1 Hour Sight seeing Melbourne River Cruise on historic vessel
Badge of Excellence
Melbourne, Australia
- 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Bypass the crowds on land to see Melbourne's headline sights from a comfortable spot on the water. Cruise along the Yarra River on a vintage boat, passing under historic bridges and past the Botanical Gardens and Docklands. Listen to live commentary along the way for an insightful experience.
- Bring your own drinks and snacks to enjoy as you cruise
- Benefit from crowd-free photo ops of the city's waterfront
- Get insight you'd otherwise miss with live commentary
- Express cruise leaves plenty of time in the day for other activities
What's Included
- Restroom on board
- BYO Any Food and drinks
- Cruise past Federation Square, MCG, Tennis Centre, Rowing sheds, Royal Botanic Gardens and Sth Yarra
- Gliding under 12 bridges from 1888 - 1950's
- Have a Captains drive (under supervision)
- Down River past Arbory Afloat, Aquarium, Casino, Sth Wharf, Barque Polly Woodside, Docklands
- Find out where the First White Settlers stepped ashore!
- Departing Across the river from Flinders Street Station # BERTH 3
- Small number of Guests
- DOG Friendly
- Bag drop at # Berth 3
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 25 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 37 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Enjoyed very much. It was described briefly and covered all the places as per itinerary. The cruise was clean .
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thanks buddy. I do like to keep the three boats in nice order and should probably have shares in the people who make Brasso Polish . Capt Hamish
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.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Good Morning Terry, as you know when I give the initial introduction I state that I will let the guests "sit back and relax for the the first half and on the return I will resume the commentary for the majority of the return trip"
I agree a coffee would be nice.
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 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 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 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
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 :)
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.
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, Sep 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 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 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 :)
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 :)
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 :)
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
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.
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 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 👍
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 :)
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 :)
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.
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 :)
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.
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 :)
We really enjoyed the experience and to top it off the boat was beautiful. We will definitely be recommending this.
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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