A fixed price, published before you book, for the 111 km run from Hill Top to the Sydney cruise terminals — Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay and White Bay. No deposit, and you pay the driver after drop-off.
One-way fare. Tolls, fuel and GST included. No deposit — you pay the driver after drop-off. Pickups before 6am +$20, after 8pm +$10, after 10pm +$20.
A private transfer from Hill Top to the Sydney cruise terminals costs $295 one way for one to two passengers. The trip is 111 km and takes about 1 hr 54 min. Tolls, fuel and GST are included, and no deposit is required — you pay the driver after drop-off.
It is 111 km from Hill Top in the Wingecarribee Shire to the Sydney cruise terminals — Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay and White Bay, and in normal traffic we allow 1 hr 54 min behind the wheel. Sitting at the northern end of the Highlands, you get one of the shorter runs to Mascot and the shortest of all to the new Western Sydney Airport once it opens.
Our price for this trip is $295 one way, locked in when you book. It covers tolls, fuel and GST, applies equally to pickups and drop-offs, and never surges.
Booking costs you nothing. We do not take a deposit and we do not keep your card details; payment happens at the end of the trip, not the start.
There is no scheduled shuttle bus from Hill Top to the Sydney cruise terminals. What people usually mean by a cruise shuttle here is a private door-to-door transfer, which is what we run: we collect you and your luggage from your address rather than a stop, and the vehicle is yours alone.
Compared with a metered taxi from Hill Top, the advantage is that you know the number before you get in and there is room for full-size cruise cases. Compared with a shared shuttle, you are not waiting for other passengers or being dropped third on sailing day. The fare is $295 either way.
Sydney has two cruise terminals and your ticket tells you which one. The Overseas Passenger Terminal sits at Circular Quay under the Opera House; White Bay is on the western harbour at Rozelle. The fixed fare from Hill Top is $295 to either.
| Terminal | Where It Is | Which Ships | Fixed Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) | Circular Quay, Sydney CBD | Ships too tall to pass under the Harbour Bridge — most of the large ones | $295 |
| White Bay Cruise Terminal | Rozelle, inner west | Ships that fit under the Harbour Bridge | $295 |
Not sure which one? Send us the ship name and sailing date and we will confirm the terminal with the booking. Drop-off at both is at the terminal set-down zone, a short walk with your bags to check-in.
Of the 54 suburbs we serve, 43 are further from Sydney than Hill Top and 10 are closer. That puts this run in the middle of our range. The nearest comparison points are Alpine at 98 km and Colo Vale at 100 km, so if you have been quoted for one of those you already know roughly where this sits. Within the Hume North zone the typical run is 99 km; yours is 12 km longer than that.
Worked as a rate, this run costs about $2.66 per kilometre against a network median of $2.50. We publish every suburb so you can check that logic yourself rather than take our word for it.
Cruise lines usually open boarding around four to five hours before departure and close it 60 to 90 minutes before. We work back from your boarding window, the 28 min drive from Hill Top and a fifteen-minute buffer, so you arrive inside the first hour of boarding rather than in the last-minute queue.
| Ship Departs | Boarding Typically Opens | We Collect You At |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00pm | 10:30am | 10:15am |
| 4:00pm | 11:30am | 11:15am |
| 5:00pm | 12:30pm | 12:15pm |
| 6:00pm | 1:30pm | 1:15pm |
| 7:00pm | 2:30pm | 2:15pm |
Tell us the ship, the terminal and your boarding window when you book and we confirm the exact pickup in writing. Those pickups are the standard $295, plus $20 for any pickup before 6am. There is no weekend loading.
Split between passengers, the Hill Top run works out cheaper the more of you travel. Every tier allows one check-in bag and one carry-on each.
| Group Size | One Way | Per Person | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 passengers | $295 | $148 – $295 | $590 |
| 3–4 passengers | $325 | $81 – $108 | $650 |
| 5–6 passengers | $355 | $59 – $71 | $710 |
| 7–8 passengers | $405 | $51 – $58 | $810 |
| 9–11 passengers | $435 | $40 – $48 | $870 |
All fares include tolls, fuel and GST. A return trip is twice the one-way fare.
We will tell you when we are not the cheapest. This is the real picture for the 111 km run out of Hill Top.
| Option | Typical Cost | Door to Door | Pre-Dawn | Baby Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive and park near the terminal | $150–$330 a week | Yes | Yes | Your own |
| Metered taxi | $384–$450+ | Yes | If available | Not guaranteed |
| Rideshare | $276–$366 with surge | Yes | Rarely available | No |
| Southern Highlands Transfer | $295 fixed | Yes | Every day (+$20 before 6am) | Free, fitted |
Taxi and rideshare figures are indicative ranges for a run of this distance, not quotes. Ours is the only fixed number on that table.
$295 one way as a fixed fare for one to two passengers, tolls and GST included. A return trip is $590. Larger groups move up a vehicle tier and each tier has its own published price on this page.
We wait at the terminal's designated pick-up point rather than inside the arrivals hall. We text you the exact spot before you land, and we monitor the flight so a delay costs you nothing.
Yes, by 32 km and about 28 minutes each way. When WSI opens on 25 October 2026 the fare from Hill Top will be $225 against $255 to Mascot, a saving of $30 per trip.
No, and we would rather be straight about it than invent a discount. A return is simply two one-way fares: $590 for one to two passengers. The advantage is that the price is fixed in both directions, including the leg home at midnight.
Because the fare is built on the actual distance. Your run is 111 km, which works out at about $2.66 per kilometre. We publish all 54 suburb fares so you can see the logic rather than take our word for it.
There is no cancellation fee, because nothing was charged up front. Let us know as early as you can so we can release the vehicle. For same-day changes, ring rather than email.
Every fare allows one check-in bag and one carry-on per passenger. If you are carrying more than that, or something awkward like golf clubs, a pram or a cello, say so when you book and we will send a vehicle with the room. Extra bags are $5 each and bulky items such as golf clubs or skis $10 each.
About 1 hr 54 min for the 111 km run in normal conditions. We add time for weekday morning traffic and we plan backwards from your flight or ship time rather than from a fixed departure.
No quote-by-phone games. Book in two minutes, or call and talk to a real person.
Prefer to talk it through? 0427 143 612 · 7 days, 24 hours
