Sydney to Kiama by train, car, coach and steam train

Compare the ways to get from Sydney to Kiama

Kiama sits on the coast south of Wollongong, and there are four realistic ways to get here from Sydney. Pick the train if you want to read, snooze or watch the sea go by. Pick the car if you are bringing kids, a dog or a boot full of beach gear, or if you plan to explore beyond town.

Kiama Ridge Waters, on Surfleet Place in Kiama, is about 1 hour 45 minutes (134 km) by car from the Sydney CBD, and about 3 minutes' drive or a 27-minute walk from Kiama station.

Drive the M1 for the quickest trip

The direct route follows the M1 Princes Motorway south through the city's southern suburbs, over the escarpment above Wollongong and on past Shellharbour to Kiama. Without traffic, the drive from the Sydney CBD takes about 1 hour 45 minutes (134 km). Allow more on Friday afternoons and at the start of school holidays.

From Sydney Airport the drive to the apartments is about 120 km. Without traffic it takes roughly 1 hour 30 minutes, which makes Kiama an easy first night after a morning flight.

Here are drive times from other places, handy if your group is coming from more than one direction:

Once you are in town, our Kiama parking guide covers where to leave the car near the Blowhole, the harbour and the beaches. If you are staying with us, each apartment has a secure garage for two cars, so the car can stay put once you arrive.

Take the Grand Pacific Drive for the coast

If the drive is part of the holiday, take the Grand Pacific Drive. NRMA describes it as a 140 km coastal route, and its Sydney to Kiama road trip treats it as a full day with stops. From Central via Sea Cliff Bridge it is about 140 km and close to 2 hours before you stop anywhere.

The road heads south through Royal National Park, then drops down the escarpment to the northern Illawarra beaches. NSW National Parks lists a vehicle entry fee of $12 a day for Royal National Park and gate hours of 7am to 8.30pm. Check before you go, as the park can close in bad weather or high fire danger.

The stops NRMA suggests, in order:

1. Royal National Park: 11 beaches, including the surf at Garie, and rowboat and kayak hire at Audley Boatshed.
2. Symbio Wildlife Park, Helensburgh: a family-owned zoo, open since 1975, with koalas, kangaroos, wombats and red pandas.
3. Bald Hill, Stanwell Park: the launch point for hang gliders, with tandem flights for beginners.
4. Sea Cliff Bridge: a 665 m bridge that opened in 2005 and runs out over the ocean between Coalcliff and Clifton. In the cooler months you might spot a passing whale.
5. Wollongong: a good lunch stop before the last stretch south.
6. Nan Tien Temple, Berkeley: the largest Buddhist temple in the Southern Hemisphere, opened in 1995, with guided tours.

From Nan Tien it is about 30 minutes on to Kiama. A good plan is the Grand Pacific Drive on the way down and the M1 on the way home.

Catch the train from Central to Kiama

The South Coast Line runs from Sydney through Wollongong to Kiama, and Destination Kiama says Kiama trains arrive and depart hourly. Visit NSW puts the trip at about 2 hours 15 minutes from Central.

Get off at Kiama station on Railway Parade. It has staff on duty, toilets including an accessible toilet and baby change, a lift, a taxi rank and a kiss and ride drop-off, according to Transport NSW. Some longer Intercity trains do not fit the platform, so the Trip Planner tells you which carriages to sit in.

Weekend trackwork often swaps parts of the line for buses. Check the Transport NSW Trip Planner or the Opal Travel app on the day you travel, not just the week before.

Pay for the train with Opal or a tap-on card

You don't need to buy a ticket ahead. Tap on at Central and tap off at Kiama with an Opal card or a contactless bank card or phone. Use the same card or device at both ends, or you can be charged the wrong fare.

The fare depends on distance and time of day. For the exact amount, use the Trip Planner. Two rules from Transport NSW make the trip cheaper than most people expect:

• Off-peak discount: fares are 30% cheaper all day on Fridays, weekends and public holidays, and outside the morning and afternoon peaks Monday to Thursday. Intercity morning peak times vary by station, so check yours on the Trip Planner. There is no off-peak discount on an Opal single ticket.
• Daily caps: adults pay no more than $9.65 a day on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and $19.30 a day Monday to Thursday. The child, youth and concession cap is $4.80 on those days. The weekly cap is $50 for adults.

So a Saturday trip from Sydney to Kiama costs an adult no more than $9.65 in Opal fares for the whole day. Senior and pensioner fares are capped at $2.50 a day on a Gold Opal. Fares and caps change from time to time, so check before you go.

Get from Kiama station to your accommodation

Kiama station is right on the edge of town. From the platform you can walk to Terralong Street, the harbour and the Blowhole. Visit NSW notes the main beaches and many of the bars and restaurants are a short walk away.

Kiama Ridge Waters is about 2.2 km from the station, which is a 27-minute walk or about 3 minutes by car. With luggage, a taxi from the rank at the station or an Uber is the easy option. Destination Kiama lists the Illawarra Taxi Network on (02) 4254 2111.

Local buses fill some of the gaps. Kiama Coachlines ((02) 4232 3466) runs weekday services around Kiama, Jamberoo, Gerringong and Gerroa, and Premier Illawarra links Kiama, Kiama Downs, Shellharbour and Wollongong. Without a car, you can still reach the Blowhole, the Kiama Coast Walk, Easts Beach (a 15-minute walk from the apartments) and Gerringong, one stop south by train.

Ride the coach on the Princes Highway

Coaches are the least common way to make this trip, but they help if you are travelling on from Kiama to the South Coast. Destination Kiama lists Premier Motor Service, which runs daily coaches along the Princes Highway, and a limited Greyhound Australia service between Sydney and Gerroa, about 13 minutes' drive south of the apartments.

Premier's own site lists its Sydney to Eden route (PM2) as running seven days. Pick-up points and times are on its timetable pages, or call 13 34 10 to confirm the Kiama stop before you book.

Travel down on the Kiama Picnic Train

For a special day out, the Kiama Picnic Train runs a restored steam locomotive and heritage carriages from Sydney to Kiama and back. Its 2026 dates are Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, and Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November.

The train leaves Tempe at 8.45am (Sydney Central on 14 and 15 November), stops at Sutherland at 9.30am and Wollongong at 10.30am, and reaches Kiama about 12.35pm. It leaves Kiama at 4.20pm and gets back to Tempe or Central about 7.30pm. That gives you about 3 hours 45 minutes in town, enough for lunch, the Blowhole and a walk along the harbour. The operator says times are indicative and can change on the day.

Seating is sold per group: $260 for a DUO window pair, $360 for a four-seat booth and $550 for a private compartment of up to eight. First Class High Tea in the air-conditioned dining car is $179 per person. The heritage carriages are not air-conditioned and have no charging points. BYO picnic and drinks are allowed, but large eskies and large prams are not, and alcohol can't be taken off the train. The operator suggests booking lunch in Kiama ahead.

There are no one-way tickets, so you pay for the return trip, but the operator lets you get off at Kiama. That means you can ride the steam train down and stay a night or two, then take a regular train home on your Opal card.

Make the trip a weekend, not a day

A day trip by train means four and a half hours of travel there and back, which leaves time for the Blowhole, lunch and a swim. Stay two nights and you can add the coast walk, a morning at Easts Beach, a drive to Berry or a rainforest walk at Minnamurra.

Check-in at Kiama Ridge Waters is from 3pm and check-out by 10am, which suits a morning drive down and a Sunday lunch on the way home. Each of the three-bedroom apartments on Surfleet Place sleeps a family or a group of friends, with secure garage parking for two cars. Most of our apartments take dogs, with a $200 pet cleaning fee. See our pet-friendly stays and family accommodation, or compare the apartments.

For ideas once you arrive, start with where to eat in Kiama and things to do with kids.