[NSW]Castle Hill....OK??

Hi all,

Me & my partner's considering castle hill for our coming house purchase. Both of us worked in the city and been living at places near to train station pretty much of the whole time since we migrated to Sydney.

So what i need to sort out is, can we deal with the buses? And if its a good area to buy/live/good future growth??

Transport might be our first concern, so for any one of you guys that lived in CH and took bus to city daily, i would appreciate abit of feedback on this.

Regards,
Ryan
 
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Should be Ok

I know quite a few people who lives in Castle Hill and catches the express bus into city for work. It takes them around 1 hour in the morning and it goes through M2. I have also know people who drive to West Pennant Hill station and catches the train into city.

Seems to be a nice place to live and if the government can eventually build the train line all the way out there, there should be much growth in the future.
 
So what i need to sort out is, can we deal with the buses?

Get up early one morning, drive out to Castle Hill, park in a side street and catch the bus to and from the city and see if you like it.

I did this for 3 months last year; cost is about $50 for a weekly ticket, and I got to snooze on the bus and catch up on some sleep. :cool: As r2d2 said, takes about an hour or so. Sometimes 90 minutes on a bad day.

And if its a good area to buy/live/good future growth??
Depends on what you're after. If your friends/social circle is in the city, then Castle Hill will be too far away to catch up. It *is* 35km or so from town. :/

I think it's a great area to live in. I live in Castle Hill, but I rent. Especially great for families.

Transport might be our first concern, so for any one of you guys that lived in CH and took trains to city daily, i would appreciate abit of feedback on this.
You wouldn't catch the train. You'd catch the bus. The closest train stations are Pennant Hills or Westmead.
 
Thanks for all replies.

mja: Does this mean that the bus time can vary? Your 1hr trip starts from which part of Castle Hill if you don't mind me asking? The closest bus stop to the property we are looking at, is at the tafe. Will the bus be always packed? I hope there's at least a few seats, otherwise 1 hrs of standing on bus ain't fun....
 
Thanks for all replies.

mja: Does this mean that the bus time can vary? Your 1hr trip starts from which part of Castle Hill if you don't mind me asking? The closest bus stop to the property we are looking at, is at the tafe. Will the bus be always packed? I hope there's at least a few seats, otherwise 1 hrs of standing on bus ain't fun....

Depends on where you catch the bus. Some buses can be more packed than others. Try it out! There isn't just one bus - check out timetables at:

http://www.yourbus.com.au/HillsBus-Maps.html

You want "Hills District to City" timetables and maps.
 
We used to live near Castle Hill a few years back.
As long as you're not travelling along School times (from about 7.30) you should be right, the earlier the less packed the buses are really.
Although, personally i don't like the roads, the area is pretty good though.
 
Did the Hills - City run for about 7 years prior to lane cove tunnel.

It was very frustrating and inconsitent. Arrival times could vary by up to 40 minutes. Not always a seat and if trying to get home late after a few drinks buses were limited.

Now work locally and I'll never go back to this madness.

As MJA suggests do the run for a week.
 
Hi Ryan, I have been living in Castle Hill since I was 9. Am now 26. If you want to use the trains, the closest would be Pennant Hills. Parking suck at Pennant Hills and good luck trying to get there on time in peak morning traffic. Beecroft and Cheltenham stations are further out but there are usually parking, especially Cheltenham. There are lots of buses going to CBD. Takes about 1 hour during peak hour traffic. Cost $6.2 per way and you are very lucky if you get a seat. Castle Hill is a large area. Where abouts do you plan to buy? Buses from CBD to Castle Towers operate until midnight. However, if you live near David Road (like I do), the last bus is around 8pm. By the way, the last bus from Pennant Hills station to Castle Hill finishes at about 7 or 8pm. Taxi from PH station back to David Rd is roughly 15 bucks. Houses near David Road side of CH is newer & bigger, on a average block of 780sqm. You'd find bigger blocks near Castle Towers side but houses are around 30 to 40 years old. I personally think the Towers side is better value - cheaper, more buses and usually on bigger blocks. Let me know if you have further questions. /Pat
 
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Ahh memories.... took about an hour 10-15 years ago driving to Beecroft/Chelt and getting train into Central station. So nothings much changed... which is good. The commute is a pain but the flipside is live closer to the city but pay twice the price for a property which means you have to work harder and longer to pay the mortgage. Us humans are a funny breed...
 
mja: From the directions given by cityrail.info, the best and quickest is 610x express and my wife hate to take multiple bus each day to work...

Lil Skater: The place i'm looking is at East Exclesior area (Drayton Ave), which is near the tafe and near to Baukham hill already. If taking the 610x express, it will go down towards m2 after baukham hill. Surely the students that's travelling on bus, ain't heading towards the city ya? From what i gather from you guys, it seems like it might be packed up till Baukham hill and will free up after. Is that fair to say that?

twobobsworth: Arrival time vary by 40mins?? Serious? I woulda thought the timetable of the bus has more or less estimated the amount of traffic on road...??

Pat82: The location of the property's mentioned above (East Excelsior side) which will be on its way out of castle hill region. Looks like there's virtually no seats by then. $6.2's hardcore....:(
 
That's not true...just work smarter.

The commute is a pain but the flipside is live closer to the city but pay twice the price for a property which means you have to work harder and longer to pay the mortgage. Us humans are a funny breed...

It never fails to amaze what people are willing to go through to get to a job.
 
There was a four corners episode a few weeks ago about public transport to this exact area.

It is worth watching, they probably still have it up on their website.
 
Been in Castle Hill for 2 years. Absolutely love the area. With 2 kids it's awesome.

Plenty of parks, schools and shopping :D

Downside is transport. I spend 10hrs a week commuting but the nice house and yard the family enjoys more than compensate for this daily grind of traveling.
 
Just found the 4 corner program.......f**k me dead :( If my wife's not working in the city (i do shift work and get to park in city), then its fine.....

Looks like not going ahead with castle hill now :( so emo now :(
 
Just found the 4 corner program.......f**k me dead :( If my wife's not working in the city (i do shift work and get to park in city), then its fine.....

Looks like not going ahead with castle hill now :( so emo now :(

If it's worth anything, I think Castle Hill is a beautiful area to live and bring up a family. Great schools around there, and a pretty decent community.

It's just the commute to the CBD which is painful
 
If it's worth anything, I think Castle Hill is a beautiful area to live and bring up a family. Great schools around there, and a pretty decent community.

It's just the commute to the CBD which is painful

No doubt about that statement ;) Unfortunately, we both work in the city :(
 
Castle Hill

Hi

Have you considered Pennant Hills? The train goes direct to Epping via Chatswood to the city...check it out.
 
I live very close to where you are looking. My closest 610X bus stop is also the one opposite the TAFE. I don't catch the bus, I drive elsewhere to work, but when I go past that stop, I do believe that an empty 610X comes out of Edward St and first stop at the TAFE there, so plenty of seats.

I think this is done because they realise that all the ones leaving from the Towers are full first stop.

Could also get the express bus to Parra station (10 - 15 mins) then express train to city .......
 
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