The most useful thing a Sydney water taxi does is not the harbour view. It is collecting you from your own back lawn. If you live on the water — or you are staying at a waterfront house, renting a harbourside property for a weekend, or hosting an event at home — a private jetty pickup turns a trip into something genuinely door-to-door.
It is also the pickup type with the most conditions attached, and the one most often quietly moved to a public wharf on the day. This guide explains what operators are actually assessing, so you can set the pickup up properly the first time. For public wharves, marinas and venue pontoons, read the taxi boat pickup guide.
What makes a private jetty usable
An operator is answering four questions before they agree to come alongside your jetty.
1. Is there enough water?
Most Sydney water taxis draw between 0.6 and 0.9 metres and want about a metre at the jetty face with a margin for swell. Deep-water jetties on the eastern suburbs foreshore, Point Piper, Darling Point, Longueville and the Mosman bays are almost always fine. Shallow-ended jetties in the top of Sirius Cove, the inner edge of Elizabeth Bay, parts of Middle Harbour and the upper Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers dry out badly around low water.
If you know your jetty goes shallow, say so at booking with a rough idea of how low. The operator will check the tide for your slot and either confirm or propose a wharf nearby.
2. Is there a fixed, stable step?
A pontoon that floats with the tide is ideal. A fixed jetty at a sensible height works. What does not work is a ladder, a seawall, a set of algae-covered sandstone steps, or a jetty so high above the water that boarding becomes a drop. The skipper is responsible for every person stepping onto that deck and will decline anything that reads as unsafe — particularly with children, elderly passengers or anyone who has had a drink.
A handrail or something solid to hold is the single biggest improvement most private jetties could make.
3. Is the structure sound?
Loose decking boards, rotted stringers, missing fenders and cleats that have pulled out are all common on older harbour jetties. A skipper coming alongside needs somewhere to make fast briefly and something to push off. If your jetty has no cleats or bollards at all, mention it — it does not always stop the pickup, but the operator wants to know.
4. Do you have permission?
A private jetty is licensed to the waterfront property, not to the public. If it is your own home, that is settled. If you are a guest, a tenant, a wedding supplier or a short-stay visitor, get the owner's approval before you book and record their name in your booking notes. Skippers do turn up to jetties where the owner had no idea a boat was coming, and it goes badly every time.
What to include in the booking
The engine will let you nominate a private address as the pickup, with a tick to confirm it is a private residential address and a second tick to confirm there is a jetty. Beyond that, the notes field earns its keep:
- The name of the bay, not just the street. "Jetty at the bottom of the garden, western side of Shell Cove" beats a street number, because the skipper is approaching from the water where street numbers do not exist.
- Anything visible from the water: a boatshed colour, a distinctive tree, a moored boat on the family mooring.
- Depth notes and whether the jetty dries at low tide.
- Whether there is a pontoon or a fixed deck, and roughly how high above the water.
- Guest count, luggage, prams, dogs.
- The property owner's name if you are not the owner.
Photos help enormously. If you can send a photo of the jetty from the water, the operator can settle the question in a glance.
When the pickup moves — and why it is not a problem
Sometimes the answer on the day is no. A southerly change puts swell into an exposed jetty. The tide is lower than forecast. The structure looks worse in person than in the photo. When that happens, the operator moves the pickup to the closest public wharf and lets you know ahead of time. Your fare does not increase because the pickup moved, and nothing about your booking changes except the walk.
The Lower North Shore, eastern suburbs and inner west are all densely served by public wharves, so the fallback is rarely more than a few minutes' walk. The Lower North Shore pickup guide lists those alternatives bay by bay.
Events at a waterfront home
Private jetty pickups come into their own for functions. The pattern that works:
- Shuttle in loops. One boat running Circular Quay or Rose Bay to the house every fifteen minutes moves sixty guests comfortably across ninety minutes, far more cheaply than three boats sitting idle.
- Stage the departure list. Give the skipper a departure order and a contact on the jetty. Guests wandering back up to the house between loops is the classic time sink.
- Light the jetty. Anything after dusk needs light on the boarding point. Festoon lighting is enough; phone torches are not.
- Nominate a marshal. One sober person on the jetty handling the step down is worth more than any amount of planning.
- Book the last run late. Service runs to 10:00 pm. If the party is going past that, arrange the final departures earlier rather than discovering the problem at 10:15.
Luggage, pets and the practical bits
- One suitcase plus a hand bag per passenger travels free; oversized items are $25 each and must be declared so the right boat comes.
- Small dogs are fine on most vessels with notice. Large dogs depend on the boat.
- 15 minutes of waiting grace is included from the booked time, then per-minute charges apply, because the boat is held for you.
- Up to twelve passengers on a water taxi. Above that the engine offers charter vessels instead.
Setting up a recurring home pickup
If you commute by water — and a growing number of harbourfront residents do — save the pickup once and rebook it in two taps. Recent routes are stored against your account and the jetty notes, depth warnings and access details travel with them, so you are not re-explaining your own back yard every Monday morning.
Book it
Open the booking engine, enter the waterfront address, tick the private-residence and jetty boxes, and add the notes above. You will see an all-in fare and the boats that can do the run. Payment is taken online and the QR boarding pass arrives by email and SMS.
Hours: 6:00 am to 10:00 pm, seven days.
More reading
Questions we hear a lot
Can a water taxi pick up from my private jetty in Sydney?+
Usually yes, if there is enough water at the time of your booking, a fixed and stable step onto the boat, and you have the property owner's permission. The operator makes the final call on the day based on tide and conditions.
What depth does a water taxi need at a private jetty?+
Most Sydney water taxis need around one metre of water at the jetty face. Shallow jetties in bays like Sirius Cove, Elizabeth Bay's inner edge and parts of Middle Harbour become unusable near low tide.
What happens if the tide is too low for my jetty?+
The operator moves the pickup to the nearest public wharf and tells you before the day. The fare does not change because of the move.
Do I need permission to use someone else's jetty?+
Yes. A private jetty is licensed to the property. If you are a guest, get the owner's approval before booking and note their name in the booking so the skipper can confirm on arrival.
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