Getting here
Everyone arrives together.
How your guests get to Caoura Cliffs, across the property to the ceremony, and home again at the end of the night.
The short version
Almost everyone comes by coach.
Your guests travel together, nobody navigates a dark country road at the end of a long day, and the drive through the property becomes the first part of the celebration rather than a logistics problem.
This page covers how it works, what you need to arrange, and what we need from you.
Why buses
Yes, you'll need to organise them.
For the majority of your guests, using one of our nominated coach companies. That's a term of your agreement rather than a recommendation. Guests who aren't allocated an onsite car space travel with our nominated transport from the designated pick-up point.
It's a requirement of our event licence
Not something we're able to make exceptions to.
It keeps the arrival safe and enjoyable
We sit along a dark country road that's unsealed in sections, which is an unfamiliar drive for a lot of people at night.
It keeps the property safe
Caoura Cliffs spans an enormous 1,100 acres, and The Cliffs sits around 3km from The Pavilion. Guest cars don't go down to The Cliffs except in special circumstances, so everyone is bussed together. That keeps vehicles off the wider property, which matters for the land, the livestock, the native wildlife and for the guests themselves.
We keep the arrangement with a small group of local operators who know the property, the internal roads and how a wedding day runs here. We'll give you contacts, a sample quote and help you structure the schedule. The booking itself is yours to make with the operator.
Most of their coaches are 57-seaters, so two buses cover a wedding here. Your operator will confirm the seat count when they quote, and we'll help you match it to your guest numbers.
The guest journey
From their accommodation to the last bus home.
Eight moments, in order. Your coordinator and our team build the timings around your ceremony.
- 1
Collection from accommodation
Guests are collected from wherever you've based them. Most couples use Bundanoon, around 35 minutes away, where the historic hotel sleeps 120 and The Bundanoon Guest House takes 36. You can add further pick-up points, and operators are used to confirming those a week or two out. Work your departure times backwards from the ceremony, and ask guests to be at the pick-up point 10 to 15 minutes early. Someone always isn't.
- 2
Arrival at Caoura Cliffs
Buses come through the main entrance and continue to the guest car park. Our regular operators know the route and the turning areas. If your coach company hasn't been here before, they should call us for a route briefing beforehand.
- 3
Collecting the self-drivers
Your approved self-driving guests park in the guest car park and wait there. The bus collects them on its way down to the ceremony, so nobody drives the bush track.
- 4
The Homestead
If you're staying at The Homestead, the bus can collect the wedding party from there on its way through. Some couples prefer a separate transfer instead, in one of our vehicles or something you've arranged and we've approved. Either works. Tell us which in your final details so it lands on the run sheet.
- 5
The drive to The Cliffs
From the car park it's around 3km through the property to the ceremony site. This is the part guests talk about afterwards. The paddocks open out, the tree line drops away, and by the time the bus pulls up at the escarpment everyone understands where they are.
- 6
Arriving before the ceremony
Buses arrive at The Cliffs about 30 minutes before your ceremony time. That gives everyone a chance to get off unhurried, for us to help anyone who needs it, and for guests to find their seats while your celebrant and musicians make their final checks. It also keeps the wedding party clear of arriving guests. The Cliffs is an open ledge with a steep drop, so we ask that children stay close from the moment they step off the bus. Once everyone is off, the buses head back up to the car park and wait there.
- 7
Back to The Pavilion
After the ceremony and any petal moment or group photographs, guests board for the short run back. We time the final departure around your photography schedule, cocktail hour and the light. You and your wedding party can stay at The Cliffs for portraits and follow separately. Guests are dropped at The Pavilion arrival point rather than at the car park, so nobody is walking the 250 metres in good shoes.
- 8
Getting home
At the end of the night, guests board at The Pavilion. Depending on your plan the buses return self-drivers to the car park, run to your main accommodation, and make any further drop-offs, in one departure or a couple of staggered ones. You and the operator agree the timings between you, and we'll confirm them with you in your final details so they land on the run sheet. Every wedding runs to its own finish time, so there's no standard last bus.
Parking
Limited onsite parking.
There are 20 approved spaces on the property. Ten are for your day guests and ten are held for vendors and the teams working your wedding. That's the lot, which is the single biggest reason the buses exist.
Spaces aren't first-come. They're planned as part of your transport schedule and confirmed with us in advance, and they're meant for guests with a genuine need to drive.
- Elderly guests
- Pregnant guests
- Guests with a disability or mobility requirement
- Guests not drinking who have a real reason to drive
- Anything else we agree with you
Guests staying at The Homestead are a separate arrangement and park there rather than in the guest car park. Every other self-driving guest parks in the car park and waits for the bus. Nobody drives on to The Homestead unless they're staying there or you've arranged it with us.
Three weeks before your first event date
All vehicles, guest and vendor, must be registered with us. Unregistered cars can be refused entry or sent to park offsite at your cost.
By your Event Information Deadline
Accessible parking requests come to us, so we can plan the drop-offs properly.
The car park sits around 250 metres from The Pavilion, which keeps vehicles out of your photographs. Car ferrying to and from the car park is included, so anyone who can't comfortably make that walk doesn't have to.
Accessibility
Across the property.
We'd rather be straight with you about what the ground is like than have a guest arrive to a surprise.
The Pavilion
Fully wheelchair-accessible. Step-free entry, level movement throughout the main space, a dedicated accessible bathroom, and vehicle drop-off at the door.
The Cliffs
The Cliffs is reached by vehicle, and we can get a car close to the ceremony seating. It's still a bush ceremony site. The ground is natural earth and uneven in places, it changes with the weather, and the toilet there isn't wheelchair-accessible. Some guests will need a hand between the vehicle and their seat.
None of that rules anything out. It means we want to know early, so we can work out the right arrival, seating and assistance plan for the guests who need one. Talk to us about mobility requirements before your transport run sheet is finalised, rather than after.
Site visits
Come and stand on the cliffs.
Site visits run by appointment and take about an hour. Bring your questions.