Murray River
Murray River
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
178 reviews
Excellent
96
Very good
43
Average
15
Poor
16
Terrible
8
Kevin W
3 contributions
Apr 2021 • Friends
8 of us went on a 5 night trip that commenced on 7th April 2021.
The first night onboard we were upstairs by the spa when we saw two mice running around on the top deck.
After going to bed our friends caught a mouse that had climbed into their bag. Once in bed we found it difficult to sleep as we heard lots of mice running around in the walls and ceiling. The next morning we got up to find mice had been in the Cupboards, eating lots of our food!!
After calling the maintenance man to provide us with traps he arrived with two traps as he told us there was a mouse plague in NSW and they were difficult to get hold of.
To cut a long story short during the four days we set traps we caught 17 mice with no end to the numbers in sight. We were told they couldn't put bait down as that would leave them dead in the walls.
My friend sent a letter of complaint to the current owner David who told her he did not feel it necessary to inform us of the mice onboard as he had done all he could to mitigate the issue and blamed her phobia of mice for making the issue bigger than it actually was!!!!
We were all just appalled with this reply. If we had known prior to going on the trip that the Houseboat was infested with mice we would have cancelled and spent our money on a hotel.
Despite any phobias, our clothes were used as a toilet our food was eaten and our sleep disrupted, plus my wife was woken twice with mice on her pillow!! Just disgusting.
Apart from the mice issues the boat was dated and in need of repair. We had roller blinds that did not work, bedroom doors that wouldn't close, a heater that smelt (cooked mouse), and ran out of gas.
While I know that this review will put people off going on these 'Luxury Houseboats' until the new owners can address these problems I would not recommend anyone going on a trip with this company.
The first night onboard we were upstairs by the spa when we saw two mice running around on the top deck.
After going to bed our friends caught a mouse that had climbed into their bag. Once in bed we found it difficult to sleep as we heard lots of mice running around in the walls and ceiling. The next morning we got up to find mice had been in the Cupboards, eating lots of our food!!
After calling the maintenance man to provide us with traps he arrived with two traps as he told us there was a mouse plague in NSW and they were difficult to get hold of.
To cut a long story short during the four days we set traps we caught 17 mice with no end to the numbers in sight. We were told they couldn't put bait down as that would leave them dead in the walls.
My friend sent a letter of complaint to the current owner David who told her he did not feel it necessary to inform us of the mice onboard as he had done all he could to mitigate the issue and blamed her phobia of mice for making the issue bigger than it actually was!!!!
We were all just appalled with this reply. If we had known prior to going on the trip that the Houseboat was infested with mice we would have cancelled and spent our money on a hotel.
Despite any phobias, our clothes were used as a toilet our food was eaten and our sleep disrupted, plus my wife was woken twice with mice on her pillow!! Just disgusting.
Apart from the mice issues the boat was dated and in need of repair. We had roller blinds that did not work, bedroom doors that wouldn't close, a heater that smelt (cooked mouse), and ran out of gas.
While I know that this review will put people off going on these 'Luxury Houseboats' until the new owners can address these problems I would not recommend anyone going on a trip with this company.
Written April 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janet B
Doncaster East, Australia1 contribution
Apr 2021
Think twice before booking with Luxury on The Murray Houseboats. it is definitely not luxurious. The boat is very dated and in need or repairs and new furniture. The hot tub took hours to heat up.
That being said it was actually the mice that dominated the holiday.
This holiday with friends had been well planned and much looked forward to.
Unfortunately want we did not expect, was to have the company of many, many mice. We were given no warning that this may happen. In all we caught 17 mice on a 5 day trip, with many more still to be heard in the walls and in the kitchen area. They got into our food, our bags, ran across our pillows, in the oven and in and around the kitchen area.
The owner, upon our return and subsequent emails replied with the following comments: 'you have blown this up due to your phobia & are making it a far bigger issue than it is' also, 'I can't guarantee you won't have mice on your boat, in the past I've had snakes, spiders, mice and birds on the boats over the years and as you are out n the bush, no-one can control this'
His reply to my email was rude, condescending and inconsiderate towards our experience. My concerns were dismissed as being unfair and silly (they are the words used in his email)
My friends and I have never experienced this kind of customer service.
Luckily for me my friends are resilient and supportive and we did manage to have a great time regardless of this interesting experience.
There are many houseboat companies on the Murray, I would avoid this company 'pardon the pun' like the plague.
A houseboat on the Murray is an awesome experience, thoroughly recommend it - just choose the company to book with wisely.
That being said it was actually the mice that dominated the holiday.
This holiday with friends had been well planned and much looked forward to.
Unfortunately want we did not expect, was to have the company of many, many mice. We were given no warning that this may happen. In all we caught 17 mice on a 5 day trip, with many more still to be heard in the walls and in the kitchen area. They got into our food, our bags, ran across our pillows, in the oven and in and around the kitchen area.
The owner, upon our return and subsequent emails replied with the following comments: 'you have blown this up due to your phobia & are making it a far bigger issue than it is' also, 'I can't guarantee you won't have mice on your boat, in the past I've had snakes, spiders, mice and birds on the boats over the years and as you are out n the bush, no-one can control this'
His reply to my email was rude, condescending and inconsiderate towards our experience. My concerns were dismissed as being unfair and silly (they are the words used in his email)
My friends and I have never experienced this kind of customer service.
Luckily for me my friends are resilient and supportive and we did manage to have a great time regardless of this interesting experience.
There are many houseboat companies on the Murray, I would avoid this company 'pardon the pun' like the plague.
A houseboat on the Murray is an awesome experience, thoroughly recommend it - just choose the company to book with wisely.
Written June 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shockingman
Perth, Australia14 contributions
May 2021
I have spent nearly five decades saying "I'm Gunna do a cruise up the Murray river" but always ended up visiting some other country. What a pity. We (two Sandgropers) have just spent a wonderful fortnight in South Australia and I have to put the River cruse at the top of the list. It was well organized and the staff were really the best as they could not do enough for you. It could be cheaper if you book in a group. Two other rips were to the Barossa ( again a "gunna do") and Kangaroo Island, was an unexpected bonus. The fires destroyed much of the island in 2020 and it is wonderful seeing the healthy re-growth, even though it is sad to see the burnt out trees. Every Australian should plan a holiday, or two, in Australia, during the next year. No huge flying costs and no $1000 insurance payments for us senior's! David Schokman.
Written May 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
colinus
Brisbane45 contributions
Jan 2020
We spent a week on the Proud Mary travelling up this magnificent river. This was our second trip, we did a weekend cruise last year and came back for a 7 day Murray Bridge to Berri cruise in January. There are just not enough ways to praise this. Have I made my point.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leigh W
Sydney, Australia50 contributions
Nov 2020 • Solo
I was a little bit worried about taking this cruise being somewhat younger than the average passenger. I need not have worried as the Cruise company had me at the dinner table with all of the younger passengers (by younger I mean under 60). And they did well with matching us because we had the best time. Food was good and offshore activities great fun, especially the onshore BBQ and the visit to the Ngaut Ngaut archaeological site. I even managed, somehow to be upgraded to a stateroom, which was especially nice. I was sad for the cruise to end.
Written November 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon B
City of Greater Geelong, Australia4,157 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
Visited Murray River towns, Moama/Echuca, for winter school holidays 2023.
Teenage boys created their own natural bush adventures while I just soaked up the peace & quiet.
Wonderful huge waterway to explore & gaze upon at varied times & changing sunlight colour.
Good to see communities recovering well after Spring 2022 floods.
Teenage boys created their own natural bush adventures while I just soaked up the peace & quiet.
Wonderful huge waterway to explore & gaze upon at varied times & changing sunlight colour.
Good to see communities recovering well after Spring 2022 floods.
Written August 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael-4551
Caloundra, Australia5,528 contributions
Mar 2020
Visited various times when we stayed at Gol Gol. The Murray River is something you can't miss when you visit Mildura and the surrounding area. As you travel around you get to see it from different angles and I enjoyed it the best while watching the paddle steamers going by.
Written July 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie D
Sydney, Australia13 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
Greatly looking forward to the 4 night round trip from Mannum but unfortunately we were very disappointed.
Our very first and most important suggestion would be to the cruise director, on our trip Michael. At the culmination of the initial meet and greet/safety talk we believe he should strongly mention, for the comfort and consideration of other passengers, not to loiter and gossip loudly outside any cabin other than your own.
We had a rear stateroom which proved to be the most popular for early morning photographers wanting to catch the sunrise. Yes, I said sunrise. We had people discussing the birdlife/cliffs/sunrise, quite loudly, when we were still trying to sleep! Then there was the midnight roll out of the bar and the laughing and hilarity, again not outside their own cabins!
We think Michael should have reinforced basic considerations for other passengers at the culmination of each little pre-dinner chat. We also noted many of the other passengers were beginning to be annoyed by the constant noise at inappropriate times.
Secondly, the so called room air conditioning was totally unacceptable. We had 1 vent that could be turned on or off for airflow from a common central void within the boat. Our vent was located in the bathroom, which backed on to the corresponding vent of the stateroom on the other side of the boat. I need not say any more than they were too close.
On a more positive note, the food was fine, the staff were pleasant and the speed boat ride was good fun. The scenery was excellent and we enjoyed the sun deck and the feeling of 'nearness' to the cliffs. Also, on the last night there was a passenger medical emergency which seemed to be handled effectively.
All in all we were looking for a cruise with charm and serenity and we got an old, noisy boat.
Our very first and most important suggestion would be to the cruise director, on our trip Michael. At the culmination of the initial meet and greet/safety talk we believe he should strongly mention, for the comfort and consideration of other passengers, not to loiter and gossip loudly outside any cabin other than your own.
We had a rear stateroom which proved to be the most popular for early morning photographers wanting to catch the sunrise. Yes, I said sunrise. We had people discussing the birdlife/cliffs/sunrise, quite loudly, when we were still trying to sleep! Then there was the midnight roll out of the bar and the laughing and hilarity, again not outside their own cabins!
We think Michael should have reinforced basic considerations for other passengers at the culmination of each little pre-dinner chat. We also noted many of the other passengers were beginning to be annoyed by the constant noise at inappropriate times.
Secondly, the so called room air conditioning was totally unacceptable. We had 1 vent that could be turned on or off for airflow from a common central void within the boat. Our vent was located in the bathroom, which backed on to the corresponding vent of the stateroom on the other side of the boat. I need not say any more than they were too close.
On a more positive note, the food was fine, the staff were pleasant and the speed boat ride was good fun. The scenery was excellent and we enjoyed the sun deck and the feeling of 'nearness' to the cliffs. Also, on the last night there was a passenger medical emergency which seemed to be handled effectively.
All in all we were looking for a cruise with charm and serenity and we got an old, noisy boat.
Written April 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ros-Ann13
South Australia176 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
We took the 3 Night Murray Princess Cruise in April as a celebration for our 30th Wedding Anniversary. We are around age 50 & were the youngest amongst the passengers - They were mostly in there 60s & older. That was OK for us because we wanted a quiet & relaxed weekend & were fascinated with the idea of doing a Paddle Boat cruise. The Murray Princess was built in the mid 1980s so it was never a true paddle steamer. The outside of the boat is very pretty & fairytale like. The lounges & dining room do have lots of lovely polished timber work, etc but after that the boat is very ordinary & needs some upgrading & maintenance. The itinerary is geared towards the elderly so if you're expecting to see lots of the Murray & the towns along it or are expecting lots of activity don't choose this cruise. Luckily for us we just wanted to relax & enjoy the scenery of the Murray River. We also had taken books with us so could relax & read when there was nothing else happening. For the high price we paid the decor', service & food was very ordinary. We are wondering if there has been some cost-cutting done in recent times as we had seen pictures of fancy buffet meals but we never had any real fancy buffets. If the price (we paid $2000 for the 3 night/2 day cruise for the cheapest cabins - inside cabins on the lowest deck. The staterooms are about $3,000 for the same 3 night/2 day cruise) wasn't so high we wouldn't have expected a much higher standard than what we got. Our cabin was VERY plain - the linen was thin & worn - there was a patch on our sheet & our pillowcases were so thin you could see through them. Our face washer was so worn I could feel my fingers through it when I washed my face - in fact there was a hole in it. There was no effort to take the decor & service from "ordinary" to "special" - no decorations in the cabins or lounges. When they say that tea/coffee is available around the clock, they are referring to a selection of tea & coffee budget sachets like you find in budget motels which are available on a counter in the Paddle Wheel lounge where you can make your own hot drink. There are no cups provided in the lounge - either for the hot drinks or the Pura Tap water that's there for drinking. You have to remember to collect your souvenir mug or plastic spring water bottle from your cabin - which may be 2 floors way - every time you wanted a drink. (Or else carry it around with you.) If you want to sleep in, there are no "Do Not Disturb" signs to hang on your door - you are all expected to be at Breakfast at 8 am - as we found out when staff unlocked our door at 8.10 am without even knocking. There are a handful of more experienced staff but mostly they are very young & lacking professionalism. Mid Sunday afternoon we wanted to buy a cuppa chino from either the lounge counter or the bar but neither were open! We had to wait till 5 pm until we could get a cuppa chino. I agree with others that the staff entertainment was amateur & poorly done.....except for the older guy playing music. He was very talented & we enjoyed him very much. We even had to pay for soft drink - you would think that would be included in a highly priced cruise. There is lot that the company could do to make this cruise more special without spending huge amounts of money - eg: decorate the rooms, lounges, etc with pictures, flowers or pot plants (silk would do fine), urgently upgrade the linen & towels, train the young staff to be more friendly, helpful & professional, provide "Do Not Disturb" door signs like hotels have should passenger wish to sleep in, provide more commentary about the towns, history, etc, etc as they are cruising - the commentary was virtually non existent - and the list goes on. The cabins do need to be upgraded - the paint is worn, there was a large crack in our wall, the shelves above our bed were very cheap plastic bathroom shelves and the lighting was yellowing old fluro tubes. It is looking "tired". Even our blanket was worn with holes in it.
On the positive side - if you don't mind paying the high price just to relax & watch the beautiful natural scenery glide by and have a very average small room, tiny bathroom and have average restaurant meals, you will enjoy the cruise. We just felt that passengers are being "ripped off" because there is no competition for this type of cruise along the Murray. Even the food presentation was very average - our cafe's in our local rural area serve fancier meals. We have stayed in 3-4 star motels with fancier & better presented breakfast buffets than was provided on this cruise. They say breakfast is between 8-9am but they are packing up by 8.45 am! The Sealink Travel Group, who own Captain Cook Cruises, needs to spend money upgrading this paddle boat & the standard of these cruises if they wish to charge such high prices.
On the positive side - if you don't mind paying the high price just to relax & watch the beautiful natural scenery glide by and have a very average small room, tiny bathroom and have average restaurant meals, you will enjoy the cruise. We just felt that passengers are being "ripped off" because there is no competition for this type of cruise along the Murray. Even the food presentation was very average - our cafe's in our local rural area serve fancier meals. We have stayed in 3-4 star motels with fancier & better presented breakfast buffets than was provided on this cruise. They say breakfast is between 8-9am but they are packing up by 8.45 am! The Sealink Travel Group, who own Captain Cook Cruises, needs to spend money upgrading this paddle boat & the standard of these cruises if they wish to charge such high prices.
Written May 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
desmodan94
Gulgong, Australia7 contributions
Oct 2016 • Family
We decided to finally visit the Murray River in Oct this year and as a family of 4 who hadn't had a family holiday for quite some time decided to splurge on a houseboat. Murray River Houseboats website presented beautifully and communication appeared to be great. We booked a 4 day mid week holiday.
Everything was suggestive our dream holiday was going to plan until we arrived at the "rendezvous" point on Monday morning. As we were loading our supplies into the boat, Julie (proprietor with her husband Ken) informed me that we would not be able to pilot the boat at any time ourselves and that their staff would be here soon to drive us to our first spot. This was devastating as this was the very first hint that we could not spend our days slowly crushing the river and managing our own holiday. After handing over $1400 for 4 days we had no choice but to proceed with the trip.
We were then told that the staff would be back at a certain time on Wednesday to move us to 1 more spot. 4 days, $1400 and we got to see about 4km of the river and camp in 2 spots. The staff were wonderful and admitted to us that the owners have been running the boats this way for several months and refuse to tell anyone prior to their arrival in case they cancel their trip.
On discussing this extreme disappointment with Ken and Julie several times during that week it became evident they didn't really care and were happy to take the cash without regard for customer concern, enjoyment or satisfaction. I was told by Ken that as a "consolation" my car parking for the week would be for free. Surprise surprise the invoice showed up and we had been charged for parking too.
In one last attempt to get some level of compensation for a truly disappointing experience I asked what sort of discount we may get should we return when we could pilot the boat ourselves. The response was "probably 5% is all we can do".
I have never forked out as much money and been misled so badly. Interestingly the company doesn't have their own trip advisor page so I am putting it on here so that someone might avoid our disappointing situation. The only reason I have rated it at 2 stars is due to the River itself and the company's staff. Do not deal with Murray River Houseboats.
Everything was suggestive our dream holiday was going to plan until we arrived at the "rendezvous" point on Monday morning. As we were loading our supplies into the boat, Julie (proprietor with her husband Ken) informed me that we would not be able to pilot the boat at any time ourselves and that their staff would be here soon to drive us to our first spot. This was devastating as this was the very first hint that we could not spend our days slowly crushing the river and managing our own holiday. After handing over $1400 for 4 days we had no choice but to proceed with the trip.
We were then told that the staff would be back at a certain time on Wednesday to move us to 1 more spot. 4 days, $1400 and we got to see about 4km of the river and camp in 2 spots. The staff were wonderful and admitted to us that the owners have been running the boats this way for several months and refuse to tell anyone prior to their arrival in case they cancel their trip.
On discussing this extreme disappointment with Ken and Julie several times during that week it became evident they didn't really care and were happy to take the cash without regard for customer concern, enjoyment or satisfaction. I was told by Ken that as a "consolation" my car parking for the week would be for free. Surprise surprise the invoice showed up and we had been charged for parking too.
In one last attempt to get some level of compensation for a truly disappointing experience I asked what sort of discount we may get should we return when we could pilot the boat ourselves. The response was "probably 5% is all we can do".
I have never forked out as much money and been misled so badly. Interestingly the company doesn't have their own trip advisor page so I am putting it on here so that someone might avoid our disappointing situation. The only reason I have rated it at 2 stars is due to the River itself and the company's staff. Do not deal with Murray River Houseboats.
Written December 20, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Close to the river, if you choose to stay, it’s down a dirt road, can be a bit rough near the bridges. Take your own sheets.
Written August 13, 2018
What was the weather like in late March? Would you recommend that time or in May?
Thank you.
Written June 29, 2018
Weather in March is great. Tail end of summer. May is starting to cool down however there's generally little wind, the river is more quiet and great time to have small campfires if permitted. Both times are great we think. Hope that helps
Written July 3, 2018
Looking at paddle steamer plans there appears to be a lot of steps. How would a 75 year old who finds steps hard work cope?
Written June 24, 2018
Hi, perhaps the best thing is if you're on Facebook that you find the Murray River Paddlesteamers group and contact them. There's plenty of advice regarding paddlesteamers. Sorry not our expertise. Hope that helps.
Written June 25, 2018
This is a very worrying review and my family and I have just paid a deposit for a week on one of your boats in August. Are you able to give us an assurance the boat is modern (as advertised), high quality, well maintained and fit for purpose?
If our boat is anything like the one described in this post (Unforgettable Boats Old and Tired) then you will have one very angry group on your hands.
Geoff
Written June 19, 2018
Hi Geoff, its best you contact Unforgettable Houseboats directly as we don't manage any of the boats or the fleet. Sorry we can't be of any assistance with this. You should have their email or phone number with your booking.
Written June 21, 2018
I was looking for a houseboat for just 1 day for a group of 25?
I would prefer driving myself. Does anyone know who provides these?
Written November 10, 2017
sorry no I don't but if you just e-mail one of the company's they could look into it.
Written November 12, 2017
I wished I had read your review before booking this . Just returned how does one discribe it ? A ripoff , staff ,accomadition , food maybe 1 star
Written January 14, 2017
Hi, we are using an Unforgettable houseboat in September and wondering what number you had? Now getting concerned as we are 3 generations travelling together.
Written July 2, 2015
Look no further than Unforgettable Houseboats!
Beautiful, comfy, well maintained.
Operated by very professional , and pleasant people.
"Unforgettable" is the experience
Written April 13, 2018
We want to do a Murray River Cruise in November for a group of five couples. Any thoughts as to what is our best option? We are fine with self catering. The cruise is a 60th birthday celebration for three of the group. Helpful comments would be most appreciated,thanks.
Written March 6, 2015
My daughter is celiac so she cannot eat bread or anything with wheat in it. Does your breakfast cater for that. Thanks.
Also what is your room configuration for 2 adults travelling with a 17 year old.
Written February 4, 2015
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