Top Noosa River cruises

When in Noosa, you definitely shouldn’t miss out on experiencing one of these top Noosa River cruises.

Sitting on the deck, feeling the sun warm your skin as you watch the palatial waterfront houses drift past, your only care will be casually waving back to the friendly locals. It is honestly one of our favourite things to do when in Noosa.

OUT & ABOUT: TOP WHALE WATCHING SPOTS ON THE SUNSHINE COAST

What makes this experience even better is taking a sunset cruise along the river and Noosa Sound  – just picture yourself sipping a chilled glass of wine or beer as the sky lights up with one of those famous Noosa sunsets. Perfection!

There are several options for cruising Noosa River and we’ve listed a few below.

TOP NOOSA RIVER CRUISES:

NOOSA FERRY

Noosa Ferry offers the classic hop-on hop-off ferry service along Noosa River, departing from the Sofitel Hotel Jetty off Hastings St, all the way to Noosa Marina in Tewantin. It is a great way to get around and visit Gympie Terrace. The company also offers a BYO Sunset Cruise (with glassware and ice provided onboard), which we recommend as an ideal pre-dinner experience. They also offer an Eco Cruise for those who want to get up close to the beautiful, unique local nature.

NOOSA QUEEN

Noosa Queen offers lunch and dinner cruises that make their way along the Noosa River  towards Lake Cooroibah, passing Sir Richard Branson’s Makepeace Island and the Cable Ferry Crossing. The dinner cruise is timed so passengers catch the sunset over Lake Cooroibah before heading down river to view the lights of Noosa. They also offer a sunset river cruise from $10 per person. BYO is not allowed but there is a licensed bar onboard.

GONDOLAS OF NOOSA

For those special occasions, enjoy a little slice of Venice set in the heart of Noosa. Cruise around Noosa River and Noosa Sound in your own private gondola, which seats up to six people. Gondolas of Noosa offer private dinner cruises, pre-dinner cruises at sunset, moonlight dessert cruises and breakfast cruises.

NOOSA RIVER & CANAL CRUISES

If you want to experience the Noosa Sound as well as the main Noosa River, we recommend hoping on a cruise with Noosa River & Canal Cruises. They offer both daytime and sunset cruises (pictured above), with the bonus that they provide for BYO by including glassware and ice buckets, tea, coffee and biscuits in the price of your ticket. Tickets are from $25 per person, with departures from The Jetty on Gympie Terrace (near The Boathouse) and the Sofitel Hotel Jetty off Hastings St.

NOOSA DREAMBOATS

Another experience for those special occasions. Feel like a movie star as you cruise around in a classic wooden speedboat. Noosa Dreamboats offers private tours of Noosa River and Noosa Sound, with some trips visiting Lake Cooroibah and/or Lake Cootharaba depending on the cruise selected.

CATALINA CRUISES NOOSA

Promoted as Noosa’s “only floating premium event space”, the M.V. Catalina is probably best described as hipster party boat. You can hire the Catalina for private events, although Catalina Cruises also host regular special events, such as Saltwater Sundays which is a “weekly beachclub event hosted aboard” from 3.30pm to 7pm. Other regular Catalina Cruises events include Friday Night Social from 5.30pm to 8.30pm, and Lunch on the Water every Saturday from 11.30am to 2pm.

*Information correct at the time of publication.