Holidays Afloat
Holidays Afloat
5
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Full view
About
Holidays Afloat & Ripples Located an hour north of Sydney at Brooklyn, conveniently close to the M1 (F3) motorway. Ideally located at the gateway to the Hawkesbury, it is a leisurely hour and a half cruise to the pristine waters of Kuring-gai Chase National Park. Alternatively you can cruise up the Hawkesbury to historic Wisemans Ferry, or head towards the serenity of Berowra Waters. You are spoilt for choice with our extensive cruising areas. With the largest and widest range of houseboats, HOLIDAYS AFLOAT & RIPPLES will have the vessel that is just right. We have a range of different types of vessels. Whether you’re a couple, a family or a group of friends we have the perfect choice. If you are seeking a traditional houseboat, a modern cruiser or homecruiser, or if you’re on a budget or seeking luxury we’ll have the right vessel for you. To put your mind at ease we will give you a personal briefing on board your vessel where we show you its full features and operation.
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5.0
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Treena c
1 contribution
May 2023
From booking our house boat for two nights to arrival to boarding to leaving the marina to out and about to returning to the marina to unloading to saying good byes to return of the bond. There was not one thing we could fault. It was everything and plus for an amazing weekend. Kerry from the office was on the ball with emails and kepted us up to date with everything we needed to do. Arrival was as smooth as and Karen was so helpful and friendly. Loading all our things was a breeze. Our houseboat was so clean and tidy. Darrel showed us around the houseboat explaining everything we needed to know. Answering our questions. On our way out of the marina Darrel made us feel very comfortable with everything we needed to know about taking control of the houseboat when he left us. We had an amazing time on the houseboat. Exploring, fishing, BBQing rowing to shore. Meals on the top deck. On our return back Matthew meet us to take us back in through the Marina. He also made us feel very welcome. Once back we unloaded everything, up to the office where we meet with Karen once again. Finished all the paper work and said our good byes. This was our 1st ever time going out on a Houseboat. We would definitely go back to Holidays Afloat Houseboats again. Thanks to all the staff that made our weekend very enjoyable.
Written May 21, 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.
melanddave1975
Sydney, Australia1 contribution
Feb. 2023 • Couples
What a trip!
My husband and I travelled in March for our 10 year wedding anniversary for three nights on the weekender! A two person mini “white boat” with everything you could possibly need for your boating Hawkesbury adventure. Leave the kids at home and enjoy quality time , we were out of range a lot! And loved it!
In 3 days we covered up river and down rivers’ most popular spots!
Highlights-
Up River-
Berowra Waters- make a booking for very fancy degustation lunch at the Berowra Water Inn! We moored in deep bay overnight and it was beautiful and very private.
Down River-
Castle Bay (next to Yeomans) for a great sunset and overnight moorings.
Cottage point - just to visit the general store for coffee and extra ice!
Smiths creek - for a full day trip exploring all the little inlets, enjoying the scenery and great swimming in the inlets.
Refugee bay for the waterfall.
Better scenery and food than what we have experienced abroad… what we have in our own backyard- and so special that most these areas only accessible by water!
The boat has everything you need! It’s clean, organized, with a first aid kit, matches, and everything for cooking.
Extras - pack- foil, paper towel, extra towels, a bath mat, cushions, a floaty/blowup lilo, teabags, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, oil.
Only pack the food and drinks you actually need! Tip: precut little garnishes like parsley and onion- huge help. Foods that don’t need refrigeration like eggs, bread, tomatoes and avocados for example- also huge help as fridge is just enough for two for three- 4 days.
All Holidays afloat staff were friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. The induction and introduction to the boat was informative, well organized and seamless.
On top of everything the weather was perfect too. Thank you Holidays afloat team for our amazing trip!
My husband and I travelled in March for our 10 year wedding anniversary for three nights on the weekender! A two person mini “white boat” with everything you could possibly need for your boating Hawkesbury adventure. Leave the kids at home and enjoy quality time , we were out of range a lot! And loved it!
In 3 days we covered up river and down rivers’ most popular spots!
Highlights-
Up River-
Berowra Waters- make a booking for very fancy degustation lunch at the Berowra Water Inn! We moored in deep bay overnight and it was beautiful and very private.
Down River-
Castle Bay (next to Yeomans) for a great sunset and overnight moorings.
Cottage point - just to visit the general store for coffee and extra ice!
Smiths creek - for a full day trip exploring all the little inlets, enjoying the scenery and great swimming in the inlets.
Refugee bay for the waterfall.
Better scenery and food than what we have experienced abroad… what we have in our own backyard- and so special that most these areas only accessible by water!
The boat has everything you need! It’s clean, organized, with a first aid kit, matches, and everything for cooking.
Extras - pack- foil, paper towel, extra towels, a bath mat, cushions, a floaty/blowup lilo, teabags, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, oil.
Only pack the food and drinks you actually need! Tip: precut little garnishes like parsley and onion- huge help. Foods that don’t need refrigeration like eggs, bread, tomatoes and avocados for example- also huge help as fridge is just enough for two for three- 4 days.
All Holidays afloat staff were friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. The induction and introduction to the boat was informative, well organized and seamless.
On top of everything the weather was perfect too. Thank you Holidays afloat team for our amazing trip!
Written March 11, 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.
Chantal H
Sydney, Australia6 contributions
Feb. 2022 • Family
We had such a wonderful time. This holiday was a dream come true after holing up all school holidays trying to avoid Covid. We were so grateful this company was recommended to us by so many people when we were looking for a Covid-safe getaway. The customer service is exceptional from booking to after the fact. We will be back again!
Written February 12, 2022
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.
Mandy F
Sydney14 contributions
Nov. 2021
What amazing memories we three best friends had over the weekend. I have been on the Hawkesbury River prior with Holidays Afloat and always had a great time but this time I was with my friends who had never experienced house boating on the Hawkesbury......It was such a wonderful experience to do for Julie's 50th birthday celebrations.
Holidays Afloat are such a professional team, I was requesting several things prior to our arrival and nothing was a problem for both Nicole and Karen.
We took out the Islander 35' 4 berth which was perfect for us as it slept 2 x double beds. It has recently had a refurb so everything was new, fresh and workable. The full size oven was fantastic as I had the cook top, grill and oven all going at the same time for our seafood Platter.
With Luxury Afloat you can sit and relax, kayak (and fall in) bush walk, fish, bbq and party and most of all create some wonderful ever lasting memories....
It truly is My Happy Place - Thank You Guys
Holidays Afloat are such a professional team, I was requesting several things prior to our arrival and nothing was a problem for both Nicole and Karen.
We took out the Islander 35' 4 berth which was perfect for us as it slept 2 x double beds. It has recently had a refurb so everything was new, fresh and workable. The full size oven was fantastic as I had the cook top, grill and oven all going at the same time for our seafood Platter.
With Luxury Afloat you can sit and relax, kayak (and fall in) bush walk, fish, bbq and party and most of all create some wonderful ever lasting memories....
It truly is My Happy Place - Thank You Guys
Written November 18, 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.
HamzahPasha
Paraparaumu, New Zealand139 contributions
May 2021
Wow, where to begin. The people we dealt with were wonderful and fully understanding, as at one point we thought that we might not make it from NZ due to covid bubble restrictions. Once at the marina, the staff were very professional and we were on the boat and gone within 30 minutes. The boat was clean and had everything that we needed. All the electronics worked and we had a couple of great BBQs at the back of the boat.
It was a most memorable holiday and we both can't wait to do it again. If you do get a chance make your way to Smith's Creek. Heaven.
It was a most memorable holiday and we both can't wait to do it again. If you do get a chance make your way to Smith's Creek. Heaven.
Written May 17, 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.
Malcolm H
Greater Newcastle, Australia12 contributions
Mar. 2021 • Friends
Spacious boat easy to drive and moor staff very friendly & helpful price value to money. Safe and secure parking.
Written March 15, 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.
Eleanor C
Sydney, Australia3 contributions
Dec. 2020
We had a great few days out on the boat! We had a 45 foot, with myself and my partner (now fiance!), and we were able to grab my parents in the motorised dingy to come on for one of the nights. Highly recommend getting the motorised dingy (costs bit extra) if you plan on doing any trips to shore, we also used it to just go explore a little during the trip! They recommended our parents went to McKell Park, as there is a spot for you to moor there, and we used the dingy from there to collect them.
The team were amazing to deal with before we left, and on the day to get things organised. Organise ice when you get there to take straight on, lots easier.
Lots of room in the fridge for your cold items, and two eskies outside, bbq was really great and easy to use. We also brought a bunch of card games to occupy some time in the rain, but was so lovely to just sit and watch it all around you!
Overall amazing trip, we'll be doing it every year :)
The team were amazing to deal with before we left, and on the day to get things organised. Organise ice when you get there to take straight on, lots easier.
Lots of room in the fridge for your cold items, and two eskies outside, bbq was really great and easy to use. We also brought a bunch of card games to occupy some time in the rain, but was so lovely to just sit and watch it all around you!
Overall amazing trip, we'll be doing it every year :)
Written December 24, 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.
Anthony
Lisbon, Portugal73 contributions
Dec. 2020
THE GOOD:
A week on a houseboat is definitely "something different", and I mean that in a 100% good way. Unlike our highly regulated roads with lines and signs, the spirit of freedom and exploration is all part of the houseboat experience, and the staff at Holidays Afloat all help make that happen, including getting you comfortable with the basics of handling a houseboat and what you can & can't do with it and where you can and can't take it, all with your own safety top of mind.
Holidays Afloat have a range of vessels available. We inadvertently chose one of the oldest vessels in their fleet, the "Islander 35' 4-berth", and although the kitchen and bathroom were comparatively renovated and functional, the houseboat overall is very tired and surely not long for this world; I'd not want to be in a boat like this in the colder half of the year, either.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
Our biggest problem was powering/recharging our gadgets. If you're planning to "work remotely" on a houseboat, you really need to plan the details carefully. At the helm (and only at the helm) there's 2 USB sockets (which admin *did* tell us about), and 2 x '12V cigarette lighter' sockets (a fact that the admin refused to confirm for us even when I inquired), and a single 240VAC socket on the inverter - THAT'S IT; nothing at the kitchen table, nothing upstairs on the sun deck. Also, the built-in audio system is only useful for inside the cabin; but one can argue as to whether it's a good idea to be playing music outside, when you're in a quiet cove of the Hawkesbury river system, I could imagine your boating neighbours appreciating your lack of sound amplification on the top deck. Thankfully we bought a little Bluetooth speaker...
Of far more consequence is the 150Watt 240Vac inverter which was *incapable* of supplying more than about half that power (so you can't recharge a MacBook Pro or any other "large" laptop with it *mic-drop*). Quite by chance we brought another lower-powered 240Vac-to-USB-C adapter which allowed us to recharge MacBooks at a slower rate, thus not tripping out the inverter - so we got lucky. As an electronics engineer, I looked into this and discovered that it's because there's too much voltage drop along the cable between the battery and the inverter when under load, so the inverter trips off once power draw goes above about 70-80 Watts. Also, the Voltmeter on the 12V battery bank at the helm also seems "off", even after hours of motoring when the batteries should be recharged and showing 13.x VDC with the motor running, I never once saw it showing more than low-12.x VDC, so it's basically impossible to know what the battery state-of-charge is and manage that resource. How sh*t like this doesn't get fixed in the years/decades(?) this inverter facility was added to the boat, I'll never understand, but in this 3rd decade of the 21st century, that's just not good enough.
I hasten to add that there's not many of this "Islander 35' 4-berth" in their fleet, the vast majority appear to be larger and newer (with higher prices, of course), and some with solar panels (so recharging the batteries doesn't only happen when motoring), so *most* customers will hopefully have a better experience than us when it comes to powering their gadgets.
THE BAD:
None!
A week on a houseboat is definitely "something different", and I mean that in a 100% good way. Unlike our highly regulated roads with lines and signs, the spirit of freedom and exploration is all part of the houseboat experience, and the staff at Holidays Afloat all help make that happen, including getting you comfortable with the basics of handling a houseboat and what you can & can't do with it and where you can and can't take it, all with your own safety top of mind.
Holidays Afloat have a range of vessels available. We inadvertently chose one of the oldest vessels in their fleet, the "Islander 35' 4-berth", and although the kitchen and bathroom were comparatively renovated and functional, the houseboat overall is very tired and surely not long for this world; I'd not want to be in a boat like this in the colder half of the year, either.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
Our biggest problem was powering/recharging our gadgets. If you're planning to "work remotely" on a houseboat, you really need to plan the details carefully. At the helm (and only at the helm) there's 2 USB sockets (which admin *did* tell us about), and 2 x '12V cigarette lighter' sockets (a fact that the admin refused to confirm for us even when I inquired), and a single 240VAC socket on the inverter - THAT'S IT; nothing at the kitchen table, nothing upstairs on the sun deck. Also, the built-in audio system is only useful for inside the cabin; but one can argue as to whether it's a good idea to be playing music outside, when you're in a quiet cove of the Hawkesbury river system, I could imagine your boating neighbours appreciating your lack of sound amplification on the top deck. Thankfully we bought a little Bluetooth speaker...
Of far more consequence is the 150Watt 240Vac inverter which was *incapable* of supplying more than about half that power (so you can't recharge a MacBook Pro or any other "large" laptop with it *mic-drop*). Quite by chance we brought another lower-powered 240Vac-to-USB-C adapter which allowed us to recharge MacBooks at a slower rate, thus not tripping out the inverter - so we got lucky. As an electronics engineer, I looked into this and discovered that it's because there's too much voltage drop along the cable between the battery and the inverter when under load, so the inverter trips off once power draw goes above about 70-80 Watts. Also, the Voltmeter on the 12V battery bank at the helm also seems "off", even after hours of motoring when the batteries should be recharged and showing 13.x VDC with the motor running, I never once saw it showing more than low-12.x VDC, so it's basically impossible to know what the battery state-of-charge is and manage that resource. How sh*t like this doesn't get fixed in the years/decades(?) this inverter facility was added to the boat, I'll never understand, but in this 3rd decade of the 21st century, that's just not good enough.
I hasten to add that there's not many of this "Islander 35' 4-berth" in their fleet, the vast majority appear to be larger and newer (with higher prices, of course), and some with solar panels (so recharging the batteries doesn't only happen when motoring), so *most* customers will hopefully have a better experience than us when it comes to powering their gadgets.
THE BAD:
None!
Written December 9, 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.
NTLpete
Newcastle, Australia15 contributions
Nov. 2020 • Couples
Friendly, professional, and good humoured staff, despite my dreadful navigation on the water. We took one of the smaller houseboats and it was fine for two, be they friends or partners. The interior has a hint of Uncle Barry and Aunty June’s caravan about it but having said that it has everything you need, and the best bit is outside the window anyway. We decided on the Cowan Creek area, as opposed to the Berowra or Wisemans Ferry areas. We took staff advice, and as we’d arrived before lunch Friday, we headed as far up as we could manage that afternoon. We spent our first night in a bay of four public moorings just short of Waratah Bay. Heading off early the next morning we found a bay with only two public moorings just short of Bobbin Head marina. A beautiful spot, like so many others, but due to proximity to the marina around the corner it is a 4 knot area. This has the benefit of slowing down 90% of the ‘JetSki Jaydens’. The fishing was adequate, the beer cold, and the landscape breathtaking. My suggestion to you, no matter what vessel you hire is to get an outboard for your tender, row if you want, but a motor makes exploring the little shallow areas at the head of the creeks far more enjoyable.
Written November 23, 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.
Rudders
Sydney, Australia4 contributions
Oct. 2020
We have a wonderful 6 nights on one of the 47' - 12 Berth houseboats. The boat was great and with two families the entire time we have room for both kids and adults to have their own space and time but could still come together for meals. The Hawkesbury is a top spot to cruise on even on a busy holiday weekend.
Importantly the team at Holidays Afloat we professional but relaxed. We felt well prepared before we set off and completed without stress. Great job team - look forward to our next outing!!
Importantly the team at Holidays Afloat we professional but relaxed. We felt well prepared before we set off and completed without stress. Great job team - look forward to our next outing!!
Written October 27, 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.
No questions have been asked about this experience