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Wednesday, October 22. 2008So Why Picton?Comments
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Hi there,
Just stumbled across your blog while googling "Picton commute". Great information! We are in the process of doing exactly the same as you have done - we've looked north, south and west (east was never going to be an option) but still haven't found what we're looking for. We've visited Picton about three times now and it's top of the list, but I've been worried by the daily commute to the city. How are you finding the travel? Great read - thanks for sharing. Deborah
Hi Deborah, glad the post was of help in your research!
We've ended up liking it so much that have now committed to buy 5 acres on Razorback, which is just north of Picton. Picton itself is really great but even 1 acre lots are hard to come by and cost more than 5 acres on Razorback, so we've picked a lot with great views and intend to build. If you do just want to buy a house there's plenty to choose from and still crazy cheap compared to Sydney. The commute is fine, my work has changed and I now am at Parramatta, but this is a similar distance to the CBD with less useful trains and it's still bearable. Just understand when the trains go as it's not very often! I've been fortunate enough to negotiate 4 day weeks with my employer which means I do the trip one less day a week and also work on the train. Driving is fast until you hit the M7 junction then it's as bad as anywhere else in Sydney. I usually drive to Leumeah where there is heaps of parking and way more trains, plus that means there's one less connection to make. We've made lots of local friends in our year here so far and are now bumping into people in the main street as we go about our business. Very friendly people. So in short - do it. Well worth it and in our humble opinions a far superior way of life. Once we have our build of the way anyway!
Thanks so much for the info Tim - all very good to know.
I would love to live in a place where people say hi in the main street! We haven't really experienced that at all since moving to Sydney five years ago. We're currently about 28kms north in deepest suburbia - and it already takes me 55 mins on the train, so an extra half hour or so doesn't sound too bad. I'll definitely check out those Leumeah trains. I was thinking Macarthur might be the way to go, so hadn't really looked at the other stations. The five acre block sounds spectacular. Very exciting to be building your own place too. Good luck with that! I think our next move is to check out the schools - we have two children at high school and one in year five. Do you know anyone whose kids go to Picton High? I've heard good things about Camden, but they are pretty strict about the catchment areas so Picton is the more likely option. So many decisions! Exciting ones though.
Macarthur and Campbelltown are both closer to Picton when driving, but neither have adequate commuter parking. Leumeah has massive carparks so that's where most people go.
There is talk of building a carpark at Macarthur but that's just talk right now. A drive to Leumeah then a train to the city is probably 1hr15mins total, so I agree - it compares very favourably with a long commute from outer suburbs given the quality of life is so much higher (in my humble opinion anyway). Our little one is only 2 so we have been focusing on primary schools, and all get a very good wrap. All I know about the high schools is that Picton seems to produce some good achievements, and most people who were brought up in Picton or surrounds went there, and they're certainly nice enough to deal with. The hardest decision was the first - to actually make the move out. That's why we kept our Sydney house and are renting it out while we have rented for a year in Picton to make sure it is for us. Given the prices, now that we've bought land and are building, we're able to keep the modest Sydney house as an investment AND have another, which there's no way we could have managed upgrading in Sydney. |
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(Continued from So Why Picton?) Once we'd decided Picton may be worth a try, we set to viewing some houses. There's quite a variety in the town, from 1860s weatherboard places with lots of charm, central, even cheap, but not really what we are looking
Tracked: Nov 19, 11:54
My parents will be quick to tell you that as a teenager I was one to spend 10-15 minutes in the shower without much thought. Why not? There's plenty of water, and power to heat it, and besides I had more important things to do like adolescence and general
Tracked: Jun 14, 00:31