Brisbane boat rental
A popular boat rental destination, Brisbane features two bodies of water that provide endless opportunities for luxury travelers to cruise and travel in style. The Brisbane River winds through the city center and makes for interesting cruising grounds to get unadulterated views of the city's many beautiful sights and vantage points. Once you are out in the open sea, the Moreton Bay is at your disposal, where nearby islands offer exceptional natural beauty, and calm waters offer perfect spots for anchorages and water sport activities. Brisbane is home to countless marinas where boats offer tours and private rentals to nearby beaches, destinations, and islands off the coast. With many sights and locations to visit, charterers can either enjoy a half-day or full-day cruise on the Brisbane River or out in the open sea across Moreton Bay and its beautiful islands, which consist of more than 300 smaller islands and islets. A cosmopolitan with laid-back charm, Brisbane offers the best of both worlds. Whatever boating itinerary you wish to enjoy, or whatever occasion you wish to celebrate onboard, Brisbane is a beautiful place for a luxury boat rental.
Why rent a boat on holiday in Brisbane?
Also known as "River City," Brisbane is one of Australia's most visited cities. The Brisbane River winds its way around the city, offering riverside views and activities out on the water, on the waterfront, and into the vast Coral Sea as it empties its way to Moreton Bay. With the River and the Bay as its doorsteps, Brisbane locals and tourists alike have the great outdoors as their playground. From yachts to power boats to catamarans, to floating venues, Brisbane is home to hundreds of boating and sailing enthusiasts that have an endless list of water activities to enjoy on a daily basis. From swimming to snorkeling, scuba diving, cruising, and sailing, Brisbane is a water lover's playground.
Whether you want to cruise up and down the winding Brisbane River or you want to go out into the open waters of Moreton Bay, a private boat rental is the best way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The River itself offers plenty of recreational activities, but the open waters provide a different world of island hopping, scuba diving, and even whale watching during the migration period of humpback whales from June to November. You can opt to rent a power boat for a day, a catamaran for a large group of 20 people, or a private yacht for a romantic sunset cruise along the River. Whatever kind of boat and activity you wish to enjoy in Brisbane's waters, you will surely find what you're looking for, for an unforgettable Brisbane holiday.
What are boat rental prices in Brisbane?
With so many things to do and sights to see, you'll never run out of recreational activities onboard a private boat rental in Brisbane. Prices vary depending on a number of factors, such as on rental duration, activities on board, the destinations, as well as the number of people on board. Full day boating itineraries are popular in Brisbane, with boats that you can rent from 8 am to 4 pm. For a 45-foot motor boat that can accommodate 12 people, a full day rental can cost around $2,500, while a 120-foot yacht for a group of 12 can cost between $15,000 to $200,000 for a day rental.
A full-day catamaran rental can cost around USD 3,000. Catamarans offer more space and stability than a monohull, making it a great option for large groups. They're ideal for a sunset cruise on the River, an easy day cruise and perfect for water sports activities such as kayaking, jetskiing, or paddleboarding as water sport tools are easily carried on board. A 36' sailing catamaran can cost around $500 per hour in Brisbane, while a power catamaran can cost around $800 per hour. Power boats are a fast, efficient, and convenient way to get from one riverside location to another or to reach a nearby beach from Brisbane. A private power boat rental for a day can cost around USD 1000 for a group of 8.
Rent a boat for a day in Brisbane
Do you want to experience Brisbane in one single day? Then renting a boat in Brisbane is the perfect way to get from one spot to another without having to brave the traffic and public commute. Hop onboard your private boat rental in Brisbane and get to explore the riverfront attractions with ease, comfort, and luxury. If you're renting a boat in Brisbane on a Saturday, start your day at the Davies Park Markets. A live band serenades market goers by the river starting at 9 am. Listen to the music as you stroll your way through the stalls selling fresh produce, artisanal homemade food, and have coffee and breakfast by the riverbank.
You can then head to Kangaroo Point, where you can enjoy a kayak or paddleboard down the river, or enjoy an outdoor rock climb. For lunch, head over to the Teneriffe Boardwalk, a hip location with unique restaurants, cafes, and bars. After lunch, cruise down the river and head over to Streets Beach, which is Australia's largest inner-city, man-made beach. Enjoy an hour or two of swimming or people watching. Hop back on board and enjoy an hour of sightseeing onboard your private boat. Get to see the Botanic Gardens, the Maritime Museum, and the iconic Story Bridge. End your full-day boat rental with a sunset cruise on the river, where you get to witness the sky slowly turn from blue to different shades of red and orange, and slowly watch the Brisbane skyline light up.
Boat rental for a weekend in Brisbane
A weekend boat rental in Brisbane is an excellent way to escape the city and explore Moreton Bay. With over 360 islands around this body of water, some of the islands are populated, while some are national parks, while some are too tiny to visit. With 283 sunny days per year, the nearby islands off the Brisbane coast are a definite weekend island-hopping activity you shouldn't miss. Here is a sample itinerary for your weekend boat rental in Brisbane exploring Moreton Bay:
Day 1: Moreton Island
Located 40km offshore, Moreton Island is Brisbane's most popular island destination. The island is known for its dunes, 4WD driving, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, and nature walks. A resort is also located on the islands, where you can have a gourmet lunch or dinner or witness their guests and staff feeding dolphins by the beach. Sandboarding or sand tobogganing is a popular activity, so head over to the desert or to the Little Sandhills to enjoy this unique activity. The island is also famous for surfing, bird watching, and even whale watching during the migratory period of humpback whales from June to November off the waters of Moreton Island.
Day 2: Peel Island
For a day of snorkeling and scuba diving, Peel Island is perfect with its famous shipwrecks, the Platypus Wreck and the Tangalooma Wreck. It is a national park and a great spot to witness dugongs that flock to its waters in the morning. Peel Island is a small, heritage-listed island and a National Park near Moreton Bay. Horseshoe Bay in Peel Island is popular among sailors and boat enthusiasts as the bay is sheltered from the northerly winds. Kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and hiking throughout the island are popular activities.
Day 3: St. Helena Island
Visit this island, formerly known as Noogoon, before you head back to Brisbane. It used to be a prison but is now a heritage-listed park, where you can book a tour of the prison, its ground, and even a ghost tour of the ruins.
Boat rental for a week in Brisbane
With hundreds of islands around Moreton Bay and plenty of nearby destinations that are equally as stunning as Brisbane itself, a full week onboard your private boat is sure to create a once in a lifetime Brisbane holiday. Here is a sample one-week itinerary for your Brisbane boat rental:
Day 1 and 2: Moreton Island
The 3rd largest sand island in the world, the iconic sandhills are a definite spot to visit, which you can explore on a 4WD. Moreton Island is also an iconic spot to watch the sunrise, as well as humpback whale sightings from June to November. There's also a freshwater Blue Lagoon in the island's interiors, Champagne Pools, and the Tangalooma Wrecks, which is a cluster of 17 deliberately sunken ships. Other activities to be explored here are snorkeling, kayaking, and scuba diving.
Day 3: North and South Stradbroke Island
The Straddies, as locals like to call the islands, are the North and South Stradbroke Islands. North Island is the more popular destination, where wildlife can be seen, such as kangaroos, koalas, and wombats. It's also a popular place for its beaches, where you can snorkel and scuba dive, enjoy a game of beach volleyball, watersport activities, and just lazing around the sand. South Island is much less developed, which means it has more unspoiled scenery and tranquil activities to offer. You can bush walk through the island and discover a rainforest, freshwater marshlands, and wetlands.
Day 4: Peel Island
Visit Horseshoe Bay, Peel Island's most famous beach, and enjoy a day of swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing. You can also kayak, and explore the National Park on foot.
Day 5: Brisbane River
Make your way back to Brisbane and enjoy what the Brisbane River has to offer, with sights and a charter to the different attractions in the city. If you wish for more remote destinations, the Gold Coast to the south of Brisbane is a great day or two of excursions, while the Sunshine Coast and Noosa Heads to the north of Brisbane are also great options.
Rent a boat for diving in Brisbane
Brisbane has world-class diving to offer for both beginner and advanced divers. With plenty of wrecks, reefs, and marine life, Brisbane's underwater paradise is best enjoyed with a boat rental in Brisbane that can take you to these popular dive spots. Flinders Reef is the only true coral reef in Brisbane, and you can find over 150 specials of marine life here, such as stingrays, turtles, and over 100 species of coral. Another popular diving site Manta Ray Bommie is found on North Stradbroke Island. Within 8 to 12 meters, you can see Leopard sharks, Loggerhead turtles, manta rays, guitar sharks, octopuses, and bull rays. Shark Alley in Finally, Flat Rock is a spot ideal for more advanced divers, and marine life here includes wobbegongs, a large variety of pelagics, and schools of rays.
When is the boating season in Brisbane?
Brisbane has a subtropical climate and enjoys 283 days of sunshine and year-round warm climate. The Brisbane River enjoys calm cruising grounds all year long, but sunny weather is needed for ideal boat rental to enjoy the plethora of water activities. The months of June to August consist of the winter season in Brisbane, which means it will be a little chilly. However, whale watching season starts in June, so boat rentals are also popular during the months of June to November for humpback whale sightings on Moreton Bay. The months of September to November are the spring season, while December to January consists of the summer season. Both seasons are ideal times of the year for yacht charters in Brisbane. The months of April to May are regarded as the best time to enjoy the great outdoors in Brisbane since it is not too hot and not too cold, and just perfect for enjoying outdoor activities with warm and pleasant days.
