Coogee to Chatswood Commute
July 8, 2009 by Ye Hsia
I wake early for my daily commute. It’s a long journey from the Eastern suburbs to the North Shore. At the bus stop on Arden Street near Coogee Beach, I wait for the 08:10 372 bus. The express X74 zooms by, but unless I want to walk half a kilometre to the train station when I get into central Sydney, the normal 372 route suits my purposes much better. The breakfast stall near the bus stop does a brisk business in fresh juices, coffees and pastries as the rush hour starts to build. The beach is quiet and calm in the early mornings, glittering in the sunlight.
As the blue and white bus bumbles up to the stop, I insert my weekly travel pass into the ticket machine, which beeps importantly then spits it back out again. We drive uphill and past the suburb of Randwick and Kensington. Then it’s all systems go in the bus-only lane of Anzac Parade and into the city. The route to Central Station takes about half an hour, but if the traffic is bad (and it inevitably is) it can take me about forty minutes before I alight at Chalmers Street in Surry Hills.
A pedestrian subway leads me underground, into the main entrance of Central Station. It is a long walk, maybe five to ten minutes depending on what kind of shoes I’m wearing for the day, before I reach Central Station. Another swipe of my travel pass, and then I hop onto 08:50 yellow North Shore & Western line from Platform 16, towards Chatswood. The trains have spacious, generous carriages, with an upper and a lower deck, but even so, it is extremely crowded in the mornings and evenings.
The train trundles through Town Hall and Wynyard before bursting out into sunlight near Sydney Harbour. Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge is my favourite part of my commute. The reason why I generally choose a seat on the upper deck of the train is to drink in the splendid view of the Opera House, twinkling in the sun, off to the right. From there it is another six stops to Chatswood, past the bourgeois suburbs of Milson’s Point, North Sydney, Waverton, Wollstonecraft, St Leonards and Artamon. It takes me a full hour to get door-to-door on my daily commute but the view of the Harbour and the Opera House makes it all worthwhile!
Commuting by Ferry in Sydney
July 6, 2009 by Louis Ellis
If you live in or near one of the harbourside suburbs of the Australian city of Sydney, the most pleasant way of commuting to work in the Central Business District (CBD) is by ferry.
As the ferry approaches Circular Quay, be inspired by the majestic Sydney Harbour Bridge, the largest steel arch bridge in the world, and the iconic Sydney Opera House glistening in the sunshine.
Sydney Ferries operates a network of services across Sydney Harbour and down the Parramatta River. The main ferry terminus is at Circular Quay, from where you can either walk to your office or take a bus or train.
On some of the ferries, there is a cafeteria service, so that you can relax and enjoy a coffee and perhaps even your breakfast on the way to work.
Suburbs with quick and easy access to the CBD by ferry include Milsons Point, Kirribilli, Balmain East, Greenwich, Neutral Bay and Double Bay. From other suburbs, it is still possible to commute by ferry but it will take longer – the journey from Sydney Olympic Park to Circular Quay, for example, takes about 50 minutes.
There are regular services in the morning and evening commuting hours on all of the ferry routes, making it possible to commute from almost all of the 39 wharves serviced by Sydney Ferries. The only wharf from which it would not be possible to commute is Parramatta, since the first ferry from Parramatta does not arrive at Circular Quay until about 11am.
The most cost-effective way of commuting by ferry is to purchase a weekly, quarterly or annual TravelPass ticket. There are two types of TravelPass: one that allows you to travel on ferries, buses and trains and one that is valid for travel on ferries and buses only. A TravelPass ticket gives you unlimited travel within the colour-coded zone that you choose. Further information can be found on the sydneyferries.info website.
On a fine day, sit outside of the main cabin and enjoy the fresh air and the wonderful views of Sydney Harbour. A variety of scenes will enfold before your eyes – unspoiled countryside, small islands, the skyscrapers of North Sydney and the CBD, and perhaps a super-sized gleaming white cruise ship visiting Sydney for a day or two.
On your way home, the same views will look different in the twilight as the sun gently sets over Sydney Harbour. Your journey home will help you to put your working day into perspective.
