My DH commutes to the city from Gosford every day. It's about 1 3/4 hours door to door each way. It's ok in the mornings - although he doesn't help get the boys ready. It can be hard at night- some nights(2-3 times per week) it's 7.45pm by the time he gets home but usually it's 7pm. I have to do the dinner/bath arsenic hour by myself and sometimes he doesn't get to see the boys at all before they go to bed.

But for us it's our normal, he has always commuted and we just make do!