As a study abroad student, you are most likely going to have two options for getting around: walking and public transport. Luckily, in Sydney, many people use public transport on a daily basis. I feel like everybody in Southern California has become so accustomed to having their own car that anything about public transport or walking more than ten minutes is foreign to them (I was included in this generalization). However, after being in Sydney I have been walking as long as 20 minutes to get to one place, such as the grocery store, and I walk all the way back carrying my groceries! At first, this was a difficult adjustment for me, but now I have become adapted to walking to where I need to go. However, if you need to get to a place that is further away, public transport is a nice option.
The Sydney bus and train system is very easy to figure out and utilize. The first time I used the bus was when I went to Coogee Beach, however, I just bought a one-time use return ticket for $4.20.
I have now learned that with concession you can buy a Travel10 bus pass for ten rides for only $8.00! This bus pass has been such a wonderful investment and I always have one in my wallet, just in case I need to catch a bus in a hurry or for a spur of the moment adventure. I really like the bus system and prefer riding the bus over the train, but if you are on a really long trek…the train can be useful. For example, for my photography class I had to pick up my camera from Campbelltown, and Campbelltown is about an hour and a half train ride away from Sydney. In this case, the train was a more practical choice for my transportation.
How do you navigate the bus and train system? How do you know what times the bus comes or which bus to get on? These are all the questions I was asking when I first started using public transportation in Sydney. First of all, you can view the bus schedule at any bus stop. It will have the bus number and the arrival times. I have found a useful resource called “131500 Trip Planner” online. Check it out
here. You simply type in where you want to go and it tells you the fastest way to get there by bus or train or a combination of both. Also, at home I consistently use Mapquest. The Australia equivalent of Mapquest is
Whereis. I have also found this website helpful to get a map view of where things are.
I hope this post is helpful in easing your fears about using public transport in Sydney. Also, once you get used to it, it is a wonderful resource! You will open up so many possibilities and be able to go pretty much anywhere!
