Where is the Best Train Trip Within an Hour of the Sydney CBD

Where is the Best Train Trip Within an Hour of the Sydney CBD

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Posted 2015-04-30 by Gary Brownfollow
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Over the last ten years I have noticed that the traffic within Sydney and its surrounds has gotten to a point where I have to leave very early in the morning or between peak hours (used to be peak hour) to have what I would call an easy drive to get to my destination.

So it got me thinking, if you were an international, interstate or local visitor to Sydney, and you didn't want to go to the trouble of hiring a car for the day, and you were looking for somewhere to go that would be within an hour by train from Central Station in Sydney, where would be the best place to go?



Now this would depend on what you would like to do. Maybe you would like to go for a walk to stretch your legs, have a bite to eat or a coffee, go shopping, have a ferry ride, explore a few rock pools, walk along a beach or even possibly go for a swim or wet a line.



So what would be the best direction to go? North, South, East or West?

Sure you can catch a train north on the T1 North Shore and Northern Line from Central Station for an hour and get to Hornsby. Travelling east from Central Station you could get to Bondi Junction within 15 minutes. From here you would then need to either catch a bus to Bondi, which would take about 20 minutes, or walk downhill about 4 km to Bondi Beach.

Travelling west from Central Station for around an hour by train you get to Emu Plains. Travelling south for an hour by train from Central Station would get you to Cronulla.

It may seem biased, but I reckon the best train trip within an hour of Sydney would be to travel to Cronulla, as there are so many things to see and do while you are there.

Cronulla is situated on the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line and is right on the coast in the Sutherland Shire. For train timetables click here.

So what can you do once you have reached Cronulla?

The station at Cronulla is situated at the southern end of the Cronulla Mall and from here you could take a short walk through the mall and down to the beach and pick from anyone of the great cafes or restaurants that can be found here. Over the years I have dined at a number of cafes and restaurants and all of the ones that I have listed below I have dined at some time or another and the food has been great. So for more information just click on the cafe or restaurant that takes your fancy.


• Nulla Nulla Cafe
• Alley Break Cafe
• Zimzala
• The Old Library


• Little Italy Restaurant
• Northies Cronulla Hotel
• Sealevel Restaurant
• Fratelli Del Mare


• Hogs Breath Cafe
• Barefoot on the Beach
• North Cronulla Beach Kiosk


• South Beach Seafoods
• Club Cronulla
• So Fresh Juice Bar


If you are looking to stretch your legs and work off that meal you have enjoyed at one of the cafes or restaurants listed above you could go for a walk south along the esplanade at South Cronulla to Salmon Haul Bay and return. It will take you about 30 minutes each way and can be accessed easily by wheelchair. While walking along this coastal walk you will see surf board riders at Cronulla Point, Shark Island and Sandshoes. You may even take the time to have a fish along the way for bream, tailor, drummer and trevally. Check out my Weekend Notes article on Shelly Beach to South Cronulla Esplanade as it will give you a bit of an idea of what you will see along the way.

Taking the walk north towards Wanda and Greenhill beaches will not take as long (about 20 minutes each way), and here you will pass the famous surf clubs of Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda. If you keep an eye out you may see a few whales frolicking about in Bate Bay. If you are feeling really energetic you may like to take the walk along the beach out to Boat Harbour and back.

Now for the more adventurous, you might like to walk down to the wharf at the bottom of Gunnamatta Bay (5 mins from the station) and catch the ferry ride over to Bundeena and spend a few hours checking out the area. Or maybe you would like to take a 3 hour cruise on the Port Hacking River and discover in three hours what Bass and Flinders discovered in 3 days. Click here for more information on the Cronulla Ferries cruises and Bundeena timetable.

So once you have arrived at Bundeena, what is there to do? Maybe you would like to have a look at the shops and pick which one you would like to sit down and have a meal at, or you could get some take-away and go and sit down near the ferry wharf and look out for a few dolphins, sea turtles, large stingrays or maybe cast a line in.

Every first Sunday of the month the village of Bundeena & Maianbar holds The Art Trail and Bundeena Markets. This is an open day at many of the Studio/galleries around the area. It's a day when you can talk with the artists, see work in progress, take in the studio atmosphere or make a purchase. For more information about what there is to do at Bundeena you can read all about it on the article I put together for Weekend Notes called discover Bundeena – The jewel in the South.


Maybe you have somewhere else you think is the best train trip within an hour of the Sydney CBD? Share it with us by leaving a comment!

#attractions
#australian_restaurants
#bundeena
#cronulla
#family_attractions
#fun_things_to_do
#places_of_interest
#questions
#south_east
#sutherland_shire
#things_to_see
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#tourist_sites
#trains
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%wnsydney
164867 - 2023-06-15 00:36:28

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