Where to buy in the Hills?

[LandEstateRevie]

my hubby is doing training in the city at the moment, commuting from Baulkham Hills. He can walk to the bus stop (10 minutes), so there is no issue with parking, and he needs to be in the city by 9am. He is leaving home at 7.30am and getting in with plenty of time. On the first day, the bus was in the city in just over 30 minutes, which was very surprising!
I think the trip home is taking longer, but still only around 1 hr.
He is able to leave much later to get the bus to the city than he does to drive to Chatswood.
In terms of the Hills, I would still buy in Baulkham Hills over Seven Hills for a PPOR any day, even though there is no train. I think its a much nicer area.
With Carlingford and North Rocks, you need to check the drive to get onto the M2. Pennant Hills Rd can be a nightmare, and it may take you longer to get onto the M2 than it does to drive the extra distance on the M2. and if you use Epping Rd instead, from Carlingford you have to cross the Epping railway bridge, which can take forever.
and of course, you can do what most of us do and shift workplaces to somewhere local. There are so many companies in Norwest Business Park that it should be possible to find something local!
cheers
Pen

never trust cityrail. the best tip ever given

 

[bare_essentials]

I'm from cherrybrook and have lived and grown up in the hills all my life. I abolutely love it here. Whilst yes it is a pain to commute to the city etc it is really not as bad as people make it out to me.

It does take anywhere from 55mins+ by train because you need to drive to the station and then catch a train. The train trip from Pennant hills is 55mins. So many people seem insistent on doing that and I dont understand why. Personally i'd take the bus. Especially now with the bus only lanes on the M2 and in the city, depending on what time you leave, you can be in the city in 30mins without the headache of driving in traffic and the longer commute. Yes coming home it does take an hour. I am not sure why but there is always more traffic heading home compared to the morning regardless of what time you leave.

Personally i'd avoid seven hills for a PPOR if your not planning on making it into an investment. Seven Hills doesnt fall under the hills by the way even though it has hills in its name. It's actually part of the North-West/West region.Baulkham Hills is a much nicer area. Even better is Castle Hill, Bella Vista, West pennant hills, Kellyville, Beecroft & Cherrybrook.

I would not reccomend Carlingford or North Rocks as it is a nightmare to get to Epping or Parra from there. Traffic is horrendous regardless of which direction you take. Similarly from Parklea right through to Parramatta on Old Windsor Road is just horrible to get anywhere to during peak hour.

The problem with the government we have is that absolutely no infrastructure planning has been put into place. They keep propping up the south west side of Sydney as that is where majority of their voters and seats lie. The hills area tends to be more primarily liberal oriented so they dont bother with our end and therefore as each year goes it gets worse and worse. Yet to live, it is one of the nicest areas in Sydney as far as I'm concerned. I dont mind if people want to go live close to the city, Mosman etc in their units. I would rather have the land here where I can still be a part of the hustle and bustle city life when i want but in the same token have my retreat here.

 

[dajackal]

Say you live in either Winston Hills or Northmead, can you drive to and park nearby to one of the M2 bus stops?

For instance, I saw a carpark for commuters in North Rocks on Barclay Rd.
Or if you live in Winston Hills you might be in walking distance to the M2.

Can you save alot of travelling time this way?

 

[pennyk]

Say you live in either Winston Hills or Northmead, can you drive to and park nearby to one of the M2 bus stops?

For instance, I saw a carpark for commuters in North Rocks on Barclay Rd.
Or if you live in Winston Hills you might be in walking distance to the M2.

Can you save alot of travelling time this way?

It would depend upon which end of both suburbs you were in... northmead may be closer to westmead station, and Winston HIlls may be closer to toongabbie or seven hills.
Most of the Nth Baulkham Hills area is a short walk to the M2 bus, so you wouldn't need to park.
Another option which would be interesting to consider is that in North BH and Nth Rocks, you can catch a bus from Blacktown which goes to Macquarie Centre, and from there you can catch a train, I guess City via Chatswood. I have no idea how long that would take... but its another public transport option!
Pen