A pootle and picnic along the Yarra
Taking control of your own leisure cruise along the ‘yarro yarro’ river is wonderful way to spend time in bustling and vibrant Melbourne,
‘Stick to the right!’’ A rower is powering down the Yarra River, and the little electric boat I am driving is getting in the way of her training. I wave in response – ‘‘Oops, sorry!’’ – and accidentally manoeuvre the little boat even more directly in her path, before escaping to the edge of the river, while trying not to get tangled in the grass at the water’s edge.
If you have never driven a boat before, it can take a bit of time to get used to turning.
It is the opposite of a steering wheel in a car. Move the tiller one way, and it will steer the boat in the opposite direction.
You also sail on the right side of a river, not the left. What comes intuitively on the road for us Kiwis needs to be rewired on the water.
I don’t have a captain’s licence, but on this sunny Melbourne day, I am the master of this boat, and my main obstacle is trying to dodge the rowers who are out for their Sunday morning training, as well as navigate a dozen bridges.
I have hired a GoBoat for a cruise down the Yarra. These Scandinavian-designed electric boats can be rented in a few locations around the world, with Australia the latest country to offer them.
Made of fibreglass used from recycled PET bottles, and with a maximum speed of five knots, you don’t need any sailing experience to enjoy this eco-friendly way to see the sights of Melbourne from a new perspective.
The boats can fit up to eight people onboard. There is a table in the middle so you can enjoy a picnic lunch and – provided you are not the captain – a glass or two of bubbly. You can rent a chilly bin and Bluetooth speaker for the ride too, and the boats are also pet-friendly.
The 242km-long Yarra River is known as Birrarung to its traditional owners, the Wurundjeri people, and was a main source of food, a place for meeting and camping, before European settlement. It only became known as the Yarra in the 1830s, when a surveyor apparently misheard the Aboriginal phrase ‘‘yarro yarro’’, which means ‘‘ever flowing’’.
It remains a culturally and ecologically significant site for Victoria today, home to an abundance of native plants, birds and fish, as well as being an iconic tourist attraction, with multiple sightseeing cruises setting off each day.
The scenic river canvasses a large stretch beyond the city of Melbourne, although most tourists tend to only know the path that runs through the city.
Before departing, boaties are given a safety briefing, a life jacket and quick instructional chat with GoBoat staff before navigating out of the dock, armed with a map of key sites and bridges.
It takes a few turns to get used to the tiller, which steers the boat and is also the accelerator. Twisting the handle one way increases the speed, and the other puts you in reverse – a simple system even for those who have never driven a boat before. And with the top speed being just five knots, there is plenty of time to get out of the way of obstacles.
I have a choice of two directions: towards the Docklands marina or down past the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Melbourne Park. I opt for the latter.
The map also gives handy time references at various marks along the river to let you know how long it would take to get back to base.
I have been on walking tours through the city’s laneways, marvelled at exhibitions at the NGV, and been up the Melbourne Skydeck for panoramic views, but this little boat quickly turns into one of the most fun sightseeing experiences I have had for its unique way to view the city.
The hustle and bustle of Melbourne life is one of the city’s attributes, especially for Kiwi travellers wanting to get a feel for big city life, but my cruise down the Yarra offers a gentle reprieve from the intensity of the laneways.
For the next two hours, I pootle along the river taking in the cityscape. Sure, you can jump on a bigger cruise with dozens of others and have the work done for you, but a self-drive picnic boat means embracing the slow route and allows you to observe the morning’s activities at a gentle pace.
It is a delightfully pleasant way to spend a Sunday morning, and despite travelling solo, I am having a blast sailing past other boaties, waving to the joggers and dog walkers on the water’s edge, and watching the rowers train.
By the time I return to the dock, I have only almost run aground twice, and managed to avoid taking out any other rowers and boaties. That is a pretty good success for a first-time captain.