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1 Hour Sight seeing Melbourne River Cruise on historic vessel

Badge of Excellence
Melbourne, Australia
Popular pick
Booked 10+ times last week!
  • 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.)
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.7
·
· Adaeze_O ·
Apr 2026
The cruise itself was very relaxing, and the Captain was really knowledgeable. Turned out to be quite an educational yet enjoyable boat ride. Also, it was a gorgeous boat that has apparently been kept in such a great condition. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Melbourne.
· Hira_S ·
Jul 2026
Simple relaxing cruise along the Yarra, the boat is lovely, and the commentary was helpful. Worth booking the one hour

Overview

See the most famous sites in Melbourne from the Yarra River as you cruise on a vintage vessel, a Grower built in 1924. Travel under historic bridges at sunset, cameras ready to snap photos of the Botanical Gardens, the Docklands, and more from your boat. Listen to live commentary from your captain who tells you all about Melbourne’s history and culture as you have a few nibbles and maybe a glass of wine (BYO).
  • Easy to find meeting spot to keep things simple
  • See places like the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and more from the Yarra
  • Feel free to bring whatever food and drink you like
  • Make a few friends as you cruise up and down the Yarra River

What's Included

  • Restroom on board
  • Snacks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • 3 Southbank Promenade, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia

    Berth 3 South Gate is opposite Flinders Street Railway Station , in between St kilda rd and the Evan Walker foot Bridge. Just in front of the food Court at South Gate. GOOGLE MAPS (classic steamboat cruises) 5 min walk from arts Precinct and Federation Square

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

1

Yarra River

1 hour Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.7
based on 33 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Sort by: Most insightful

Comfortable but little underwhelming

Terry_H, Jul 2026
Started cruise with little introduction and then zero commentary for for half of the cruise. Little commentary on returning. Very little too see but already the boat was nice. Needed maybe complementary coffee for the winter months may have made the experience little better.

Simple relaxing cruise...

Hira_S, Jul 2026
Simple relaxing cruise along the Yarra, the boat is lovely, and the commentary was helpful. Worth booking the one hour

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Hello again, Fantastic that you enjoyed your cruise on the Yarra. These very old, but restored boats just show that the old ways are sometimes still the best Captain Hamish

Nice little cruise down...

Randall_B, Jul 2026
Nice little cruise down the river. Wasn’t too long of a tour and it gives you a chance to sit down and just enjoy the views.

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Good Morning, when I am not driving the boats I am responding to reviews :) , and its always nice for me to receive them as it shows I am going ok. Hope to see you back on the steamer soon

A great outing with the kids

Chris_T, Jul 2026
A great way to explore Melbourne with the kids, both up and down the river. A nice touch letting the kids have a turn steering the boat

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Hi Chris, Hamish here! cheers for taking the time for the review and more than happ for the kids to have a drive. (saves me doing it) :) have a good day

Chill, quick, and...

Evan_K, Jun 2026
Chill, quick, and affordable river cruise that gave us a great view of Melbourne. Hamish did a great job explaining the history of the bridges and sites along the river, and Woody (the dog and co-captain) made the trip even better

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Great work Evan, Mr Woody is a good boy! He loves all the pats and snacks :) Thanks for choosing to ride with us on our historic boats it all helps to keep them going

River tour on lovely wooden boat

Stephanie_M, May 2026
Hamish was excellent and it was lovely to be on his lovingly restored boat. I would highly recommend taking this trip

Response from Host, May 2026

Hello Stephanie, I really appreciate the review and very happy to hear that all was good! Sometimes I wonder why I muck around with this old stuff, but I do like the ide that I have preserved these vessels for the future and that they are in survey and others can enjoy them as well :)

Fantastic, relaxing boat cruise and tour of Melbourne on the Yarra River.

Adaeze_O, Apr 2026
The cruise itself was very relaxing, and the Captain was really knowledgeable. Turned out to be quite an educational yet enjoyable boat ride. Also, it was a gorgeous boat that has apparently been kept in such a great condition. Definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Melbourne.

Melbourne River Cruise

Sophia_M, Apr 2026
Easy to locate. We had a glorious day but inside seating if not so nice. Nicer boat than the big glass boats

Response from Host, Jul 2026

Thanks for taking the time Sophia to acknowledge It was a enjoyable cruise. It was very busy over the weekend with lots of people around, enjoying our late warm weather in Melbourne.

Such a worthwhile...

Katherine_K, Apr 2026
Such a worthwhile activity to experience the city in a relaxing and splendid way! I have lived in Melbourne awhile prior to taking a cruise and this tour specifically felt like the best experience. The boast has so much character and Woody the deck dog was a special surprise. The views are just that much more elevated as you glide along. 11/10 👏🏼

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Always lovely to receive a review especially a 11/10 Thank you and Woody says Hello :)

It’s a wonderful way to...

Anna_L, Mar 2026
It’s a wonderful way to see Melbourne from the water, going upstream and downstream. Great commentary too!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Hi Anna, a review like yours is just great. Its nice to receive a little pat on the back every now and then. Spread the love and thanks very much :)

Relaxing and great views from the water

Hollis_T, May 2025
Friendly owner, beautifully restored boat. Nice history overview. Truly enjoyed seeing the city from the water - just beautiful! Recommend this tour!!

Response from Host, May 2025

Thank you very much and glad you enjoyed you Yarra River experience :)

Beautiful Sunday Cruise

nikki_s, Apr 2025
Great trip, we had the boat to ourselves and woody that adorable dog was a bonus companion. Gentle lovely river cruise. Would do it all over again.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Hi Nikki, appreciate your comments, but Woody hasn't always been a good boy. His name partly came from the fact that he was quite happy, eating the boat...but no more :)

Interesting journey in Melbourne we will come back again next summer. It’s beautiful memories, our children so enjoyed

Lin_D, Apr 2025
Great experience with family, we will come back again soon and review to friends about beautiful our journey in Melbourne

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Hi Lin, hopefully when you come back our 1914 Steam boat will be up and running

End of Summer on the Yarra

Tim_S, Feb 2025
Lovely short one hour cruise on the Yarra River in a small covered vessel. Captain was very professional and informative

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Cheers Tim, thanks for coming along

Not as anticipated. ...

Joyce_F, Feb 2025
Not as anticipated. The boat was not as shown in the picture. Commentary not well presented and could not hear.

Response from Host, Mar 2025

We have two boats that we use for our public cruise's MV Grower and MV Eureka...Both have a good sound system.

Really enjoyed the river...

josh_h, Feb 2025
Really enjoyed the river cruise. 1 hour is plenty of time to see the important parts of the river. Captain did a nice job giving a bit of history. The boat is cool and has an interesting story.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Thanks Josh, much appreciated mate… have a good day 👍

Great time

Donne_S, Feb 2025
There’s lots to see. We got to experience/ see the city without doing lengthy walks with an energetic toddler.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Good Morning, thank you for the positive comments and glad the little one got to enjoy a trip out on the water :)

Evening on the Yarra

Deb_N, Feb 2025
Nice trip on the Yarra. Good communication regarding meeting place. Would have appreciated more commentary while onboard.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Hi Deb, thank you for the feedback :)

Great little ride

Stefka_L, Feb 2025
This was a very relaxing ride. I think maybe because we were the first guests for the day, it was a bit quiet at first. There was a lot to take in and the views were very memorable.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Good morning and thank you for taking the time to leave a great review....I appreciate it a lot.

Pleasant, relaxing

TJ_v, Jan 2025
Departed on time. 1/2 hour up river, return pick up more guests then 1/2 down river. Pleasant, relaxing. Captain gave some good/interesting commentary along the route which was nice. All in all, worth the money. Thanks

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Thank you..it helps in more ways than just a good comment...so thank you :)

Disappointed!

Alan_Y, Dec 2024
Ads and promotions were misleading. It did not meet expectations in many ways including a minimal commentary.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

When were you onboard Alan? I do not understand your complaint, as commentary is on every cruise, but in saying that another guest may have been talking to the Captain.

Unique cruising on the Yarra

Cathy_W, Nov 2024
Cool unique boat beautiful day cruising very relaxing and it was interesting to see other parts of the city.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thats great Cathy and thank you for spending the time for the 5 Star review :)

Very good experience

Wil_I, Feb 2024
We really enjoyed the experience and to top it off the boat was beautiful. We will definitely be recommending this.

From $24.88

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 15 days in advance.

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