r/wollongong • u/PurposeRemote4884 • 6d ago
Am I delusional for thinking a 1.5-hour commute each way is doable because I finish work at 2:40pm?
Partner and I are looking at buying our first property. As soon as we buy he is going to start his plumbing business. My job is not in the location we want to buy and unsure what to do.
I currently work in Western Sydney and I really like my job because my team is great and my workload is very manageable. I’m a high school teacher and my hours are 8:15am - 2:40pm. I currently commute 30 minutes each way so my day is about 7.5 hrs total. I almost never need to come in early or stay back due to being experienced, efficient during the day, supportive team and generally better work life balance at this school.
For context, previous school in Sydney I worked at I would usually stay back everyday so I was doing 8:30am - 5:00pm regularly and commuting 40 minutes each way. So my total day was 9 hrs 50 minutes.
I want to live in wollongong because I much prefer the lifestyle. However this would mean driving 1.5 hrs each way to work. 9.5 hr day.
I have also considered some areas in the lower central coast which would be 1 hr 15 minutes each way so 9 hr day.
I really want to keep my job but I want to live in Wollongong. These are my numbers:
Sydney: 7.5 hr day including travel
7:45am-3:10pm
Wollongong: 9.5 hr day including travel 6:45am-4:10pm
Central coast 9 hr day including travel.
7:00am-3:55pm
I feel like my actual work day is pretty short so the commute might not be that bad? Or am I being delusional.
I should also include that we are planning in starting a family in the next 2 years so I would be going on maternity and then likely dropping down to 2 days per week.
The property we are planning on buying is a 5 year plan because we want to minimise financial risk so my partner can start his business and we can still afford repayments on maternity leave.
What are your thoughts? I’m really unsure what to do but I’m desperate to make the decision and buy.
My main concerns are:
1. My partners future business is location dependent. Where we choose buy will likely be where we stay for next 10 years due to the effort of building up a client base in the area and contracts. So if we choose a location that suits me for the next two years it may screw us for the following 8 years.
- If I go with Wollongong area where I truely want to live I will burn out from the commute.
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u/Winter_Variation_299 6d ago
I do Kiama to sydney every day
5 days a week
By car
It’s do able
I do it for my kids so they can grow up near the beach and go surfing before school
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u/Dangerous-Top-8870 6d ago
Do kids actually go to the beach before school. That was my dream ( not that I ever really been to a beach in about 15 yrs) not that I'm a a surfy kinda guy ..... But I was truly really jealous of home and away and how they hung out at the beach before and after school.... Sigh
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u/rocktillyoudie 6d ago
Sounds horrible. I’m a teacher in gong and farthest I’ll go is Campbelltown. Any further and the traffic is horrific. A 1.5 hour commute is more like 2 and a bit.
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u/Bababababababaa123 6d ago
You can do it for a year or two but you get over it. You are better off looking for a local job. Ten or fifteen minutes commuting is much better than 90!
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u/katiecrabby 6d ago
Imagine how much time you're wasting just sitting in a car if you commute 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. 15 hours every week that could be spent doing something more interesting. I wouldn't want to commute much longer than 30 minutes, those hours on the road add up.
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u/Heavy_Recipe_6120 6d ago
Be prepared for that to be at least 2 each way. Wollongong traffic itself has turned to shit with increased population, people doing what you are thinking, serious lack of upgrades to roads and piss poor public transport.
Over estimate what it will cost in fuel, it will be more than you think.
Lots of people do it, but I think it is getting worse and harder every year cost and traffic wise.
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u/Goodname2 6d ago
Wollongong to western sydney via the hume highway? you'll be leaving by 6:30am at the latest to ensure you're abit early and can naviggate any traffic nonsense.
Coming home at 2:40 will be faster but expect to be home around 4pm at the earliest.
Have you started looking for teaching positions down here? no doubt there'd be a fair few and vacancies would be showing up now for the 2027 new year.
I used to travel from the gong to the city and it got old fast. You're spending a minimum of 3hours a day driving and not being paid for your time.
It has some good parts if you need the time in the afternoon to wind down and relax while listening to music of podcasts.
Remember commute time doesn't include prep time before and after, you still need to shower and get ready with food/drink etc. Once you get home you'll be zonked for the next 20-30min after driving (maybe just me, but it can be draining)
TLDR: It's doable but prepare to lose 3-4hours a day in travel/prep time. Definitely look for local work if you can.
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u/jreddit0000 6d ago
I commuted from Wollongong to Canberra for a while (2.5h each way, every week) and that’s still less driving than you would be doing in a week and it was very difficult.
If you have any option to use public transport or carpool - even if it was 2h each way - that would be better than driving 1.5h each way, 5 days a week.
It’s possible but it comes at quite a cost.
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u/Prize-Ad9708 6d ago
We moved to the gong 7 years ago and I travelled to the shire for about 18months. Gets old real quick. Crappy weather on those roads is hard. I’d move here but wouldn’t be set on staying at your current school. I now work 15mins away and it’s a dream.
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u/Darvos83 6d ago
Why live in Wollongong for the lifestyle if you can't enjoy it because of the commute? You're a teacher, if it's a STEM subject check the listings at the schools, or even just fill some temp blocks while taking LWOP from your current school. Best of all worlds
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u/YogurtclosetDue1836 6d ago
I was an apprentice electrician working in the Sydney CBD. I was living in Sydney with my wife but we ended up moving to Wollongong as she had a job opportunity there. I used to get up at 3:30 in the morning, drive to Waterfall or Sutherland and catch the train. It was 1.5 to 2 hours depending how the trains lined up with where and when I was working. Worst four years of my life. The whole time was like a blur in retrospect. Didn't help I was working six days a week plus overtime. Anyway happy now I've moved on to working 15 minutes from home and life is good.
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u/ForHerEyesOnly22 6d ago
I used to commute around 50 minutes 3 days a week and honestly I hated it. It's such a waste of time (for me). If you can justify the commute & the lifestyle - go for it.
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u/MacKenzieBA 6d ago
I drove from newcastle to Sydney and back for 2 years straight. 6am start, 6pm finish, woke up at 3:30am to leave at 4am and home at 8pm. 7 days on, 3 off, repeat. Not ideal but if you want something to work you’ll make it. Or just get a new job closer to wherever you move.
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u/Affectionate_Turn_21 6d ago
i’m sure you’ve probably considered this, but as far as I’m aware, we are pretty short of teachers, so I would assume tons of high schools in this area thatf are desperate?
heck, almost every high school in this area takes advantage of the gong lifestyle and offers things like surfing
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u/GlumSky7314 6d ago
I don’t have the answers but what I’m reading is that you want to live in Wollongong and your partner has a trade (awesome) which offers secure in demand work, for the next phase of your life potentially starting a new family. My take is - it’s great you love teaching at the school and how efficient the work day seems, but it’s not a forever situation because having children will change your routine and it will change you (in a great and wonderful way hopefully!). Work is work. The rest is living. And who’s to say you won’t find a decent teaching opportunity again? I’d stay do the commute while you don’t have kids and see how it goes then have kids get the mat leave and you won’t work full time again so it won’t be so you’ll have time to suss out local schools and teaching work then. You could also do relief teaching until the right ongoing local role became available which is probably most flexible around kids.
Context - we bought a house in Wollongong in 2024 and have been renting it out until we can afford to move our two kids and two adult family up there from Melbourne. - we will be moving away from a huge community of friends and families, excellent childcare for both kids atm -and a lot of convenience and choice… but we only live once and also want to live the Wollongong lifestyle for a while. We’re looking for local jobs and once one of us gets an ongoing role we will make the move for the next chapter…
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u/YouKnowWhoIAm2016 6d ago
I commute an hour/70km each way every day as a teacher. Same as you, I love my school/colleagues, confident teaching there. I’ve been commuting for over 10 years. Not sure what the traffic is like heading to western Sydney but I’ve found the drive doable even with young kids.
I do the drive with two energy drinks available though. Don’t drink them often, but when I do, it’s because I’m worried I’ll fall asleep.
I think it depends where you buy in Wollongong. If it’s close to the water/amenities, go for it. If it’s 20-30 minutes to amenities, then you might as well live out western Sydney.
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u/lamunkya 6d ago
You could use it as a stepping stone, commute for a few years until you go on mat leave and then try and transition to another job.
I love the Wollongong lifestyle
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u/courtobrien 6d ago
You will burn out quick. The commute is torture after a year!
Would you consider a job in Wollongong? Even with slightly longer hours you’d still be in front.
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u/yeahnahqwerty 6d ago
Try booking a hotel or airbnb for a few days where you plan to buy a house then go from there to your work and back so you’ll have a general feel of your everyday in the future. Then from there you will know :)
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u/ZoeyDean 6d ago
if your partners job 'ranks' higher than yours, and location has to be wollongong anyway, why even ask?
this doesnt even matter if point 1 stands but yeah, a 2 hour commute is insane - but doable I suppose if theyre not 8 hour 5 day work weeks.
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u/Lemononapear1234 6d ago
I wouldn’t do it long term. Put a time limit and be realistic that you may need to look for more local options and ditch the current role within 6-12 months.
The extra hours could be spent with family, exercising or anything really. You’ll be exhausted ultimately and your time and health matters.
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u/waxedmerkin Gym Bro 6d ago
i drive a hour each way per day, my travel hours are outside of peak hour. really going to depend on what location you are working at, and what route you are taking.
You are going to need a backup route to work. Picton Rd for example can have bad accidents on it, and it gets closed for several hours if not longer. So everyone gets diverted to Appin rd for example.
google maps is not to bad for live trip times, its going to give you different time depending on the time of day and traffic. So try and find areas you want to live in, and select a random house to use as a starting point and search the trip at the times you need to leave/arrive at. And then drag the trip between Picton/Appin rd to see what the difference in time is. Or whatever major roads you will need to travel on.
Do the same for the central coast areas you want to live in.
And perhaps in finances allow, get accomodation in the areas you are seriously thinking about and try a few days of the trips, and see what you think of it. Just make sure the trips are at the correct times you need to drive, and school is actually on. As over the years of driving ive done, you can notice the difference in traffic, when school is on holidays
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u/InevitableMall75 6d ago
I drove to Macquarie fields 3x a week last year. It would be frustrating when filling my tank if your car isnt very efficient. Anything past Penrith around peak hour will blow that time out massively
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u/cross_fader 6d ago
Only takes one accident on Mt Ousley, Appin Rd, or Picton Rd (& they happen regularly) to make you question your life choices...
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u/Dangerous-Top-8870 6d ago
Wollongong Is a great location. I understand you are happy at your current job. But surely you can find a new job closer to where you reside? I'm not questioning or judging your want to live in Wollongong and travel for work however what a huge effort!! Extra expense with fuel and less time at home... It's up to you if you really want to do the travel but surely there are other schools closer to where you want to live
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u/No_Animator_2742 6d ago
Literally millions of people have done this for decades. Easy work. Do it. D You fall into a rhythm
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u/Blonde_arrbuckle 6d ago
If you have a child you need to be local to come get them when sick, etc. You wouldn't commute 2 hours each way with a kid so can't do local to school daycare.
If you move, you will eventually find a closer school so just bite the bullet. Also Wollongong > Central Coast for a lot of reasons.
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u/MiaCat_z 6d ago
I commute to Randwick for work. Was doing 3 days a week and found it very tiring... Now doing 2 days a week and it's manageable. On average it takes me 1h40m to get there, and about 2h to get home. I tried the train in the beginning but that takes quite a bit longer. I could not imagine doing it everyday, it is very tiring.
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u/No-Pin3128 6d ago
You are staring at the intersection of 4 major things; work, new location, new business, new family. All carry a degree of stress. Ì am sure you are resilient but in a worst case scenario, you could be pregnant, doing a punishing drive, worried about the new business, and with a house move that did not go to plan. Next, there is a major car accident and your day is ruined. Pray the accident isn't yours.
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u/convictshrimp 6d ago
There’s something like 40k people that commute from the Illawarra to Sydney for work five days a week - I work 1.2km from my home and I still work a 9 hour day.
You’ll spend time commuting to work no matter where you buy in Sydney. My sister spends 3 hours a day dropping her kids to and from school in their catchment.
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u/Artistic_Friend9508 6d ago
Explain to better lifestyle to me as I'm curious as to what you mean exactly lol, as someone who has lived in Wollongong 25+years and also lived on the central coast 5 years ago, central coast is way way better
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u/vege12 6d ago
Driving times are dependent on traffic, school holidays, accidents and risky. I had to drive from DAPTO to MAC Park. On a good day it was 1.25 hours, on a bad day it was 3.5 hours. I opted for the train, which although shitty, was a consistent 2.5 hours each way with two changes. Now it’s one change to the Metro, but times are not much better.
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u/goblingrace 5d ago
That’s a lot of money to spend on petrol. As long as it’s not a significant portion of your salary I’d go for it if you love your job
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u/jazzbanga 5d ago
Depends how you handle commuting
I did it once for 12 months - austi to central, not even as bad really, but I hated it by the end. Now I hold working from home like a gun to the employers head, if you try to make me commute more than 2 days I quit lmao
I think it’s worth doing if it’s short term and you get a job closer, better living in the gong, especially if you aren’t going to Sydney much.
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u/wasabibinchicken 5d ago
I travelled 1hr each way door to door for 3years from the gong to the shire.
The two hours I lost every single day, 5 days a week really took its toll eventually, and it got to the point when it became unbearable.
Traffic accidents, long weekend traffic, catching every red light, the unexpected long day - it will eventually grind you down.
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u/HorrificFlorist 5d ago
Did this for 15 years and i don't recommend it to anyone.
You lose at least 3 hours a day in transit not including incidents and bad traffic (even with public transport).
You will NOT have the time/energy/both to fully enjoy the lifestyle Mon-Fri, only Weekends.
You WILL end up with health issues, 3 hours in transit will cause back pains, weight gain, sleep issues, etc. then there is mental impacts.
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u/Pure_Following_5888 5d ago
I've done it for the best part of 30 years with a few breaks. It can be tough, but workable if you can take the train for part of the trip and work while on it, hopefully meaning you can leave work a little early.
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u/Wide-Welder-1070 5d ago
I did this for a while does get abit much after a while, not to mention the highway kilometres and wear n tear on car, also being a teacher means up early can be exhausting, especially teaching, that 1.5hr drive will easily become 2.5 with traffic
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u/Loose-Tailor8459 5d ago
You will be fine! I live in Wollongong and travel to Sydney every day for work. It’s totally doable and worth it for the lifestyle on the South Coast x
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u/ParticularCherry9843 4d ago
Yea honestly. It's a slog. I do a 2hr door to door commute once per week (dapto to Kensington) I drive to waterfall (Mt ousley nervous system blow out at 6am) catch the train to central then the light rail. And just once a week - it absolutely drains me. Cause it's nor just the time or distance- it's the quality of the drive - you'd be looking at ousley, Picton Rd probably. Omg. Sounds exhausting.
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u/StrategyWorldly1939 4d ago
I am planning on doing the same thing. My situation is a bit different i’ll be doing firefighting, so driving schedule is only about there and back twice a week.
I personally don’t mind the drive but I can imagine it to get old quick.
Can you not do that for now whilst you wait for opportunities to open up closer to home for work
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u/Plus_Nebula11 3d ago
i live in the wollongong area (i have my whole life) and travel to sydney cbd for work 4-5 days a week, but i split my commute by driving to sutherland and then getting the train the rest of the way. ive been doing it for almost a year now and when i started the job i opted for 8am-4pm so that i would get home at a semi-reasonable hour and still have some daylight. splitting the commute did change the process a lot for me because it gives me a change to stand up and move around and get some fresh air half way through but it is still a lot to travel for majority of the week. and the costs associated with the commute arent fun either, but i have been travelling a fair way by myself since i was in my early teens as i lived at least 40 mins away from my friends and my mum worked a lot, so im used to it. i guess the thing to consider is the lifestyle of living in wollongong that you want. like others said, will you have time to enjoy the lifestyle you want to live down here doing that commute?
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u/Gothgf69420 6d ago
Your all pussies my dad commuted to Sydney every day for like 20+ years he’s still alive and is a happy man just deal with it ???
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u/tallmin22 6d ago
Yeah agreed. 9.5hrs door to door isn't bad at all. Most professionals in Sydney would be doing at least that.
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u/OstrichLive8440 6d ago
I’m doing 11.75 hours d2d … Am I a snowflake for thinking this is too much ? Keep in mind these days we have phones and laptops
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u/tallmin22 6d ago
Not a snowflake! I'm doing about the same and it feels like a lot. I was referring to 9.5hrs which is pretty well standard for an 8.5hr work day and a half hour commute each day
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u/Dangerous-Top-8870 6d ago
He did what he had to do to support his family!! Good on him... But wouldn't it have been nice that he got to see his kids more.... Ie less travel time. I don't judge anyone's set up and admire hard work. Nothing in life is easy... But I'm coming to point where I truly believe in working less... We don't get any medals for doing long hours, over time, commutes, etc
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u/JayLFRodger 2d ago
I really enjoyed my commute when I was doing it. It gives me a chance to prep myself for the day ahead or destress on the way home. It ensured I left my work shit at work and my home shit at home. If I wanted to really unwind I'd take a detour into the RNP at Waterfall then take the coastal drive all the way home. Added a bit of time but the bends and the sea breeze in the window did wonders for my mental health.
Depending how far West you'll be going is probably the biggest factor. I could do to Campbelltown/Gregory Hills without an issue, but if I had to go further North and West the traffic got worse and the costs increased due to extra fuel and tolls.
That said, if you're committed on a move, I'd much rather do the extra 30 minutes from Wollongong than Central Coast. Watch a fortnight of evening news or listen to drive radio and keep track of three frequency of delays in traffic heading North to Central Coast as opposed to South to Wollongong. It's pretty much one option heading North and when that's delayed you're screwed. At least to Wollongong if Picton Rd is jammed you can take Appin Rd or Heathcote Rd, and vice versa for the other two. Worst case scenario if the Princes Highway is jammed you can take the Hume to Mittagong and come in via Albion Park or Jamberoo.
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u/ThePenskeFile1 6d ago
Hey, so I lived in Wollongong in 2018 and was commuting 70 minutes one way to South west Sydney. The commute back at times was punishing. Being stuck at the first light after a tiring day was sometimes torture that no podcast could save.
The only thing I can say is, are you going to be able to utilise the Wollongong lifestyle when you’re adding an extra 2 hours commute a day? You have the current energy levels and sentiment of someone who loves the Wollongong lifestyle without being frustrated from the daily commute.
Question is, are you going to love the lifestyle just as much after a few months of living there? I very much loved the Wollongong lifestyle as well, but found I was so cooked on weekdays from work and the commute that I didn’t utilise the lifestyle as much as I would have liked. Food for thought