Public Transport in Northern Beaches?

[Guest CaptainCook]

Hello all

This is my first post - myself, husband and 2 kids, ages 3 and 2 are heading over in January February next year. We did a recce or northtern beaches suburbs earlier this year and really liked French's Forest, Allambie Heights, Cromer etc (in fact we loved all the areas and can't wait to get back there!) but couldn't find out much about public transport whilst we were there. My husband is assuming he will be working in the CBD so it the best thing to get a bus to Manly ferry or can you get a bus all the way? Is there a good website anyone can recommend that shows the routes?

Thanks v much

Emma

[Guest JoCG]

Hi! Good choice on the Northern beaches! You can find all the info on www.sydneybuses.com.au they have a great facillity called trip planner which will give you the exact number of the bus/ferry/train that you need and all the timings too. I think you will find that you can get a bus direct into the city and will take you about 50 mins to an hour in peak times. You can get the bus to manly then the ferry across a nicer way to travel but I think that would take longer, not 100% on that but the website will clear that up for you. Happy planning! Cheers, Jo

[Guest Bridgend Lad]

Hi there,

 

We're in Narraweena; to be honest we don't get the bus often but if you do get the ones that start with 'L'.

 

These are limited stop ones, hence the L, and take about 40 mins into the CBD as opposed to an hour. They get very full in the morning mind but are the quickest and cheapest way into the city. I'd only get the ferry if you lived close enough to Manly as it'll take too long, all be it a picturesque way to get to work.

 

If you make it here give us a shout, we've got 2 daughters 3 and 5, the wife's a local as well.

[Guest CaptainCook]

Hi

Thanks for the replies will check those out. And thanks for the offer we will be in touch when we get it together and get over there, we are all very excited don't know how we are going to wait another 6 months. We were hoping to live in Frenchs Forest or Allambie areas.

If you don't mind another question do you mind if I ask whether your kids are in school or nursery school over there and was it easy to get them a place, public or private?

Thanks in advance.

Emma

[Guest Bridgend Lad]

We applied from the UK, had to have an interview with the school (it's a public one) and then no problem even though our eldesy was slighlty young for the year; the fact she'd been in the UK education system went our way.

 

Getting the youngest into pre school proving difficult mind, in fact at the moment impossible!

 

Overall, the schoold in the area first class in my opinion.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest PaddyO]

From Frenchs Forest, if you only have Public Transport as an option, it will be a long commute using just bus or bus/ferry. You get a lot of house for your money in both there and Allambie but that is because they have poor transport links and little in the way of good shopping/lifestyle areas.

I really like Killarney Heights but there is no way I would move there unless I could work from home more. This is the crux of Sydneys housing problems, it is all dependant upon good rail/bus/ferry links and they are all bursting at the seams. Of them all the ferries are the most reliable but that doesn't help you in Frenchs Forest, unless hubby uses a bike perhaps?

[Guest CaptainCook]

Hi Paddy

Thanks for that info, we are slowly realising it's going to be a toss up between the big house we were really looking forward to after living in a shoebox over here or not having a nighmare commute. Husband is a cyclist over here but when we were over there on our recce we couldn't find out much info about cycling so thought it might be because nobody was mad enough to cycle in the heat!

Emma

[Guest Prescotts]

Hi Emma

 

This is my first post on this site too - I live in Belrose which is next to Frenchs Forest. My husband & 3 sons emigrated here just over 5 years ago & love the place. Frenchs Forest/Belrose to the city is relatively easy - I did it for 2 years but depending on where in Frenchs Forest you are depends on which bus you can get. if you're down near Allambie you'll need the State Transit buses - the 136 goes to Chatswood where you can get a train directly into the city & would take about 45 mins in peak hour or if you are nearer Belrose/Frenchs Forest area like I am you can get a Forest Coachlines bus (which is a private bus co www.forestcoachlines.com.au) who have buses directly to the city every 10 mins in peak hour & they take about 35-40 mins

 

Going from Allambie to Manly on the bus would take quite a while Ithink & the ferry to the city is 35 mins on top of the bus trip. The ferry is a beautiful way to travel in the summer but in the winter it can be a bit rough and they can cancel them at the drop of a hat in stormy weather

 

With housing on the Northern beaches you need to remeber that the nearer the ocean, the bigger the price regardless of the sondition of the house. We've just bought our first house here since arriving having rented for almost 5 years & some of the places we saw in the time we were looking where absolute shockers and were really just land value - the best thing to do with the house on the block would have been to knock it down & start again but the prices of these could be anything from $650K upwards which is frightening

[Guest PaddyO]

Please bear in mind that Forest coaches is losing some of its routes and being replaced by State transport. Also ferry is 30 mins not 35 and the jetcat is only 15 mins. I have never had a ferry cancelled 'at the drop of a hat' yet, jetcat yes but ferry no. You get great value for your money in the Forest area, compared to the beaches anyway, but as previously posted its not the best for commute, however, compared to travelling into London every day its got to be better huh!!