Delightful Sunset cruise What a lovely peaceful way to spend a warm evening after a busy day on the tourist trail around the city. Many thanks to the fabulous Fabio at the helm who was full of knowledge about Melbourne !

🚤 Melbourne Boat Hire – Rain, Shine, and a Glorious Sunset
Our group of 12 booked the 1.5-hour Sunset Cruise with Melbourne Boat Hire, and despite a dramatic downpour right at boarding time, it turned out to be an unforgettable experience. Captain Matt and deckhand Gabriel welcomed us aboard with calm professionalism and good humour—thankfully, we had the boat all to ourselves!
After a thorough safety briefing from Matt, we set off through the port and up the Yarra River toward the city. The tide was high, so we couldn’t pass under one of the bridges, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. About 20 minutes in, the rain eased and gifted us a stunning sunset—absolutely perfect for photos and memory-making.
Matt was incredibly informative, sharing insights about the area as we cruised along. The boat itself was cosy, dry, and warm—just what we needed after the soggy start. And yes, the champagne was chilled to perfection!
Thanks Matt and Gabriel for turning a rainy evening into a golden one. Highly recommend Melbourne Boat Hire for anyone looking to see the city from a fresh, scenic perspective.

Spectacular Sunset & city lights Matt & Gabriel excellent hosts. Cruise started out in wet rainy conditions but Melbourne turned its charm on ending in a perfect sunset. Our 12 group of ladies, Women Who Walk from Mackay enjoyed the tranquil but scenic city views & lights of a sunset cruise. Highly recommend cruise. Perhaps some crackers, cheese & snacks could be provided by the hosts as part of cost.

Had a great time on the boat PETER A with family. The boat is neat and stylish, smooth crusing speed and stunning view made our day. Of course, staffs are nice and professional. Highly recommended!

Yarra River at its best!! Bradley is such a sweet, friendly and knowledgeable guide and the boat tour was so pleasurable. What a wonderful afternoon.

My friends and family had a great time with the self-drive boat. Matt is extremely friendly, helpful and guided both my friend and husband on how to navigate the boat. The rest is just pure peaceful and scenic boat ride. We hope to come again next time and experience it again perhaps at another season and time. Recommend Melbourne Boat Hire to everyone! 🫡🚤

Fantastic experience Staff members super friendly, the Boat was clean, equipped and comfortable, 100 percent recommended for a special occasion

Matt was beyond kind to us after missing our tour time, he offered us an alternative option of another private boat ride which was really beautiful. Very leisurely boat ride down the Yarra river in Melbourne, which was enhanced by the gorgeous sunset on the city skyline. I couldn't recommend Matt and his boat hire enough, he was so generous with his time and kind offering and a perfect gentleman. Thank you so much again for a beautiful evening.

Lovely and professional experience Gorgeous boat and lovely skipper. Food was great too ☺️ very nice views of Melbourne skyline along the Yarra. Would recommend to friends and family ☺️

Brave the Winter elements and you won"t be disappointed! I had relatives coming from Europe and I booked the midweek sunset cruise 5pm-6.30pm experience months in advance. I knew I was playing Russian Roulette with our Melbourne weather but I only had one day with them and I had to take a BIG leap of faith with my WOW factor intention, given everything I heard and read about this tour. With a 90% chance of rain, the weather forecast was not looking hopeful. Yes it was bitterly cold, yes it was windy outside but sitting in that electric boat with the cafe blinds down, it was such a quiet, peaceful, smooth, warm (yes warm), picture perfect and SPECTACULAR experience. Seeing Melbourne at night is seriously taking our city to another level. Fabio our skipper was amazing. He was so patient, accommodating and knowledgeable with our group of 8. He even spoke the same language and we didn't have to translate the commentary. We just sat back and lapped up the views. We couldn't believe our luck. Woohoo! The colours, the brilliance, the magic of our cityscape, it's up there as one of the BEST things to do in Melbourne. I cannot recommend it enough. THANK YOU FABIO and the crew at Melbourne Boat Hire. Keep up the amazing experience. I will be back!!!

We searched for weeks to find a sunset cruise that runs in winter and stumbled across this company. When we got to the dock (which was very easy to find and right next to the tram line), we were greeted by a lovely man who took us down to the boat! There was only 4 of us on the cruise so he took out the smaller boat. It was such a beautiful experience, Matt was lovely, the view was incredible the whole hour and a half, we got a free drink and had a bit of a chat with Matt. Thank you for a great afternoon!! Would 100% do it again when we come back to Melbourne.

Melbourne Boat Hire offers such a unique and versatile proposal experience – we love that we can set up in the boat, along the Yarra as you cruise, or on the dock upon return. It’s romantic, private, and always a standout moment. Matt is amazing to work with – super easy going, helpful, and makes the whole process seamless. Highly recommend!

Mother’s Day great experience Thank you to Melbourne boat hire for such a wonderful Mother’s Day experience cruising down the Yarra on one of your beautiful boats. Will definitely be back.

2 hour boat hire Wonderful afternoon for a birthday outing. Everything was very straightforward from start to finish. The boat was setup so well with a fridge and wine glasses on board. Even lovely table linen. Highly recommend an afternoon on the Yarra with Melbourne Boat Hire!

The perfect way to see Melbourne for a group We live in Melbourne and had a group of friends visiting from inter-state. Travelling the Yarra on the Lady M was the perfect way to see the city, while catching up at the same time. The boat is really well put together and the crew were lovely. Catering worked well and the ability to have the roof both open and closed was very helpful.

Very professional and friendly to deal with. Our boat was in excellent condition, clean, spacious and easy to drive. Such a fun way to experience a part of Melbourne. We’ve done this boat hire twice and highly recommend.

Awesome experience Awesome experience we had. The kids and adults all loved it. The fact that the boat had toilet in it made it lot easier.

Great experience Excellent staff, explained very well about how to self-drive boat, highly recommended. Beautiful scenic view

Melbourne Boat Hire It was a great evening spent of the Yarra River with family. There was plenty of room for the 7 adults plus a family dog. Being self catered was a bonus. A fridge was available and they supplied glasses for our use. The boat was clean and tidy. Staff were helpful and polite.

Love everything about Melbourne Boat Hire We hired the Eliza J with capacity for 12 people for our staff Christmas Party after having a great experience with them a few years ago. The boat is luxurious and comfortable, unlike the other smaller boats available for hire on the Yarra. There was even a toilet on board! Would highly recommend Melbourne Boat Hire!

Excellent Experience Highly recommend, we had an awesome time and the whole experience was seamless and well organised. The boat was fantastic and very comfortable.

Friendsmas Had a great time! Staff are super helpful and the boats are great! This is my 3rd time using Melbourne Boat Hire and they will continue to be my Melbourne boat of choice.

Thank you for hosting our team lunch recently. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the food and experiencing Melbourne from a slightly different perspective. A fabulous day and we’d happily book again in future. Thank you again for making this a memorable event for all concerned.

I booked to celebrate my father’s birthday, he absolutely loved the experience. Very clean and maintained boat. Enjoyed peaceful boat ride with amazing city view.

What a seamless, fun experience! Beautiful and comfortable boat, simple to drive and lovely staff. We hired the Harvey A for 8 people and it was fantastic. We did bring our own little speaker as the one onboard wouldn't connect. Highly recommend. Could have easily enjoyed the 4 hour cruise!

Wonderful day. Fin an excellent skipper who took us all the way to Herringbone Island.
🙏Melbourne Boat Hire for the great food

The staff were super friendly and involved and always asked if we wanted more drinks. The boat was great, it was really smooth and not windy. There was enough room for everyone to dance and mingle and speakers had a great volume. The views on the Yarra were incredible.

Amazing Experience We had a very nice day with our friends. We had a nice boat drive on Yarra.
Our boat was nice and tidy.
Melbourne Boat Hire staff are so polite and lovely people.
I recommend " Melbourne Boat Hire"

The best way to see Melbourne! This 2-hour trundle down the Yarra River was a great way to enjoy busy Melbourne, peacefully.
Our vessel, Eliza J, glided her way through the CBD via the river.
She was comfortable and easy to skipper.

A view of the Yarra and Melbourne that you will not regret! We had a terrific time on board 'Lady M' for our friends Hens party. With amazing weather it did not disappoint and even though the covers offered a perfect wet weather plan, it was also great to escape the sun for us. The boat was super clean and well equipped with everything we needed to have fun. Super easy to link to the music via their on board WiFi. The organising team were super responsive and accommodating of the babies we had on board organising all details well in advance. 10/10 would recommend this crew for your next Yarra River adventure.

Perfect evening This was a gift from my Mum. My fiance and I had the most perfect evening together floating on the Yarra. Our driver was so lovely and also gave us what privacy he could just to enjoy each others company.

Flawless experience No further comment, perfect experience.
Went with a couple of friends for the birthday of my partner.

D&D Websdale Cowwarr 3857 The correspondence was excellent. CPT James was absolutely outstanding, the food was perfect. Thanks

I would recommend the private dinner cruise. Eating delicious food while casually boating down the river with the sun setting on the Melbourne skyline is a memory I’ll cherish.
Thank you to our knowledgeable and super capable skipper, James.

10/10 experience we had. The 9pm session was definitely it, seeing the beauty of the Melbourne lights on the water was definitely an experience.
James was more than accomodating and made the experience even more special for me and my wife. Thanks again James!

Had an amazing time with Melbourne Boat Hire !!! From the booking process, the service and the boat ride itself ....it was absolutely phenomenal. Booked the Luxury Private Romantic Dinner for my partner and I and they did not disappoint. Enjoyed the food, drinks and beautiful views of Melbourne. Also a big shoutout to James for being the best skipper !!! Overall lovely experience. Highly recommened !!

Great trip on the boat We rented Eliza J for two hours and it was perfect for our group of 9 people. Brought our own food and drink and they provided a birthday cake.
If you plan on using their Champaign glasses, they are not the best for the holders provided and easily tip over with any wave.
overall, we had an excellent trip.

A great afternoon on the Yarra Super easy and enjoyable way to see the amazing sights of Melbourne via the Yarra river. Packed a picnic basket and enjoyed a 2 hour self drive adventure. Very friendly staff gave great instructions and easy to follow. The boat was super comfortable and we all had a fantastic time. Highly recommend

Wonderful and Relaxing Experience Our skipper is very lovely. The boat is very luxurious and comfortable. We have included wine and cheese were good too but i hope they actually added some meats and antipasto with it.

Amazing experience for hens! I organised a hens for the bride and she absolutely loved it. We hired a private boat charter and decorated the place for her and had a cheese platter aswell. It was relaxing, and was a unique experience. 10/10 would recommend.

Nice Experience The boat is well equipped and maintained.
Crew and the weather played its part in the feel good experience we all had.
It was a birthday party attended by 25 people of all ages.
Everyone enjoyed it.
Wish we had it for longer.

However, anymore than 20 guests is a bit of crowding on this boat. A microwave oven may be a good addition if possible.

Very good experience overall.

Melbourne from the Water A great way to see Melbourne from the Yarra wwhilst enjoying a drink and food. THe boat was excellent for the 8 of us, good size. THe Captain supplied by Melbourne Boat Hire was amazing and added to a very enjoyable evening. RTecommend it to any group, family, friends or business.

Had my wife’s 30th party on the “Lady M” boat from 8-11pm. Three hours was a perfect amount of time, as we were able to see some of the bay as well as the Yarra. Deckhands Fabio and Andy were extremely welcoming and helpful throughout the trip, making for a great experience. Would highly recommend.

What an adventure! Best decision for an intimate 21st celebration. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this experience & relaxed. Great to see the city, Docklands & Southbank from the water & take in the surroundings of people enjoying city life & Xmas cheer. Admit I was a little nervous self driving but with the help of a navigator for the bridges , can’t wait to put the captains hat on and do this again! Thank you so much for the special memories

Christmas Team Function This day on the Yarra with Melbourne Boat Hire is our fourth time and it was just as good as ever. What a way to spend 4 fours slowly cruising up the Yarra enjoying food and drink with your Work Mates. Flynn our skipper did a fabulous job.

Great boat, great captain Fantastic boat, comfortable, and well suited to our office Christmas party of 8 people. Great captain in Jamie, who was very helpful across the board.

Amazingly positive experience from booking to party. Thank you to hosts Darren & Bee for looking after us and making sure everything was fun, fun, fun!!! Beautiful boat, fabulous size and super hospitality from the staff. Would definitely recommend and we will be back!!

Perfect charter! The flexibility & value for bringing our own catering made it so easy to support dietary needs and preferences! We also opted for the skipper option and were on Peter A - a lovely new vessel which everyone loved, and all got to relax and enjoy! Jamie was brilliant!! Highly recommended!

We rented Harvey A for 4 hours on a pleasant Sunday afternoon celebrating our daughter's school graduation. We had 9 people on board and brought our own charcuterie and other provisions. We had the best time on board of this cosy boat, partly covered and partly open which was very refreshing. The boat driving was very easy and we had no issues passing underneath the 13 bridges on the way to Herring Island and back again. Music played through the speakers was a highlight and everyone was enjoying the fantastic scenery around Docklands, Fed Square and up river all the way to Herring Island. We had no problem getting back on time and 4 hours gave us plenty of time to enjoy all the sights and sounds while cruising on this beautiful and winding river.
The company is well run and their skipper Finn was very nice to greet us and explain everything we needed to know. The booking and waivers and on the day experience all ran smoothly. No issues. You can park on the streets around and or in the open car park across from St Mangos Ln.
I highly recommend this boat rental and would love to do it again!

Best birthday experience! I had my 25th birthday on the Lady M with 24 friends and everyone had the best time! The boat was so smooth you couldn’t even tell you were moving. There was heaps of ice and fridges to keep our drinks cold, bathroom was so nice and the overall experience was something I would definitely do again. Fabio and Valentina were super helpful the whole time and so so lovely! Definitely recommend.

Best experience ever! Melbourne boat hire has the best staff and have very delicious grazing box and cakes. Our family had so much fun sailing the boat from Docklands to the CBD. My kids loved the cake. 100% recommend.

Hired the "Birrarung" for a Hens party last weej and they were professional from the get go. Fantastic service, communication and execution on the day. We can't wait to use their services again! Highly recommend Melbourne Boat Hire.

Fabio was an incredible skipper & the boat was beyond our expectation! An amazing afternoon along the Yarra River, perfectly catered & suitable for all weather. Recommended for a relaxing cruise & a new look at Melbourne from the water!

The best day! Fabio and Valentina were the crew on the day -
They were amazing, so helpful and professional. The boat itself was stunning and perfect for the surprise 30th I had planned.

Fantastic way to get to the races! Service was brilliant. Staff super friendly. Very well looked after. Such a relaxing way to go to and from the races!

Private dinner boat cruise Overall, we had a lovely time and Finn was really sweet skipper. We understand that delays happen, but it ended up that we waited an extra 30 minutes at the berth on top of the delay that we were alerted about. This meant that there was a total delay of 1.5 hours from our expected start time, and we didn’t get to enjoy the sunlight and sunset during the cruise which we were looking forward to, instead it was dark throughout the majority of the cruise.
Secondly, we didn’t get served the correct entree that we ordered.
Also, one of the mains (the barramundi dish) didn’t come with the potatoes as expected but came with a big pile of chickpeas which was a bit of a disappointment as well.
For the price point of this experience, we feel a little bit disappointed. Otherwise the evening went smoothly, and it was definitely a special experience.

Relaxing way to get to the races A great way to get to Flemington - very enjoyable
Thought we were getting sandwich & cheese platters - but only got a fruit platter

Great Melbourne experience Hired one of the boats for a bachelorette party up the Yarra river. It was very enjoyable and quite reasonably priced. My only recommendation would be to take up the option to have a personal driver as this would have taken the stress out of driving it ourselves. But otherwise it was a great experience!

Great experience, highly recommend! Matt and the team were so great to deal with, they made the whole experience super easy. The boat itself was beautiful and very well equipped. We were also super lucky that the weather was perfect. Highly recommend for any event!!

fantastic trip got the perfect night This was a lovely trip, seeing the lights of Melbourne City by the river at night was magical, Little food was ok but option very limited for the price