yep ill be going to USYD this year. which means that if i combine train time and walking time, itll take me around 1.5 hours to get there.. and another 1.5 hours to get back home
I did likewise for 6 years. You get used to it, the train is fine, when you're travelling around peak times there are soooo many people no-one could mug you even if they tried - they wouldn't be able to make a clear getaway. Its good if you get on early on the line cos then you'll always get a seat.
And there are always hundreds of other students walking to Redfern / getting the bus to central / town hall, so its would be very rare for you to be alone.
+ walking time = exercise (always good). You just need to be a bit more organised when you live far away, and bring notes / a good book to read on the train - laptops are hard if you dont have a seat!
In my experience, those who lived far away were on time a lot more than those who lived close by - because they had to be on time to get a park / get the train on time. If I turned up to my train station 15 mins late then I may as well have stayed home cos all the parking was full. Plus if I missed my train i was 1/2 hour late.