridge and the worst road in Sydney - Military Road. Manly is bigger and busier than Coogee in all respects. Bigger beach, bigger shopping area, more pubs, more restaurants, more people etc. Also noisier. The issue with Manly (nice as it is) is that it is a longish way away from anywhere else you might want to go. Coogee is super convenient for the beach, the city, the best shopping centre in the country (Bondi Junction), the airport and other cool areas around the inner city. Also the ferry is great when you do it once a month in the summer - twice a day, every day on a rough winter sea is a bit different. Ferry also stops around midnight so you either have to do the cinderella thing (or catch a bus or very expensive taxi) if you want to go out at night in the city. Edited October 4, 2012 by NickyNook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trixie Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I live in Dee Why (just up from Manly) and work in St Leonards. Obviously depending what time you set off depends on how long it takes. The Spit as NickyNook says it's a nightmare at any time of the day let alone rush hour. I go up the Warringah Road and then turn left down Penshurst St and that takes you into St Leonards/Crows Nest a very easy route..but then you would have to put your trip from Manly on top of my timings... it takes about 10-15 mins for me to drive from DY beach to Manly Corso. Timing... I set off at 8:10am the other day and got into work at 9:20am... the Warringah Road was a nightmare but Military Road after the Spit would have been worse I think. This morning I set off at 7:30am and it took 50 mins. Just a few parts of the 'W' Road congested. On the way back (I finish at 3pm) it takes about 30 mins on a nice clear run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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