Door-to-door from Paddys River to the Sydney cruise terminals — Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay and White Bay, priced up front at $395. Nothing is charged when you book; a pickup before 6am adds $20.
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 Paddys River to the Sydney cruise terminals costs $395 one way for one to two passengers. The trip is 162 km and takes about 2 hr 58 min. Tolls, fuel and GST are included, and no deposit is required — you pay the driver after drop-off.
Measured from Paddys River in the Wingecarribee Shire, the run to the Sydney cruise terminals — Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay and White Bay is 162 km and takes 2 hr 58 min in ordinary conditions. Down in the deep south and west of the region you're a genuine distance from Mascot — which is exactly why a fixed fare beats a meter that keeps ticking.
That run is a flat $395 one way. No meter and no surge: just a $10 airport pickup fee and set fees for pickups before 6am or after 8pm.
There is no money up front at all. No deposit, no card on file, no cancellation charge. You pay the driver when the trip is done.
Paddys River is among the furthest points on our map: only 3 of our 54 suburbs sit further from Sydney, and the fare reflects a genuinely long run rather than a short hop. The nearest comparison points are Barrengarry at 148 km and Tallong at 152 km, so if you have been quoted for one of those you already know roughly where this sits. Within the Deep South & West zone the typical run is 140 km; yours is 22 km longer than that.
Worked as a rate, this run costs about $2.44 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.
Split between passengers, the Paddys River 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 | $395 | $198 – $395 | $790 |
| 3–4 passengers | $425 | $106 – $142 | $850 |
| 5–6 passengers | $455 | $76 – $91 | $910 |
| 7–8 passengers | $495 | $62 – $71 | $990 |
| 9–11 passengers | $535 | $49 – $59 | $1070 |
All fares include tolls, fuel and GST. A return trip is twice the one-way fare.
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 Paddys River is $395 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 | $395 |
| White Bay Cruise Terminal | Rozelle, inner west | Ships that fit under the Harbour Bridge | $395 |
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.
We will tell you when we are not the cheapest. This is the real picture for the 162 km run out of Paddys River.
| Option | Typical Cost | Door to Door | Pre-Dawn | Baby Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive and park near the terminal | $185–$407 a week | Yes | Yes | Your own |
| Metered taxi | $473–$555+ | Yes | If available | Not guaranteed |
| Rideshare | $340–$451 with surge | Yes | Rarely available | No |
| Southern Highlands Transfer | $395 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.
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 Paddys River 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 $395, plus $20 for any pickup before 6am. There is no weekend loading.
There is no scheduled shuttle bus from Paddys River 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 Paddys River, 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 $395 either way.
$395 one way as a fixed fare for one to two passengers, tolls and GST included. A return trip is $790. Larger groups move up a vehicle tier and each tier has its own published price on this page.
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.
Yes, by 32 km and about 28 minutes each way. When WSI opens on 25 October 2026 the fare from Paddys River will be $325 against $355 to Mascot, a saving of $30 per trip.
Yes, free, and we fit them before we arrive. Tell us the children's ages when you book. We do not charge for seats and we do not expect you to install them at the kerb.
No, and we would rather be straight about it than invent a discount. A return is simply two one-way fares: $790 for one to two passengers. The advantage is that the price is fixed in both directions, including the leg home at midnight.
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.
Because the fare is built on the actual distance. Your run is 162 km, which works out at about $2.44 per kilometre. We publish all 54 suburb fares so you can see the logic rather than take our word for it.
Around 11:45pm. That allows three hours for international check-in, 2 hr 58 min of driving and a fifteen-minute buffer. The fare is the standard $395, plus our $20 early-pickup fee for any pickup before 6am.
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
