How it works — plain English
Booking a water taxi, step by step.
From the moment you check a price to the moment you step off the boat — here's exactly what happens, in the order it happens, so you know what to expect. Booking a waterfront restaurant too? Jump to table + water taxi in one booking.
The whole journey — 5 simple steps
You don't need to be tech-savvy. If you can send a text message and use a card online, you can send us a trip request in about 2 minutes.
- 1
Send your trip request — no card, no payment
Pick what suits you — a water taxi (fast point-to-point, up to ~12 guests), a water limousine (premium enclosed cabin) or a charter boat (hourly hire for cruises and functions up to 500). Enter your pickup wharf, drop-off wharf, guest count and time. That's it: no card details, no deposit and nothing charged at this stage. While you're there you can also ask us to line up a waterfront restaurant table or a waterfront hotel room for the same trip — one request covers the lot, in whatever order suits you.
- 2
The local operators price your job
Your request goes straight to the licensed operators who work that waterway. Each one sets their own fare for your exact run, vessel and timing — we don't invent a number and we don't auto-price on their behalf. Requests are sent between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM AEST and stay open for 24 hours of office time, and we chase them daily until one comes back. First operator in with a workable fare and confirmed availability gets the job.
- 3
Your quote arrives — accept or decline
We email and text you one all-inclusive total, rounded to whole dollars, with the vessel type, both wharves and the time. Accept or decline with a single tap. Those links don't expire while the job is still live, so take your time. If no operator can cover the run we tell you straight — you've paid nothing, so there's nothing to refund.
- 4
Accept and pay securely — the operator is locked in
Tap Accept and you go to secure checkout to enter your card. Payment confirms the job and the operator is notified immediately with a skipper locked in. Charter boats are confirmed on a 25% deposit with the balance due 14 days before the trip. If you'd rather not enter card details on the phone, you can complete payment in your customer portal instead.
- 5
Confirmation + digital boarding pass
Email + SMS confirming the vessel, skipper, ETA and pickup wharf — plus a wallet-style boarding pass with a big QR, A → B Google Map over the water, walking directions from your hotel or bar to point A, and the operator's direct phone number. Save it three ways with no account: Save to Photos, Add to Calendar (.ics), or Add to Home Screen. No Apple ID, no Google login, no app store.
- 6
Live tracking to the wharf
About 1–2 hours before pickup we text a live map link. Open it on your phone to watch your boat approach the wharf in real time. No more standing on a wharf wondering.
- 7
Board with your QR — trip complete
Be at the wharf 15 minutes prior to departure. The skipper points their phone camera at your QR — the pass turns green with a 'BOARDED' tick. When you're dropped off the trip auto-completes, the receipt lands in your inbox, and any waiting time (first 15 min free, then $8/min) or extras are charged automatically to your card on file.
This is what the customer boarding pass looks like
The moment your customer payment clears, we send them a wallet-style boarding pass by email and SMS. Save it to your phone — the skipper scans the QR at the wharf to check you in. The actual operator's name, direct phone number and a live map to your pickup point appear on your paid ticket (we only reveal them once the job is won).
TRANSFERTap the button — Google Maps opens on your phone and walks you from wherever you are straight to the wharf.
HOURLY HIRETap the button — Google Maps opens on your phone and walks you from wherever you are straight to the wharf.
Never get lost finding your boat.
Every boarding pass has one big live Google Maps button: "CLICK HERE for directions to your pickup point."It walks you from wherever you are — hotel lobby, restaurant, bar — straight to the exact wharf, pontoon or berth. If you head the wrong way, Google Maps re-routes you in real time. The map on the ticket already shows A → B, so you can see the full trip before you tap.
One tap opens Google Maps walking directions from where they're standing right now to the exact pontoon.
Google Maps tracks their direction of travel and corrects them live if they head the wrong way.
Google Maps shows in the passenger's phone language automatically — great for overseas visitors.
The wharf, pontoon or berth is spelled out on the ticket — not just a suburb. No guessing which jetty.
Tap "Open interactive ticket" from the email or SMS. The map, pickup directions and QR open on the same ticket.
Booking from your hotel room, restaurant or a bar? Tap "CLICK HERE for directions to your pickup point". Google Maps opens walking directions from wherever you are to the exact wharf and re-routes you live if you head the wrong way — works overseas (auto-translates to your phone's language), works after a few drinks, works for first-time visitors to Sydney.
Your skipper scans the QR to check you aboard. The pass turns green with a "Boarded" tick — that's it, you're on your way.
Tap the Call button on the ticket to reach your operator direct. Their number is only revealed on your paid ticket.
Save your ticket to your phone — no account needed
You do not need an Apple ID, a Google account, a Wallet app, or an app store login to keep your boarding pass on your phone. Everything below works straight from the ticket page we email + text you. Pick one, or use all three.
1 · Save to Photos
Tap "Save ticket to Photos" on your ticket. On iPhone the pass drops into Files — long-press it and choose Save to Photos. On Android it goes straight to your Gallery. Works offline, opens on your lock screen when you swipe up from Photos.
2 · Add to your Calendar
Tap "Add to Calendar". A tiny .ics file opens whatever calendar you already use — Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook or Samsung Calendar. The event has your pickup time, A → B location, operator's phone, a link back to the QR ticket, and a 30-minute reminder.
3 · Add to Home Screen
iPhone (Safari): tap the Share button → "Add to Home Screen".
Android (Chrome): tap the menu → "Add to Home screen" / "Install app".
The ticket becomes an app icon and opens instantly, even with no signal.
What you get from us
- Transparent live pricing — the number you see is what you pay
- Only licensed, vetted and insured operators
- Secure card payment at checkout — traceable refund references on any refund
- Secure card payment (Stripe) — no cash on the boat
- Live GPS tracking about 1–2 hours before pickup
- Email + SMS at every stage — booked, skipper confirmed, on the way
- 24/7 email support — mobile number on your confirmation
- Full refund when you cancel 2+ days before pickup
- Refunds default to wallet credit — cash-out to card anytime
What you don't get from us
- We're the booking platform — not the boat operator ourselves
- The actual boat trip is delivered by a licensed independent operator
- Catering menus, onboard drinks and extra stops are arranged directly with the operator on the day
- We don't take cash — every payment is by card through our system
- Our office mobile isn't published on the website; it's issued on your booking confirmation
Transfers vs hourly hire — two different rates
The Sydney Harbour water limo does two very different jobs. They're priced differently, so pick the one that matches your plan.
Transfer (point A to point B)
A one-way premium ride between two wharves — same idea as a water taxi, but on our luxury enclosed water limo. You pay a fixed fare based on the route.
- Fixed all-inclusive fare, priced by the local operator
- Choose Book Now (today) or Book Later (future date)
- Return trip option — auto-mirrors pickup & drop-off
- Great for weddings, airport connections, restaurant transfers
Hourly hire (cruise the harbour)
Hire the water limo by the hour — no fixed drop-off. Cruise the harbour, watch the sunset, roam between events. Charged at an hourly rate with a minimum booking.
- $650 per hour · 2-hour minimum
- Up to 12 guests · fully skippered
- Perfect for sightseeing, sunset cruises, event hopping
- Quote confirmed by email, then add your card — no charge today, charged only when an operator accepts
Book your table and your water taxi — in one place
Every venue in our waterfront venue directory is a restaurant, pub or club a licensed water taxi can actually pull up to. You ask for the table, we ask the venue, and the boat is only locked in once your table is confirmed — so you never end up on a boat with nowhere to eat.
- 1
Pick a waterfront venue
Open the venue directory, filter by state and region, and choose a restaurant, pub or club. Every listing shows the wharf, pontoon or jetty the boat drops you at, the venue's water-access service hours, menus the venue has uploaded, and any current specials. Some waterfronts are daytime-only by water — Ettalong Beach venues, for example, are serviced 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM.
- 2
Request your table — date, time, guests
Fill in the short table request on the venue's page: date, time, number of guests, and any notes (birthday, allergies, highchair, wheelchair access, dietary needs). It's a request, not an instant confirmation — the venue still has to say yes. Nothing is charged for a table request, and you're not committed to anything yet.
- 3
Add your water taxi at the same time
Tick 'Yes, organise a water taxi' and we pre-fill the drop-off as your venue's wharf and work backwards from your table time so you arrive before you're seated. You add pickup point, guests and payment — same as any booking. Your boat is held pending the table.
- 4
The venue confirms or declines — one tap
Your request goes straight to the venue by SMS and email with a one-tap Confirm / Decline link, and it also lands in their venue portal. Most reply quickly during service hours. You get told the moment they respond — no chasing, no phone calls, no double-booking.
- 5
Table confirmed → boat released → both in one confirmation
Once the venue confirms, your boat transfer is locked in with a licensed operator covering that waterway. You get one confirmation covering the table (venue, time, seating length) and the boat (vessel, skipper, wharf, digital boarding pass with QR). If the venue can't fit you in, we tell you straight away and the linked boat booking does not proceed.
If the venue says yes
- Your table is confirmed by email + SMS with the seating time
- Your water taxi job is released to operators straight away
- We time the pickup so you step off the boat before your table time
- One confirmation covers both — table and boat
If the venue can't fit you in
- We email + text you straight away that the table isn't available
- The linked water taxi booking does not go ahead
- Nothing is charged — not the table, not the boat
- You can pick another time, another day or another venue in one tap
What the restaurant's own rules cover
Once you're seated, you're the restaurant's guest and their house rules apply — most waterfront venues run a 2-hour seating, hold your table for about 15 minutes, ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel, put larger groups on a set or banquet menu with a minimum spend, and add Sunday and public holiday surcharges, cakeage and card fees to your bill. Some hold a card or deposit for group bookings. Tell us about allergies, prams, highchairs or mobility needs in your request and we pass it straight to the venue. Full detail is in our terms & conditions.
Your food and drinks are always paid at the venue on the day. We only ever handle the boat fare.
Arrive at your hotel by boat and book the room direct
Every property in our waterfront stays directory has genuine water access, and you deal with the hotel directly on price. We’re not an agency — we don’t hold your room, sell it or add a cent to the rate. We pass on your dates, they quote you their own direct rate, and we handle the boat that gets you there.
- 1
Pick a waterfront stay you can arrive at by boat
Open the waterfront stays directory and filter by state or region. Every property is a hotel, resort, lodge, cottage or island stay with real water access — the listing shows the wharf, pontoon or beach landing, the room types and an indicative 'from' nightly rate the property has given us.
- 2
Send your dates — it's an enquiry, not a payment
Tell us your check-in and check-out dates, how many guests and rooms, and anything that matters (anniversary, cot, accessibility, late arrival by water). Nothing is charged and no card is needed. The property's own calendar and blocked dates are respected, so you're not sent at a night they're full.
- 3
The hotel replies direct with its own rate
Your enquiry goes straight to the property's reservations inbox — and their portal — with a one-tap reply link. They come back with their own best direct rate, what's included and a booking link. We never mark it up, discount it or add a booking fee, so what they quote is what you pay.
- 4
You book and pay the property, not us
You confirm the room directly with the hotel on their terms — their deposit, their cancellation policy, their loyalty programme. We hold no money for your stay. If a participating property pays us a referral fee for the stay, it comes out of their revenue and never off your rate.
- 5
We put the boat under it
Say yes to a water taxi and we pre-fill the property's wharf and work backwards from check-in — or forwards from check-out — so you land at the right time. That boat is a normal booking, with your QR boarding pass by email and text. Cancel a room and the boat stays live until you cancel it too.
What the hotel’s own rules cover
Your stay is a contract between you and the property. Their deposit, payment, change and cancellation policy, minimum-night stays, check-in and check-out times, peak and event conditions, house rules and any damage or late-arrival fees all apply in full — we can’t waive or refund them, and we hold no money for the room. Room types and “from” rates on our pages are indicative and supplied by the property. Full detail is in our terms & conditions.
Water access can depend on tide, weather and vessel draft, especially at island and remote properties — always confirm your arrival plan with the hotel before you travel. A cancelled room does not cancel a confirmed water taxi, so cancel the boat separately if your plans change.
Cancellations & refunds
Cancellation windows mirror the terms set by the actual operator who runs the vessel — water taxis and water limousines dispatch same-day, so their windows are short; private charters lock a whole vessel and crew for you weeks ahead, so their windows are longer. Peak days apply to all three.
Water taxi & water limousine
Mirrors the operator's own cancellation terms
- 2+ days before pickup — full refund.
- Day before pickup — 50% charged, 50% refunded.
- Same day, no-show or en-route — 100% charged.
Private charter boats
Mirrors Sydney Harbour Boat Tours & All Occasion Cruises
- More than 30 days before departure — full refund.
- 7–30 days before departure — 50% charged, 50% refunded.
- Less than 7 days before departure — 100% charged, no refund.
Peak days — applies to every service
New Year's Eve, Boxing Day, and any NSW public holiday (Australia Day, Anzac Day, Easter, King's Birthday, Labour Day, Christmas Day). Any cancellation within 30 days of a peak pickup date is charged at 100% of the fare — operators turn away other bookings to hold your vessel, so this rule is non-negotiable.
Refunds default to wallet credit so you can rebook instantly. Prefer cash back to your card? Head to /wallet and cash out anytime.
Running late? Message the operator / skipper mobile on your confirmation — waiting time is free for the first 15 minutes, then $8/min. Almost always cheaper than a same-day cancel.
What can change your fare
Your quoted total is what you pay — the only three things that can change it happen at the wharf, and every one of them is charged to the card already on your booking. No cash handling, no haggling with the skipper.
Waiting time
The first 15 minutes at the pickup point is included. Beyond that the skipper logs the wait and it's charged at $8 per minute to your card on file. You get an emailed receipt for any waiting charge.
Extra passengers who turn up unbooked
If more people arrive at the wharf than you booked and paid for, the skipper taps the extra heads into the boarding screen and the additional passenger fee is charged to your card on the spot — you'll see the exact amount before they confirm, and a paid tax invoice lands by email and SMS straight away.
Two things to know: the vessel has a legal capacity, so extra passengers can only board if there are seats. And if your card declines, the skipper can take payment for the extras by card or cash on board — otherwise only the passengers you paid for can travel, and the rest will need their own booking.
Excess luggage
Every passenger travels free with one standard suitcase plus a cabin or hand bag. Anything beyond that is excess luggage at A$30 per oversized item, because big bags take up passenger seats.
Oversized means a large checked suitcase (over 23kg or longer than 75cm), surfboard, golf bag, bicycle, pram, dive gear or esky. Tick "Will you have excess luggage?" when you book and the fee is quoted up front and included in your total. Turn up with undeclared items and the skipper may charge the fee at the wharf, or decline them if the vessel can't safely carry the load.
You authorise these on-the-day charges at checkout — full detail is in our terms & conditions.
Common questions
How quickly will I get confirmed?+
Every fare is priced by the local operator who would run your job, so you send the request first and we come back with their quote — usually the same day, and always within 24 hours of office time. You enter no card details until you accept the quote, so if nobody can cover the run you've paid nothing and there is no refund to wait for.
When is my card charged?+
The full published fare is charged securely when you complete checkout. We then confirm a licensed skipper for your run and email and text you straight away with your QR boarding pass. In the rare event a booking cannot be completed, we cancel it and refund the full amount to the card you paid with, with a refund reference you can quote to your bank. Refund and cancellation terms are set out in our terms and conditions.
Can I book for a future date?+
Yes. Use the Book Later option to schedule any future date and time. Same-day bookings after 9 PM must use Book Later too, as our overnight window falls outside standard service hours.
What if I'm running late?+
The first 15 minutes at the wharf is included. After that, waiting time is $8 per minute charged automatically to your card on file. If you know you'll be late, text or call the skipper on the number in your confirmation — they'll usually accommodate.
How much luggage can I bring?+
Each passenger travels free with one standard suitcase plus a cabin or hand bag. Anything beyond that — a large checked suitcase over 23kg or longer than 75cm, surfboard, golf bag, bicycle, pram, dive gear or esky — counts as excess luggage at A$30 per item, because it takes up a passenger seat. Just tick 'Will you have excess luggage?' in the booking engine and the fee is quoted up front and included in your total, so there's no surprise at the wharf.
What if extra passengers turn up who weren't booked?+
The skipper adds them on the boarding screen and the additional passenger fee is charged to the card on your booking right there — you'll get a paid tax invoice by email and SMS immediately. Extras can only board if the vessel still has legal capacity. If the card declines, the skipper can take card or cash on board for the extras; otherwise only the passengers you paid for can travel and the rest need their own booking.
Can I book a waterfront restaurant table and a water taxi at the same time?+
Yes — that's the whole point of the venue directory. Pick a venue, send a table request with your date, time and guest numbers, and tick 'Yes, organise a water taxi'. We ask the venue, and your boat is only released to operators once the table is confirmed. One confirmation covers both.
Is my table confirmed as soon as I submit the request?+
No. A table request is exactly that — a request. The venue has to accept it, and they do that with a one-tap link we send them by SMS and email. Most reply quickly during service hours. You'll get an email and SMS the moment they confirm or decline.
What happens if the restaurant can't fit me in?+
We email and text you straight away, the linked water taxi booking does not go ahead, and nothing is charged — no table fee, no boat fare. You can request a different time, a different day, or another venue in one tap.
Do I pay for my meal through Water Taxis Australia?+
No. Food and drinks are always paid at the venue on the day, on their terms and their card machine. We only handle the boat fare, which is charged when you complete secure checkout. If a venue requires a deposit, card pre-authorisation or minimum spend for a group booking, that's held by the venue directly, not by us.
How long do I get the table for, and what if I'm late?+
Most waterfront venues run a 2-hour seating and hold your table for around 15 minutes past your booking time. Because you're arriving by boat we time the pickup to land you before your table time — but if the boat is delayed, call the venue on the number in your confirmation and let them know. Venues typically ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel a table, and some charge a per-head fee for late cancellations or no-shows.
Can water taxis reach every waterfront restaurant?+
Only the ones we list. We won't publish a venue unless a licensed operator actually services that waterway, and some venues are daylight-only by water — Ettalong Beach venues, for example, run 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM. The service window is shown on each venue page and enforced in the booking form.
Do you have a phone number I can call?+
Yes — our office mobile is included in your booking confirmation once payment is complete. We don't publish it on the website so we can keep it clear for actual booked customers.
Who do I contact for onboard issues (catering, extra stops, drinks)?+
For anything happening onboard on the day, deal directly with the skipper or operator. For anything about your booking, payment or refund, email support@watertaxisaustralia.com.au and we'll sort it same day.
Are all your operators licensed?+
Every operator on our platform holds current AMSA / state commercial vessel accreditation, valid skipper certifications and business insurance. We verify these before an operator can accept a single job.
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