Illawarra Fly by private car
The treetop walk and zipline at Knights Hill have no train or bus — dropped off and collected, or the driver waits. Fixed fares, paid on arrival.
A private car to Illawarra Fly (182 Knights Hill Road, Knights Hill) is $315 return from Wollongong, $215 from Kiama and $820 from the Sydney CBD — dropped off and collected later — or add $50 an hour for the driver to wait ($415 from Wollongong with 2 hours). Illawarra Fly says there is no direct public transport. Fixed per car for up to 3 passengers, tolls, GST and the NSW levy included, pay on arrival; OSPIPO is a licensed NSW private transfer (BSP-462516).
See your fixed fare →Day trip facts · Illawarra Fly · checked 19 October 2026
Illawarra Fly: the facts
- Address
- 182 Knights Hill Road, Knights Hill NSW 2577 — dropped at the free car park beside the Visitor Centre
- Open
- Daily 10am–4:30pm (9:30am in holiday periods), last entry 3:30pm, closed Christmas Day
- Time there
- About an hour on the treetop walk, says Illawarra Fly; the zipline adds about an hour
- Return fares
- Wollongong $315 · Kiama $215 · Shellharbour $215 · Sydney CBD $820 — per car, collected later
- Driver waits
- $50 an hour on top of the return fare — $415 from Wollongong with 2 hours
- Drive
- About 45 min from Wollongong, 25 min from Kiama and 2h 10m from the Sydney CBD
- No car?
- No direct public transport (Illawarra Fly)
- Booking
- Online here, through the AI concierge, or on +61 435 162 311 — nothing to pay until the day
Facts: the official sources listed at the end of the page. Fares: the OSPIPO fare engine, the same one the booking form uses. Drive times: OpenStreetMap routing, typical outside peak hours. Checked 19 October 2026.
Illawarra Fly at a glance
Illawarra Fly is a treetop attraction on 40 acres of private land at Knights Hill, high on the Illawarra escarpment behind Kiama. The loop track is 1.5 km, with a 500-metre steel walkway 20 to 30 metres above the rainforest floor and the 45-metre Knights Tower; the zipline course adds three ziplines and two rope bridges. Illawarra Fly says most visitors spend around an hour on the treetop walk, and the zipline takes about 15 minutes of safety briefing plus about 40 minutes on the lines.
It opens daily, 10am to 4:30pm (9:30am to 4:30pm in holiday periods), with last entry at 3:30pm, and closes on Christmas Day. Book tickets online ahead — Illawarra Fly strongly recommends it — and arrive 15 minutes before a zipline session, because the start times are strict.
Three ways to do it — fixed fares
- Dropped off, collected later. The driver leaves after drop-off and comes back at the time you choose — you pay the return fare and nothing for the hours in between. From Wollongong: $315 return. From the Sydney CBD it is $820 return.
- The driver waits. The car stays on standby and you leave when you are ready: the return fare plus $50 an hour, booked in whole hours, up to 5 hours. From Wollongong: $365 with 1 hour, $415 with 2, $565 with 5.
- A full day with several stops. A private charter: $890 for up to 8 hours door to door, the car and driver yours for the day, as many stops as fit. From the Sydney CBD the drive is about 2h 10m each way, which leaves about 3 hours 30 minutes at Illawarra Fly and anywhere else you stop.
| From (drive) | One way | Return, collected later | Return, driver waits 2 h |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney CBD~130 km · ~2h 10m | $455 | $820 | $920the $890 charter costs less |
| Sydney Airport~120 km · ~1h 45m | $420 | $755 | $855 |
| Wollongong~50 km · ~45 min | $175 | $315 | $415 |
| Shellharbour~30 km · ~30 min | $120 | $215 | $315 |
| Kiama~25 km · ~25 min | $120 | $215 | $315 |
| Berry~50 km · ~40 min | $130 | $235 | $335 |
Fixed per car for up to 3 passengers — four travel only on request, with light bags — and child seats are free. Motorway tolls, GST and the NSW levy are included, nothing is added on the day, and you pay on arrival, with no deposit. Waiting is $50 for each hour you book, up to 5. Where a return comes to more than the $890 private charter, the charter is the better buy if your day fits inside its 8 hours door to door — from the Sydney CBD the drive is about 2h 10m each way, which leaves about 3 hours 30 minutes at Illawarra Fly. Fares come from the same engine as the booking form; drive times are typical outside peak hours (OpenStreetMap routing).
Getting there without a car
Illawarra Fly’s FAQ is direct: there are no direct public transport options. Its directions are for driving only — through Robertson, or up from the coast by Jamberoo Mountain Road and Knights Hill Road.
Kiama Council closed Jamberoo Mountain Road between Misty Lane and Knights Hill on weekdays, 9am to 4pm, from 15 June 2026 for widening works that were due to finish in mid-September 2026; check Live Traffic NSW on the day. If the direct road is closed, the drive takes longer — the fare does not change.
Good to know
- Zipline rules: at least 5 years old, at least 105 cm tall and under 117 kg fully clothed; under-18s go with an adult. Guests are measured and weighed at the briefing.
- For the zipline: fully enclosed shoes (no sandals or thongs), gloves (bring a sturdy pair or buy them at check-in), long hair tied back, and only phones or cameras with a strap.
- It stays open in wet weather, but staff watch the wind and lightning, and a cancelled zipline session is rescheduled. On cold days wear warm clothes; in rain, a waterproof jacket.
- The treetop walk is wheelchair accessible except Knights Tower (106 steps). There is a slope between the Visitor Centre and the walk, and a courtesy cart for guests with mobility needs — call ahead.
Make a day of it
The treetops in the morning and the coast in the afternoon — the Kiama Blowhole or Jamberoo — is two stops: the $890 private charter, up to 8 hours door to door.
- Jamberoo Action Park — down the hill at Jamberoo — the water park (seasonal).
- Kiama Blowhole — the blowhole and lighthouse at Kiama, free at any time.
Sources: Illawarra Fly — Opening hours; Illawarra Fly — Getting here; Illawarra Fly — FAQs; Illawarra Fly — Accessibility guide; Illawarra Fly — Zipline; Illawarra Fly — Treetop Walk; Kiama Council — Jamberoo Mountain Road closures. Fares: the OSPIPO fare engine, the same one the booking form uses. Drive distances and times: OpenStreetMap routing, typical outside peak hours. Checked 19 October 2026.
Common questions
Illawarra Fly says there is no direct public transport, so it is a car. A private car is $315 return from Wollongong, $215 from Kiama, $215 from Shellharbour and $820 from the Sydney CBD, per car, collected later.
Yes — $50 an hour on top of the return fare, whole hours, up to 5. Most visitors spend about an hour on the walk (Illawarra Fly), so 2 hours covers the walk and a coffee: $415 from Wollongong, $315 from Kiama.
Daily 10am to 4:30pm, 9:30am to 4:30pm in holiday periods; last entry 3:30pm; closed Christmas Day.
About 2h 10m from the Sydney CBD and 1h 45m from Sydney Airport, outside peak hours; about 45 min from Wollongong.
Yes — it stays open in wet weather, but staff monitor the wind and lightning, and zipline sessions can be rescheduled.
No — book them with Illawarra Fly, ideally online in advance. OSPIPO is the car.
Up to 3 passengers; four travel only on request, with light bags. Child seats are free — give the ages when you book.