Murray River Escapes

Murray River Escapes are small group houseboat holidays on Australia’s greatest river, self-catered with customised itineraries. We will come aboard each day to move your houseboat to the best locations so that you can experience the meandering bends in the river, relax and enjoy the scenery. You'll avoid the stress of navigating, mooring and travelling through a river lock. If you love your mooring so much, we can leave you there for an extra day or more.

If you wish, we will help you to customise your itinerary by organising several on-river and off-river activities including a brandy, wine and spirits tour or a chef coming aboard to prepare a three course meal paired with local wines. We will provide an experienced guide for all transfers on and off the river, to and from your activities.

Murray River Escapes are perfect for groups ranging from 4 to 10 people.

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Dates March-November
Duration 3, 4, 5 Day Customised Journeys
Accommodation Houseboat
Meals Self-Catered
Boat Driver Included (up to 4 hours/day)
From $270 pp per day
MREscapes WHITE INVERTED
We loved our knowledgeable boat driver arriving each morning after breakfast to take us on our next leisurely cruise to another spectacular location, this is the escape we all needed. Truly peaceful and I read 2 books!
Kathy S, NSW

Itinerary

Option 1 - Escape to the river

Houseboat holidays are an iconic holiday experience on the Murray River. Favoured by families and groups of friends, they are the perfect way for large groups to Escape To The River, slow down and spend time connecting with one another and nature.

The idea of driving and parking a modern houseboat and navigating through a river lock can be daunting for some which is why we have created Murray River Escapes – houseboat holidays where we include the service of moving your houseboat for you.

Leave the stress of houseboat moving to us and spend more time admiring the passing scenery, lunching while cruising, conversing with friends or playing card games with the family. This way everyone on board gets to enjoy the top deck views without one of your group being confined to the helm.

Escape for 3, 4 or 5 days and each day a houseboat driver will arrive to take you cruising on the Murray River for up to 4 hours on route to a new mooring destination with superb scenery and a good campfire site.

The itinerary can be customised for you and your group, so if you decide you want to cruise 2 out of 4 days, your driver will only be present on the days you want to cruise.

How you decide to spend each day of your holiday is completely up to you. However, it will be up to you to make your own arrangements and bring your own equipment (eg fishing rods, binoculars, easel and paints, camera, walking gear).

Inclusions: 3, 4 or 5 day houseboat hire, houseboat driver up to 4 hours/day, and all transfers to and from the houseboat.

Exclusions: all food & beverages, recreational equipment (fishing rods, canoe, powered boats)

You can view a full list of experiences in the download list on your right ‘Option 1 – Activity Ideas’

Option 2 - Escape on and off the river

In addition to planning your mooring sites and a driver moving your houseboat each day, our Escape On and Off the River experience allows you to tailor an itinerary of daily activities to suit the group’s interests.

We will work with you to customise an itinerary of guided and hosted activities on and off the river. We will collect you from the houseboat and return you each day. If you wish, you can choose to spend some days on the river relaxing on the houseboat entertaining yourselves while we move it for you, and on other days we can take you off the houseboat to explore our fabulous region. Final pricing will depend on the agreed group itinerary.

Suggested itineraries include:

Nature based experiences, such as a 2 to 4 hour guided canoe tour, short 5km guided bush walks, an Aboriginal cultural walk, an inland lakes bird watching safari, or a cruise through the Chowilla Environmental Weir to learn about environmental watering in the Murray Darling Basin.

Food experiences, such as a native bushfood masterclass led by a local chef, or a brandy, wine and spirit tour or a tour with the brewer through an award-winning microbrewery. There are options for everyone’s interests.

If you are celebrating a milestone or just feeling like a break from cooking, we can arrange for a chef to come aboard and cook you a superb 3 course meal, or for a local winemaker to come on board to help you discover the innovative world of Riverland wine.

Inclusions: 3, 4 or 5 day houseboat hire, houseboat driver up to 4 hours/day, activity guide for each day of the itinerary as necessary and all transfers to and from the houseboat.

Exclusions: all food & beverages, recreational equipment (fishing rods, canoe, powered boats)

You can view a full list of experiences in the download list on your right ‘Option 2 – Activity Modules’

Lodge Style Accommodation

Your accommodation is a houseboat that sleeps up to 10 guests.

Houseboats provide spectacular views of the river from every angle.

More information about your houseboat accommodation

Your houseboat is equipped with a modern kitchen, comfortable dining and lounge areas, 2 bathrooms with hot showers, a swim deck and a top deck area with hot spa.

All linen is provided.

This is a self-catered experience and you will need to organise your food & beverages for the journey. Please let us know if you’d like some suggestions on how to plan for this. You can decide whether you’d like the houseboat to cruise to a new destination each day. The houseboat has a generous fridge/freezer and an additional chest freezer on board.

Ready to book?

Escape to the river: $270 pp / day
Escape on & off the river: From $270 pp / day
Call us to plan your itinerary & a custom quote
Private tour departures available for October and November 2020
MREscapes WHITE INVERTED
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Frequently Asked Questions

What if we have an emergency on Board?

If there is health related emergency we are contactable 24/7. A UHF Radio and a satellite phone are provided to ensure communication during day and night. Prior to departure we will discuss an Emergency Response Plan with you.

If there is an appliance or equipment failure we can be contacted from 8am through to 8pm daily, and can arrange a repair or replacement if necessary to minimize inconvenience.

Can I drive the houseboat?

Yes, under the supervision of our houseboat driver.

Can you arrange canoe hire?

Yes, at an additional cost and only 2 canoes at a time (due to space restrictions on houseboats).

Can we hire powered boats as well?

Not at this current time.

For Escapes On and Off the River, do we have to schedule activities for every day?

No, it is your holiday and you can choose how much activity you’d like to include. A day spent simply relaxing on the houseboat is a day well spent.

If we do not wish to move the houseboat for one or more of the days, do we still pay for the driver?

Yes, the cost of the boat driver is included in your final price because we must pay them to remain on standby for the duration of your holiday. This ensures we retain staff and that you retain full flexibility on your holiday.

Murray River FOOTER Wave Transparent

Murray River Escapes booking Enquiries

This is a brand new experience that is currently open for bookings, with private group departures planned for October and November 2020.

If you would like to know more about this experience or would like to begin creating your holiday itinerary, please fill out the form below and we will be in touch soon to help you start planning your Murray River Escape.

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