There is no better person to give first hand tips and tricks for a Houseboat Holiday than the hirer themselves.
Please enjoy these stories, images and memorable moments captured and shared by our guests. Hopefully they will shed some insider knowledge for those considering or returning to hire a Houseboat and inspire the Skipper in all of us!
Let us go on a journey with Patrice on board Getaway, who returned in August 2021 to Houseboating after a few years break, and fell right back in love with the journey from the get go.
How many times have your hired a Houseboat?
This is my 4th time over a number of years.
Which Houseboat from our fleet have you hired?
We hired a small one level/one bed houseboat approx. 30 years ago.
Then the same type of houseboat but larger a few years later.
Then a larger boat again (that had mirrors in the living area), I cannot remember the name and this was also a few years later.
Then our most recent trip was in August on Getaway.
My favourite boat was the small one level boat with the large deck at the front, only because it allowed you to be close to the water, with plenty of deck space to be outdoors on the one level. I think this is why we chose Getaway, as it is a similar setup with the large deck but not overly large.
What is it about Houseboating that keeps you coming back?
Boating is in my DNA having grown up in the Redlands with Moreton Bay as my backyard. My Great Grandfather, Harry Sullivan, built the first passenger ferry on the Brisbane River and that is just the start of our history on the Bay. My Grandpa and Nana, Pete and Marg Taylor, owned Bay Islands Transport for many years and we also lived on Russell Island. My father worked his own Trawler in the bay as well.
Having owned boats myself which have now been sold, I miss the peace the water creates in your whole being, and to be able to hire a houseboat and get back to doing what you love is just perfect.
What is your most memorable Houseboating experience?
The most recent on Getaway, we had an incident which capsized our Tinnie and had no idea what we were going to do, it was too heavy to right ourselves and we were stuffed. Then we met a wonderful couple, Marty and Tess that were moored close to us and came to see if we needed help, cut a long story short we were able to make it to shore and were able to turn the boat over, which would have been impossible without them.
Also, the service we received from Coomera Houseboats in the wake of the above adventure. After I emailed them to advise what had happened and they called us the next morning and and offered to bring us a new tender and motor and kindly towed our wounded tinnie and outboard back to the base. As our new outboard had been submerged in saltwater for some time they also changed the oil and ran new fuel through the engine which saved it seizing. We were so grateful to Coomera Houseboats for that.
What is your favourite anchorage in our cruising ground?
Our favourite spot would be Tipplers, especially through the week when there is less traffic. Weekends get crazy mainly with Jet skis.
What is your top tip for a first time Houseboat Hirer?
Take your time, it is not a race!
Listen to your Skipper when doing the handover and ask questions if not sure.
