Embark on a Nautical New Year adventure along the Murray River and Kangaroo Island. Enjoy a 7-night cruise on the Proud Mary with daily excursions, including celebrations and live entertainment for New Year's Eve. Explore historic towns, witness river red gums, and savour a Ngaut Ngaut tour with an indigenous guide. Conclude the cruise with 1 night in Adelaide. Extend your adventure with 2 nights on Kangaroo Island, exploring landmarks like the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery, Seal Bay Conservation Park, and Remarkable Rocks. Travel comfortably with locally operated comfort-plus coach travel and relish a total of 29 delicious meals throughout this memorable journey.
27 December 2024
4 Eco Experiences 8 Cultural & Heritage Experiences
Deposit of $1000pp required within 14 days of making booking to secure your reservation.
N.B. Tour subject to fuel levy price increases for all transport operators.
See T&Cs for details.Flights are arranged to suit the tour as a group in advance, therefore we cannot book individual preferences.
Our Carbon Neutral flights arrive to Adelaide, where we board our third party comfort plus coach, travelling responsibly knowing all coach emissions are 100% offset. Enjoy a city tour taking in North Terrace Cultural Boulevard, the Adelaide Oval and St Peters Cathedral. We then head into the Adelaide Hills to the quaint village of Hahndorf, and take time to explore Australias oldest German settlement. Later we make our way to Murray Bridge to be welcomed aboard by the friendly Proud Mary crew. Taking to the river we enjoy a buffet supper as the Proud Mary’s powerful floodlights illuminate the shore giving us ample opportunity to view nocturnal animals in their natural habitat. This evening we tie up for the night at Woodlane.
Cruising upstream, we arrive mid morning in picturesque Mannum, the birthplace of the river boat trade. Here we board the waiting coach for a guided tour of historic Mannum. Later, we continue upstream to Walker Flat and this evening after a dinner showcasing typically Australian dishes, we take a guided nocturnal discovery tour. The tour gives an insight into abundant wildlife in this region, including the Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat. Tonight’s mooring is at Walker Flat.
After a scrumptious breakfast, the Proud Mary departs Walker Flat and cruises further upstream. There will be an informative talk by the Proud Mary Captain on the Majestic Murray River before a lovely lunch is served on board. Later you’ll be intrigued by nautical precision as we pass through Lock 1 at Blanchetown before mooring amongst the towering river red gums at McBeans Pound.
We depart our tranquil overnight mooring and cruise toward Morgan. A delicious feast will be served for lunch as we cruise and enjoy the spectacular scenery. After lunch we board the Proud Mary coach to visit Waikerie to see the painted silos, Waikerie gliding club and many more heritage sites of this riverside town. Tonight it’s time to get your competitive juices flowing as its trivia night onboard!
After breakfast it’s time to explore the historic town of Morgan, once one of the busiest South Australian Murray River ports. We tour the many heritage sights of this once booming riverside town including the customs house and courthouse on Railway Terrace. Once back on board we head back through Lock 1 to moor at Sugar Shack. This evening we ring in 2025 with a New Year’s Eve celebration featuring delicious food and live entertainment onboard!
Wake this morning in one of the most unspoilt and picturesque areas of the river and take in a walk with the Cruise Director before we continue on downstream. Mid-afternoon we arrive at Big Bend where the cliffs are most spectacular. We secure at Swan Reach and board the coach for a visit to Swan Reach Museum and Almond Farm plantations before returning to board the Proud Mary. This evening we enjoy live entertainment and a campfire BBQ on the banks of the river at Big Bend.
This morning we continue downstream through some of the most spectacular scenery on the entire river system to arrive at Ngaut Ngaut – a historical Aboriginal site. Here an indigenous guide explains the carvings and paintings on cliff faces made up to 20,000 years ago. Later in the afternoon we arrive in Mannum for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a formal Captain’s Dinner.
This morning at Woodlane we join our guide for a tour of this fascinating area and discover the permanent watercourse, waterfalls, swamps and wetlands which played a significant role in the lives of the ancient Nganguruku and Ngaralta tribes. This afternoon we enjoy some more spectacular scenery before returning to Murray Bridge, and bidding the Proud Mary goodbye. We then travel to Adelaide and check-in for the night.
Today we head to Cape Jervis and board the ferry to the pristine wilderness of Kangaroo Island. At Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery we ignite our senses and tour the facilities, then enjoy a hearty BBQ lunch before experiencing the Birds of Prey display at Raptor Domain, an in-flight presentation featuring Australian eagles and hawks. To finish off the day we take in the scenery as we drive to Seal Bay Conservation Park where Australian sea lions sunbathe and frolic on a stunning beach. We take a guided walk to get a close look at the sea lion colony, home to around 600 rare Australian Sea Lions, then head to American River and check-in at our hotel.
This morning we hit the wildlife trail discovering Flinders Chase National Park and Kangaroo Island’s iconic natural formations; Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch. Later we discover some icons of the island’s legendary local producers. At Emu Bay Lavender Farm we take in the sight, smell and taste of this beautiful and useful herb. We see how the flowers are grown, harvested and then produced into a variety of products on this family-run farm. Island Beehive extracts around 100 tonnes of honey each year from its population of Ligurian bees and our tour here offers a sneak peek into the fascinating world of organic honey production.
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Our Gold Class coach tours let you experience the beauty of the Australian landscape in comfort and style. From the coach itself to the accommodation and meals, every detail is considered.
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Our coach tours have a baggage restriction of 17kg per person (regardless of flight and rail allowances) due to our Occupational Health & Safety standards. You can also bring one small, soft carry-on bag not exceeding 30cm wide, 30cm high, and 15cm thick that may be stowed in the overhead compartment.
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Our Gold Class coaches have a seat capacity of between 44 and 46, but we cap Gold Class tours at 40 guests per tour. Our Diamond Class tours have a capacity of just 26 guests. Other tour types may have different capacities depending on the transport and destination. Please get in touch with our team if you have any questions about a specific tour.
In most cases, yes we can. We can accommodate guests who are vegetarian and can assist with diabetic, gluten-free and other medically-recommended diets. Please advise us at time of booking, and we can confirm with our suppliers and restaurants.