Explore Melbourne with river cruises and ferries
Being a city with a large, calm river flowing right through the centre, Melbourne is famous for it’s riverside activities. A great way to experience the exciting city of Melbourne, is to cruise along the glorious Yarra River on a Melbourne river cruise or ferry.
Ferries
Melbourne small ferries provide a scenic adventure and a convenient entertainment day/night for locals as well as visitors. The main Yarra River Shuttle boat will take you from Federation Square, in the CBD, around to New Quay. This service operates between November and March allowing passengers to hop onto the service throughout the day.
Williamstown Ferries operate daily and cruise the Yarra River, from Southgate Crown Casino to Williamstown.
Spirit of Melbourne Cruising Restaurant
For something a little more special, why not indulge in one of the Melbourne river cruises? Departing from Southgate every hour between 9.45am and 3.45pm or from Gem Pier at Williamstown every hour between 10.45am to 4.45pm, a Melbourne River Cruise combines some of the sights of Melbourne, Australia, with alfresco decks, a snack bar and running commentary.
There’s also a number of private companies offering Melbourne river cruises. Many of these provide special gourmet meals and entertainment to celebrate romantic events like Weddings, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. These cruises sweep up amazing views of the CBD skyscrapers.
Night Pontoons
Along both sides of the Yarra River there’s now more and more party pontoons with mini bars and nightclubs onboard. These pontoons have great overhead canopies to keep everybody safe and dry during rain. Some of the pontoons are even multi level!
Moomba
Being in Melbourne for the yearly Moomba festival is a treat! Melbourne has been celebrating Moomba since way back in 1955. A big part of Moomba is the daytime water sports like water skiing along the Yarra River.
Tasmania Ferry
For those travelling to Tasmania, The Spirit of Tasmania is a ferry from Melbourne to Devonport and return. The Spirit of Tasmania does overnight trips and daytime. This service allows you to take your vehicle onboard (whether it be a car, truck, motorcycle or campervan) with you, or you can book as passengers only.
Next time you’re visiting Melbourne, keep ferry and boat trips on your bucket list and remember, Melbourne is a port city in a massive bay… Port Philip Bay.