See Melbourne by boat with these river cruises

For more than 30 years the Melbourne River Cruises fleet has been showing guests Melbourne from an on-water perspective. They run daily one hour sightseeing tours to either the river gardens or docklands (or both in their two hour tour). They also offer a cruising restaurant every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, and can be booked for events.

Aye, the Lady Cutler is a fine old ship. She also knows how to throw one hell of a party. If you’re looking for a gentle sightseeing cruise look elsewhere: if you’re looking for a party at sea (at river?) the Cutler is your girl. They regularly host themed events onboard the ship like boozy seafood brunches, burlesque showboat nights and Christmas cruises.

You’ve had lunch by the river, now try lunch on the river. GoBoat is an electric boat hire service currently running in Melbourne that makes it super easy to have picnics at sea (well, a river in this case). GoBoat’s five-metre-long boats seat up to eight people and don’t need a boating licence to operate. The best part? They come equipped with a built-in picnic table in the middle of the boat. 

Sail upstream or downstream with City River Cruises.  The upstream option leads to Herring Island and Como House. If you’re interested in sport it’s ideal as you’ll pass the MCG, Rod Laver Arena, Olympic Park and AAMI Park. But downstream to Port of Melbourne is just as interesting. It’s the busiest port in the Southern Hemisphere and a great reminder of the area’s industrial roots.

Sail, don’t drive to Williamstown. The quaint little seaside town at the mouth of the Yarra can be accessed by a scenic one hour trip down the river. Williamstown ferries are the oldest ferry operator to Williamstown, and depart several times a day from Southbank (on the eastern side of the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge).