spirit of the coorong cruises

I went with family aged 44-70 and everyone enjoyed it. There were also some kids on board who had a great time. You do need to enjoy scenery and birds to get the most out of the day. The sand dunes are amazing - huge and ever shifting, quite surreal. If you have limited mobility you would not be able to do the walks. I can imagine this would be really hot mid summer, but on a warm autumn day it was lovely. Lunch was fine, but the mid morning feed of cockles was a major hit with many! Cooked up on a barbie on the beach and served out after a walk. Quite special.

I can only endorse all the previous, positive reviews of the 6+ hour adventure cruise of the Coorong. It was a very hot day but well worth venturing out to view the dunes, water, bird life and seals! In fact, the southern parts of the Coorong were dry for our visit, so this cruise was the only way to see wild life and we saw it in abundance. A must do experience, but dress appropriately for the weather.

We had a very nice day out with the Spirit of the Coorong 4 hour Discovery Cruise. Due to the dredging that is currently happening, our start journey began from over on Hindmarsh Island rather than the usual Goolwa Wharf. Luckily, the weather was perfect and I recommend you go out up to the top deck for part of the journey to enjoy the fresh air and great views. We saw countless and varied species of birds...pelicans, black swans, cape barren geese, etc...as well as a few seals. We also made two stops ashore for a short walk and history/info on the area. The cruise includes a delicious, individually packed lunchbox with a cuppa then afternoon tea with a cuppa and bikkiesThe crew of three were excellent and made our day enjoyable and interesting. We all enjoyed our cruise...it's a great way to see the Coorong and recommend it very highly!

We have recently done the Spirit of Coorong Adventure Cruise, a birthday gift from our family and they couldn't have given us anything better. It is a six hour cruise, leaving from Goolwa, although the day we travelled the cruise left from Mundoo Channel on Hindmarsh Island. The captain, Bain and his mate Mat are very informative and there is almost a non-stop commentary while on board and on the walks through the dunes. We learnt a lot about how the aboriginal people can survive in the bush and what plants and berries are safe to eat. The walks are optional and you are welcome to return to the boat at any time. After one of our walks we were treated to an entrée of freshly cooked Goolwa Cockles, cooked in a wine and garlic sauce and they were delicious. It brought back childhood memories, although then we ate them fresh out of the shells. We had a lunch pack of cold meats and salads served on board and afternoon tea as well. We were surprised to see that china mugs and stainless steel cutlery were their choice. It is so much nicer than drinking tea or coffee from polystyrene and using plastic cutlery. It also helps the environment by not having "throw away" containers etc., The tea and coffee was piping hot too. Cold drinks are available for purchase on the boat and fresh water is available. It is excellent value for money and I believe some of the accommodation places offer a 10% discount voucher on the cruise, making it even better value for money, so if you are staying down that way it pays to enquire with your hosts. We will certainly be recommending this cruise to our family and friends. If you are stuck with ideas for that hard to buy for person who enjoys the outdoors, no better gift than this cruise could be given to them.

We took the Coorong Discovery Cruise (4 hours). The cruise started on Hindmarsh Island instead of Goolwa because of dredging at the River Murray mouth. The boat was very comfortable with a covered cabin and additional viewing from the open top. The skipper provided a knowledgeable commentary throughout the trip on the history of the region and its flora and fauna. A nice cold meat and salad luncheon was included as well as afternoon tea and coffee. The trip included a walk across the dunes and a stop at the River Murray mouth. The trip, if anything, exceeded expectations and was excellent value for money.

We did the 6 hour cruise. We could not board at Goolwa as there was dredging at the Murray Mouth so we had to drive to Hindmarsh Island to board. The staff at the ticket office and on the boat were very helpful and knowledgeable. The weather was overcast which turned out to be a good thing as the walk in the dunes would have been hard in the hot weather. Lunch was very good. Well worth doing.

What an excellent day out. When hubby first suggested it l was a little unsure due to $$$ and with two children aged 8 and 9 who are very active didn't think they would sit still long enough to enjoy it. But how wrong was l. We got to sit outside up the top, and got to see all the action. We saw seals, various birds, even had a check-list where the kids could tick off the birds we had seen, so they were eagerly looking for bird to tick off the list. We loved getting off and following our guide on a walk to find cockle shells, the kids had a ball learning how to find them on the edge of the see (mum was a little nervous though), and learning about which plants are what and what is edible. Lunch was a real treat, cold meats and salads (the kids loved it), and brought out in cute little Tupperware type containers with the food in different sections, made it a lot easier to eat outside where it was windy. The kids enjoyed the walk to look at shells and loved digging in the sand to look for water. It was a brilliant 6 hours and well worth the money, even the kids did not squabble with each other once in the 6 hours... which is a common occurrence a lot lately.... so that is saying a lot... Only thing l would say is put on plenty of sunscreen and reapply it, a few of us got burnt... A terrific day out and if you have children they will really enjoy it and can learn a lot.

We did the mouth of the murray cruise, the crew of mat and Dave were welcoming, informative and made the cruise a real joy. Really good of them to rescue a hat blown into the lake as well. Fully recommend them, wish there were 6 stars!

We were staying at Pt Elliot but decided to do this day tripIf you are lucky the Goolwa Markets may also be onWe were nicely greeted and the smallish boat is quite new and well appointedA good coffee can be bought nearby if you so desire The captain was very informative both historically and with bird life and the "workings" of the barrages etc The boat has a viewing deck, take your sunscreen, a very nice lunch is supplied as is afternoon tea,A couple of interesting walks to break the sitting. Great to hear about the cockle industry and sample those, and the berries from the native shrubsA very pleasant well planes day

Arrived Sunday morning at the Goolwa Wharf where we were greeted warmly at the ticket office. About 40 people on board but plenty of space either under cover or on the upstairs deck. We chose the 6 hour Adventure cruise and could have done it all again that day, it was go brilliant! Travelled down South Lakes to the barrage, all the time listening to very clear, easy to hear commentary. Our Captain Matt is very passionate about the Coorong and Dave was an excellent guide .. both really knowledgeable and funny!! Going through the barrage we were greeted by NZ fur seals basking on the gates of the barrage .. such a thrill to see. Along the Coorong was a bountiful supply of birdlife, so many varieties to see. First stop was the walk over the dunes to the Southern Ocean where we were invited to dig for cockles. Then back to join Matt who was cooking up some cockles for us to eat as an entrée to our meal on board. Glad our weather was only 28 deg as it was very warm amongst the sand dunes. Back on board we cruised further down the Coorong enjoying watching the holiday makers on the banks, boats passing us and people fishing .. some right in the middle of the Coorong on sand banks! Fascinating! We were then all given this amazing plastic picnic hamper for lunch - fantastic idea and great variety of food from cold meats, salads, roll, cheese, crackers, egg, even a chocolate after dinner mint! Thoroughly enjoyed by all! An hour later we pulled into a bank where we were greeted by another sand dune where on the other side, and a bit of a walk, was a heritage listed Aboriginal site. It was a short steep climb to the top .. and a walk along the top of sand dune and then we were met with a large sand dune which reminded me of the Sahara Desert! We were told we could remove our shoes to walk on the sand now as it was cooler .. I wish I hadn't as I still found it a bit hot underfoot .. especially when we stopped to hear about the site. Our guide then dug a hole to show us how easy it was for the Aboriginals to find water and it was nice to dig our feet into the sand which was really cool only inches deep .. what a relief! Then it was a very long long walk back up the dune .. again thank goodness it was only 28 deg! Felt hot to me so make sure you take water and a hat! It was then back on board ready to head back to Goolwa. An offer of afternoon tea on the way home of a beautiful homemade slice and coffee. Capt Matt opened up the engine and it was a quicker trip back, but still with lots of commentary and banter. We've lived in Adelaide all our lives, 52 years, and never experienced the Coorong as we did today .. and loved every minute of it. Will definitely now take friends and overseas visitors on this wonderful day out in the future. You can do a 2, 4 or 6 hour cruise and I promise you they will not disappoint.

In October this year we had a holiday in Goolwa, South Australia and decided to take the opportunity to cruise the River Murray on the Spirit, something we had always said we would do and now that the mouth is running well decided this would be it. We took the 6 hour trip which included lunch and afternoon tea - very enjoyable. The River Murray is flowing well and when we approached the mouth we moored so all passengers could alight and walk along the dunes and see the mouth close up. By climbing the dunes we could also see the Southern Ocean, the next landfall is Antarctica! After this we were taken to a further stop where we climbed over the dunes to again see the ocean and where the local Aboriginals fished. The final stop was the Aboriginal campsite, the trek to the campsite at times made you feel as if you were in the desert, on reaching the campsite the guides dug for water which was not to far down and was very drinkable. They explained the culture around the site and its meaning. A very worthwhile experience where we learnt a lot about the local Aboriginal culture. The guides were very knowledgeable regarding the local Aboriginals and also all the wildlife living on the river and were always letting us know what birds were around. This is definitely a trip that we would repeat.

We took family members from Tasmania on the 4 hour cruise. We all loved it and our visitors were most impressed and are hoping to come again. The food, service and commentary were all excellent and the opportunity for our visitors to see seals and other wildlife close up was fantastic.This cruise should be enjoyed by all visitors to Goolwa and the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Do yourself a favour and do this cruise. It all started with a lovely friendly lady selling us our ticket at the wharf. Great first impression. We cruised on a Wednesday and the boat had plenty of room. We prefer to sit outside and the view from the upstairs deck was brilliant. We had perfect weather (about 28 degrees) with lovely blue skies (tho it didn't start that way). Bain and Matt were very knowledgable and friendly. We had a running commentary during the cruise slowing/stopping to have a good view of the many birds and hearing about the history of the Murray mouth and surrounding area and its people. The walk to the beach from Barker Knoll was pleasant together with a walk on the beach returning to pippies cooked in white wine, garlic etc. Lots of info about the local tribe of aborigines (Ngarrindjeri). Lunch was provided - ham, corned beef, chicken, coleslaw, macaroni salad, etc, roll, cheese/bickies, after dinner mint. Followed by tea/coffee. After another walk at Cattle Point to a former Ngarrindjeri site (which unfortunately we didn't go on as too hot - do make the effort!!) we had afternoon tea and returned home to Goolwa. We couldn't recommend this highly enough. Worth every cent. Will do again in a couple of years to see the changes in the Murray Mouth.

We did the six hour Adventure Cruise and loved every minute. Commentary on board the ship was great, and easy to hear on the upper deck. As a birdwatcher, I had a wonderful time looking out at the huge number of birds we cruised past (a total of 46 different species). Bain slowed down when we came near large numbers of birds or other interesting things. The two walking trips we did (one with Mat, the other with Bain) were both really good. Both chaps know their stuff and their passion for the Coorong, its wildlife and its history, shines through. Loved drinking the water that Bain found in the bottom of a hole that he dug in the sand! Also enjoyed the way they (gently!) ram the ship up on the sand so we could get off and walk! Well worth your time and money.

Very informative and friendly on-board staff. 6 hour cruise you wouldn't think was that long , always busy and plenty to see. 1st walk to the ocean was easy and enjoyable. 2nd walk in HOT weather (36 C) was too much through the hot sand dunes and then to stand for a 10 minute talk in the midday sun, might have been better on board before or after but very interesting. Plenty of food and drinks included, definately a must see area with perfect hosts.