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About This Blog

This blog is an individual production and not an official blog of Wollongong University.
This blog is a guide for new students to Transport to and from Wollongong University and university campus. New students can gain an insight into these aspects of university life.

Other forms of Transport

Bike spaces, bike rooms, change rooms and showers are available to students that ride their bike to university. This is a safe way to travel as the university has easy access for bikes and there are lots of bike spaces similar to the above picture around the university so there are always positions available to leave or lock up your bike.

Students that drive motorcycles or scooters have their own spaces for parking around the university. Permits are also available to all students that drive a motorcycle rather than just to staff.

UOW security

University of Wollongong prides itself on being a safe and secure place for all students and staff. This is why it's security is such an important aspect. UOW security deals with all issues to do with the security of students. New students if you have an issue with security report it to UOW security and they will work through the issue. Security phones are placed around campus and should be used only in an emergency. Security officers are available to students every day of the week. They patrol the university regularly on bikes, cars and on foot.UOW works with the NSW police force to maintain a secure and safe university for all students. Security Officers can contact the police in an emergency.

The UOW Security Office is located on Northfields Avenue, opposite the university. Students go here if they have a problem that is security related. There is also a security phone on the wall if needed.

UOW security also provides after dark safety escorts so you do not have to walk to your car alone at night. Students call the number on the sign and a security officer will be there shortly. Students should only use this service at night when walking to their car and they feel their safety is being threatened.

Wollongong University Campus

The University of Wollongong is renowned all over Australia for it's beautiful campus. With energy saving and recycling waste campaigns it is obvious that the university cares for the environment. Various ponds and sitting areas are situated all over campus so students can have a break or study outside.

The duck pond is a popular sitting area. It even has a small stage where bands or random musicians play to students while they eat lunch and socialize. This is also a smoking area so students can have a smoke while they take a break from studying.

Even just walking from building to building students have a view of small rock waterfalls and native flora and fauna. The walk bridge pictured here connects to building 69, there are a few more foot bridges placed around the university. UOW is proud of how much work has been put in to maintaining campus landscape.

Due to the university's maintenance of its landscape wildlife flourishes.

UOW Buses

Many students make use of the free buses available to and from Wollongong University. The Green Gong Shuttle Bus travels around Wollongong and Fairy Meadow in a cycle. These buses arrive at the university every 20 minutes during peak times. For students that want to travel to Wollongong this service is perfect.

The above picture of the Gong shuttle's route can be found at the university. New students living around Wollongong or travelling to Wollongong should check what station they need to depart the bus from.

Due to this free bus service many students are saved from the hassle of driving and instead catch a free bus. Students love this service not only is it free but its helping the environment by providing many people with this necessary service reducing traffic.

The Departs Station bus stop is located on Northfields Avenue. This is the university's main bus stop where buses like the Gong Free Shuttle bus and the North Gong Shuttle bus arrive and depart. Buses going to Campbelltown and Figtree also arrive and depart here. There are also bus timetables placed at every shelter detailing when the buses arrive and when they depart. On rainy days the bus shelters are very useful however there are only three which is a problem due to the amount of students and people that catch these buses. Some students like to park their car near a Gong Shuttle bus stop and catch the bus to university. This saves them on petrol and is an easy way to get to and from their car instead of parking at the university.

All buses have discounted prices for full time UOW students. The following bus services other than the free buses are available to students: Busways, Green Northern Coaches, Dions Bus Service, Premier Illawarra and City Rail. All of these services have separate websites where you can map your individual route to the university. All of the timetables are also available online. 

The Following are some links to these bus services and different timetables:

http://www.uow.edu.au/transport/otherbus/index.html

http://www.busways.com.au/

http://198.142.99.94/timetables/greens-route-2.pdf

http://www.dions.com.au/?/home/timetables

http://www.premierillawarra.com.au/timetables.html#How

http://www.cityrail.info/timetables/timetables_by_line.htm?line=sh&dir=4#landingPoint

http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@bg/documents/doc/uow076068.pdf

Parking at UOW

UOW has different ways available to pay for parking. One such way is having a UOW permit for parking. This is available to all staff working at the university, prices start from $300. Some students have UOW parking permits if they work at the university.

There are various parking stations around the university. Signs like the one above indicate when a car park is full or available to students. New students should take note of these signs when parking so they will know what parking is available to them. Signs similar  to this are also placed in the outside parking areas. Prices for parking start at $3.00 for four hours in the outside parking areas.

 For students that are at university all day the charge is $8.00, therefore a student who parks their car all day, five days a week will pay $40.00 a week! This is a considerable sum just to pay for parking.Students can pay heavy fines for not having a ticket or parking in the wrong place. These fines start at $80.00.  Parking Officers regularly check for tickets and will still give a fine if the ticket is unreadable or hidden.

Free carpooling at UOW is available to all students with three or more people in the car. This is a good way for students to save money, help the environment and keep traffic off the roads. For new students this is a perfect way for you to save money on parking. A quiet day for the carpooling car park is Friday so this is a good time to beat the rush and get a free park. The carpool car park is open at 7:30am and is available all day. Parking attendants are there to help and give you a ticket so you can leave when it suits you. You do not need to leave with three or more people this is only to get in. The university warns against students that pick up other students around the university to get a free park This is not allowed and if seen that student will be punished.

Due to the proximity of the library, student central and the Uni Shop, P1 is a very busy car park even on the weekend. New students avoid looking for a park at P1 due to the unlikeness of finding one unless it is very early in the morning.

Click on the following links for more information about parking at UOW
http://www.uow.edu.au/cgi-bin/parking/free-spaces
http://www.uow.edu.au/parking/index.html
http://www.uow.edu.au/parking/traffic/index.html
http://www.uow.edu.au/parking/restricted/index.html
http://www.uow.edu.au/parking/penalties/index.html

The Students Train Station

For new students traveling from Sydney or Nowra, North Wollongong train station is UOW's main station. It is the closest station to the university, with trains running up and down the South Coast line seven days a week. New students alight here to walk, ride or bus to the university. Most students after catching the train, like to hop on the free bus which takes them to university.This is perfect for students that are late to class or just don't want to walk. The walk to UOW is about 15 minutes. The peak times for North Wollongong train station are approximately 7:00am to 9:00am and 3:00pm to 5:00pm. For those students worried about costs all students receive a discount on train tickets which allow them to buy a student ticket. All you have to do is keep your student card with you at all times when traveling.
By train travel it takes about 90 minutes to get to Sutherland Shire and approximately 80 minutes to get to Nowra. Trains run every 20 minutes in peak times making it easier for students to get to university. All trains are wheel chair accessible to those with disabilities. Students that wish to catch the blue free bus to the university from the station should look up the bus timetable and confirm that a bus will arrive when your train arrives. After peak times the blue free bus does not arrive after every train arriving at the station. This is why it is important to look at the timetable.

Is the Wollongong University Carpool Threatening the Saftey of Students?

We have all been told of stranger danger, however would a student be more trusting to another student? The carpool at UOW has a rule of three or more people in a car to be allowed in the car park. This brings up the issue of people asking other students to take a ride in their car when they are near or in the universitry grounds to the carpool car park. New students be aware of these people. While this may seem like a good idea students can be heavily punished if caught.

The carpool was recently moved from the multi story car park to the Western. This makes it easier to access but also easier for people to sneak in using this technique to get a free park. There is also a new entrance at Robinson Road which is again an issue.

"Our policy is that students have to drive into the entrance of UOW with three or more people in their car to be able to get into the carpool. If this is not the case then action is taken against them" said Tony Figgieri, Car Park Manager "If we see this sort of behavior students will be punished usually with a ban for the rest of session."

Tony says the way they police this issue is if they see it with "the naked eye." "If a witness is to report something like this happening, we will tell that person that we have to see it ourselves due to the likeliness of false information. We have 24 hour surveillance on all the car parks which makes it easier to catch these students. Once caught we take their registration details and if they persist they go on a wanted list, this wanted list is then posted in all our parking offices including the carpooling one."

People from the wanted list sometimes continue to break the rules. " I have had instances where some people from the wanted list continue to try and park in the carpool or pick people up however only in extreme cases are the police called" said Tony.

Sites like carpoolworld.com are sponsored by the university to help students to find other students in their areas that they could carpool with to university. New students should be aware however that these sites are outside UOW control, therefore the university takes no responsibility.

New students here are some tips for you to avoid risking your safety:
1 make sure you walk with students/friends wherever possible
2 when using the carpool make sure you are entering the university with three or more people in the car
3 don't decide to pick up a friend or another student to get free parking while at the university
4 be aware of the cameras filming the car parks
5 abide by the rules of parking at the university
6 follow the signs and be aware of any changes to parking conditions
7 be careful when using the sites for carpooling

"My advice to new students would be to use the carpooling service because as long as you abide by the rules its a great advantage to you."said Tony. "I think that the UOW carpool has been successful because it limits traffic on the roads, provides 352 more parking spaces and has had good feedback from students and transport managers."

For more information please go to
http://www.carpoolworld.com/
http://www.uow.edu.au/parking/students/UOW002245.html
http://www.secureparking.com.au/

Public Transport or Car?

This is a very controversial issue for a lot of students at UOW, both sides of the argument have good and bad points. This is a summary of some of these points so you new students can decide for yourselves whether you think it is better to drive or take public transport. UOW does everything it can to encourage students to take public transport for example introducing three free buses and introducing campaigns for example: secure lockups, showers and lockers now available and UOW shuttle phone app and transport surveys. This is because UOW has very limited availability for parking. However for students travelling from a distance driving often seems like the better option.

"I live in Campbelltown and the bus timetables aren't very good as there are only three a day." said Josh Kitchen, a current student at UOW. "Due to this they are always really packed and since there are so many stops it turns a 40 minute trip into a 2 hour one"

Some bad points of driving to university include: the limited parking spaces, the cost of a parking ticket and having to move your car during the day to not incur a fine for staying there too long. 

"I'm at university all day, four days a week and to find a park is really hard. Mostly I park in the UOW car parking spaces however because they are only four hours, I have to move my car or buy another ticket." said James Vohradsky, current student at UOW.  "This gets really annoying because I can be late to my classes because of it. This is why I ride my bike. "

Here are some links to more information about public transport and driving to university
http://www.uow.edu.au/cgi-bin/parking/free-spaces
http://www.uow.edu.au/transport/index.html
http://twitter.com/

Free Buses!

So your probably all wondering what are the best buses to catch to and from university and just around Wollongong in general. Well let me tell you the three most popular buses for transport to university and around Wollongong are the three free buses of course! The 'Free Gong Shuttle Bus' is the green bus and travels to Wollongong University via the Hospital and Fairy Meadow stopping at different bus stops around Wollongong. The 'UOW North Gong Shuttle' travels to the North Wollongong train station then to UOW stopping at various stops around the university. The 'UOW Gwynneville Keiraville Shuttle' travels around the different UOW student housing areas in Gwynnvielle and Keiraville.
Depending on the way you look at it this can be a good and bad thing. Good because it's convenient for students and citizens and bad because they are so popular more buses are needed at peak times! No one wants to be the one left behind because the bus is too full. All these buses arrive at the Departs Station approximately every 20 minutes. For students that are travelling to university from a distance the 'North Gong Shuttle' is the perfect bus for you it arrives at North Wollongong station after the train so there's no need to walk! These buses run from 7:00am to 10:00pm every weekday. On weekends the 'Free Gong Shuttle Bus' runs from 8:00am to 6:00pm. The 'Free Gong Shuttle Bus' is also wheelchair accessible catering for disabilities.

For more information on the free buses here are some useful links
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/free-wollongong-bus-service-finally-arrives/1463150.aspx
http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@bg/documents/doc/uow072724.pdf
http://media.uow.edu.au/news/UOW052915.html
http://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@bg/documents/doc/uow075905.pdf