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Commuter convenience: Broadmeadow, Hexham, Kooragang, Wallsend, Sandgate, Shortland, Birmingham Gardens, Callaghan.
Given the compact and convenient nature of the city, one of the great things about living in Newcastle is the commute – or lack thereof.
In fact, Newcastle boasts an average commute time of just 15 minutes, meaning your work-life balance just tipped a little in favour of the latter.
The thought of walking in the front door less than half an hour after leaving the office is more than an enticing proposition for anyone who has tried to take on peak hour traffic in any metropolitan centre.
With the CBD connected to the convenience of the Newcastle Interchange and reliable public transport links throughout the city, you can even leave the car at home.
Even better, imagine eschewing the car and public transport altogether, in favour of a leisurely stroll or bike ride into your inner-city workplace – which is exactly what you can do if you call one of the suburbs surrounding the CBD, such as Hamilton or the Junction, home.
Completed in 2019, the Light Rail operates from the Newcastle Interchange to Newcastle Beach in the East End.
Running frequently through the heart of Newcastle, the convenient service connects key CBD precincts via six stops – Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Civic, Crown Street, Queens Wharf and Newcastle Beach and is the perfect way to get around the city, whether at work or at play.
City of Newcastle is also committed to ensuring residents across the LGA can get around as easily as possible as well as planning for future population growth, allocating, in the 2024/25 financial year, for example, over $22 million for the renewal and delivery of new roads, bridges and footpaths.
If your work journey takes you a little further afield, to the Central Coast, the Hunter Valley or Sydney, for example, there are many Newcastle suburbs that make an ideal choice for a convenient commute.
Given their proximity to the Central Coast-Newcastle train line, the suburbs of Hamilton and Broadmeadow are ideal choices for those looking for a convenient starting point for the daily commute to Sydney or the Central Coast, with commute times of just over an hour from Broadmeadow to Gosford or just over two hours from Hamilton to Sydney’s Central Station.
Similarly, Hamilton, Waratah, Warabrook, and Sandgate are perfect for a quick commute to Maitland and further into the Hunter Valley.
If you prefer to get behind the wheel for your daily commute, Wallsend and Birmingham Gardens’ proximity to the Newcastle Link Road, which is a part of the A15 route that links Newcastle to the Pacific Motorway, and Hunter Expressway, means you can hit the road in Newcastle and be in Sydney in just under two hours or in the heart of wine country in under an hour.
Striking that agreeable work/life balance is just as achievable in Newcastle’s outer lying suburbs as it is in the inner-city with a number of employment precincts located nearby such as Callaghan, Warabrook and Jesmond, which are close to the Calvary Mater Hospital and the University of Newcastle.
If you are looking to study at the University of Newcastle, there are plenty of living options that are both close to work and play.
If your studies are centred around the University’s main Callaghan Campus, there are plenty of living options just minutes from the lecture theatre such as Callaghan, Warabrook, Birmingham Gardens and Jesmond.
Newcastle West, Newcastle East, The Junction or Hamilton meanwhile, are the perfect places for students at the Newcastle City Campus who don’t want to take their finger off the pulse of a vibrant inner-city lifestyle.
For more information about the suburb that’s right for you, check out the City of Newcastle Community Profile or the Newcastle Social Atlas.
