15 Boat Trips in Brisbane Worth Booking

1.Brisbane River Cruise with entry to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,522 reviews · from $82Our pick

Cruise Brisbane River to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, with koalas, kangaroos, wildlife shows, and three hours to explore.

“Boat leaves on time so don't be late. Nice trip and plenty of food and drink options so you don't have to spend time eating at the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is well worth the visit and lots to see. No maps around the place so take a picture on your phone.”

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2.Brisbane River Cruise and Koala Sanctuary Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,397 reviews · 5h 30m · from $81

Cruise Brisbane River to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary for koalas, kangaroo feeding, wildlife shows, city views, and three hours to explore.

“Fantastic trip! Enjoyed every part of it - the crew on the cruise were helpful & friendly. The Koala Sanctuary was so worth seeing. So much wildlife, will definitely visit again in the future”

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3.Moreton Island Return Ferry & Adventure Day Pass

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 1,195 reviews · 8 - 9 hours · from $98

Review of Moreton Island’s $98 adventure day pass, with ferry travel, kayaking, snorkeling, resort pools, practical tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Just perfect for us. enough time to borrow kayaks and paddle towards the ship wrecks. we were happy to rent some wetsuits ($10) as the water was still pretty chilly. Good for group, not sure if single person would be as fun as you don't really get to hang out with anyone else. The amount of gorgeous colourful fish I've seen was incredible. I loved it and want to do this more often 😍”

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4.Morning Sightseeing Cruise: 10:30am-12pm (90min)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 973 reviews · from $37

Review of Brisbane’s 90-minute morning river cruise, with city views, live commentary, scones, coffee, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Enjoyable trip. Knowledgeable commentary. Lovely morning tea. Great to get overview of Brisbane layout”

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5.Morning Sightseeing Cruise: 10:30am-12pm (90min)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 521 reviews · 1h 30m · from $34Best value

Cruise Brisbane’s river for 90 minutes aboard MV Neptune, with city views, live commentary, morning tea, and a friendly onboard bar.

“What a fantastic way to see Brisbane. Very relaxing. Thank you so much, loved it.”

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6.Cruise to Lunch Package: 10:30am – 2pm (3.5hr)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 487 reviews · from $68

Brisbane river cruise with morning tea, commentary, keg tasting, and lunch at the historic Breakfast Creek Hotel for $68.14.

“Well organised and very informative- very enjoyable- thank you 😊 will definitely recommend to friends and family”

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7.Whale Watching Cruise with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 448 reviews · 5 - 8 hours · from $113

Cruise Moreton Bay on MV Eye Spy for humpback whales, a fresh lunch, Captain Kerry’s insights, and practical Brisbane pickup options.

“An absolutely unforgettable experience seeing these beautiful creatures!! The Guide was extremely knowledgeable and showed so much compassion for these animals. I 100% will be doing this again next year! A must do if visiting or passing through Brisbane!!”

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8.Sunset City Lights Cruise 5.30pm or 6pm *seasonal

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 387 reviews · 1h 30m · from $41

See Brisbane glow at sunset on a 90-minute river cruise with Story Bridge views, a complimentary charcuterie board, music, and onboard drinks.

“It was a beautiful evening to enjoy the lights of the city. Music and appetizers rooted it off.”

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9.Midday 1.5-Hour Sightseeing Cruise 12.30pm-2.00pm

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 384 reviews · 1h 30m · from $34

Review of Brisbane’s 90-minute midday river cruise, with Story Bridge views, guided commentary, afternoon tea, bar service, and practical tips.

“Great tour - really good guide and a great way to see parts of Brisbane you wouldn’t normally see. Thoroughly enjoyed it.”

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10.Cruise to Lunch Package: 10:30am-2pm (3.5hr)

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 326 reviews · 3h 30m · from $63

Cruise Brisbane’s river to South Bank, enjoy morning tea, commentary, beer tasting, and lunch at the historic Breakfast Creek Hotel.

“relaxing trip. and loved tge breakfast creek hotel too”

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11.Midday Sightseeing Cruise: 12.30pm-2pm (90min)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 132 reviews · from $35

Review of Brisbane’s 90-minute midday river cruise, with skyline views, Story Bridge, live commentary, afternoon tea, and practical tips.

“We had a lovely time and enjoyed the commentary, the only problem was a very loud English man who talked so loudly that we had to strain to listen. A bit more volume might sort that out.”

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12.Sunset City Lights Cruise: 5.30pm or 6pm *seasonal (90min)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 128 reviews · from $42

Brisbane’s 90-minute sunset cruise pairs river views, city lights, music, cheese, and drinks with a relaxed evening on the water.

“Il n'y a aucune explication donnée sur la ville de Brisbane pendant toute la croisière, ce qui est dommage. Tout le temps de la musique ne nous apprend pas beaucoup de chose.”

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13.Moreton Island: Tangalooma Day Trip & Whale Watching Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 121 reviews · 1 day · from $109

Review of the Moreton Island Tangalooma day trip, with whale watching, ferry details, resort access, lunch, timing, costs, and practical tips.

“Friendly staff, clean & comfortable ferry, good lunch (vegetarian option was very nice) and the most important, amazing and respectful whale watching. Great day!”

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14.Mid-Afternoon Sightseeing Cruise: 2:30pm-4pm (90min)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 28 reviews · from $37

Cruise Brisbane River for 90 minutes with afternoon tea, live commentary, and views of Story Bridge, Kangaroo Point Cliffs, and the city.

“We had a great time on the boat ride. They gave us all the history of everything we saw, & the boat layout made it easy for all on board to see. They also had refreshments available- some for purchase. We would recommend this excursion to all ages.”

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15.Afternoon Moreton Bay Sailing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · from $85Top rated

Review of the Moreton Bay afternoon sailing tour from Cleveland, with swimming, island beaches, wildlife, food, pricing, and practical tips.

“We had an amazing Christmas party for 15 people on board Aristocrat. The food was amazing, the crew incredible and the scenery just stunning. Swimming at Peel Island was a huge highlight. We can recommend this cruise to anyone. Well done to Brisbane Yacht Charters for making our Christmas party a terrific success.”

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