Wheelchair friendly recreational Houseboat data

WOW cruises photo gallery

"Parsnip" all saddled-up and ready to roll!	Loading up. In preparation for a "WOW" of a cruise.	Some foundation members of WOW Inc., press-ganged into posing for the Press - 1982.	A three boat flotilla from the heydays of the 80's.
"Paul" with everything under control.	Author trying to look like a coxswain.	The "Princess" bypasses us on Wigley Reach.	"Badger" trying to look like a fisherman. If only he could bait his own hooks.
A real fisherman (you can tell by his fish-oil stained apparel). That's a Murray Cod he's got there. It was returned to the river soon afterwards.	"Badger" with his most memorable catch. A Carp with a tonne of roe inside it.	LUNCH!!!!!!....	'Wheelies' and crew ready to "shove off!!!!"
Clutter in the saloon on a rare 'rainy day'.	How could she ever forget the signal for "Turning to port"???	Flash? - Who's gonna FLASH ? ....	That loveable old rascal and well known Renmark Identity; Ted [TallTales] Francis - RIP. On his way to The Rufus.
"Going up!" - in Lock 7 'Rufus River'.	Communing with the locals.	Decisions; Decisions! What'll it be! We stick to "VB" or we try a couple of vodkas and a Port; maybe?	You could get tired of waking-up to views like this EVERY morning. _{IF YOU TRIED HARD ENOUGH!}

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HOUSEBOATS WITH SHOWERS YOU CAN WHEEL INTO: ... in alphabetic order:-

"CREDENCE" & "CLEARWAT ER" ; two houseboats, as yet uninspected, but advertised as having wheelchair access and catering for disabled passengers, operated by Lois & Klaus Horn out of Kia Marina, East bank of the Murray 8km upstream from Mannum SA.
Ph: 08 8251 1879 - or - via Kia Marina houseboat & boat hire; - These boats feature queen sized bedrooms and ducted air conditioning throughout. The shower facilities are reported to be wheelchair accessible as is the toilet, which has the approved handrails that allow paraplegics to self transfer.

"ECSTASY", "SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE" & "TOO IRRESISTIBLE" ; 3 x Green and Gold Co. boats, operated by James and Ruth Copeland, Waikerie riverfront, adjacent to the town oval;
Ph: 08 8541 2001 - or - Green & Gold houseboats Homepage; - Very good 10/12 berth boats. W/chair access to 4 of the 5 cabins also the marine-toilet. - Ramp supplied for sunken shower (3cm). - You supply your own bed linen.- Quadriplegics who have used these boats rate them as very good.

"INDULGENCE" ; another houseboat moored at Kia Marina, East bank of the Murray 8-km upstream from Mannum SA, operated by Ann & Bruce McCall and advertised as either having "wheelchair access" or "disabled facilities";
Ph: 08 8352 1277 - or - via Kia Marina houseboat & boat hire; - This vessel is reported to be suitable for disabled and/or is wheelchair accessible. - It has roomy sleeping areas and, though the shower room doorway is reported to be a bit 'snug', shower chairs can be wheeled into one shower alcove, albeit with the aid of an able-bodied helper.

"TAKEME2" ; 8-berth houseboat with three spacious double/single bed cabins for six, plus day/night style sleeping accommodation for the remainder. The spacious 'wheelchair friendly' cabins have wheelchair accessible en-suite toilet/shower facilities with one or more being spacious enough to accommodate a 'lifter'. - Notwithstanding that an on-board 'lifter' may become available in the future, passengers currently need to supply their own lifter/slings plus shower/commode chair.
Moored at Mannum SA. and operated by " Takme2 Houseboat Holidays" of 32 Randell Street, Mannum, SA 5238: -
Bookings: 1800 007 636 - or - Ph: 08 8569 1020 - Mobile: 0428 246 910.

"VACATIONER" ; Located on the "Lower Murray". Was last heard of at MURRAY BRIDGE Marina, but has been "For Sale" a number of times, and is difficult to keep track-of. - Last known contact was via Phone numbers cited hereunder:
Ph: 08 8332 6468 or 08 8339 3969
A 12-berth boat designed for disabled passengers by able-bodied experts. - When last seen it had a 'domestic style' flush toilet. Shower/toilet area was very roomy with a totally flat floor.

"BIG RIVER RAMBLER" ; For anyone not yet ready to captain their own houseboat, a wheelchair friendly passenger vessel operating out of Renmark SA; offers 2-hour cruises. The standard trip is an afternoon tea cruise where a Devonshire Tea (scones, jam & cream) is cooked freshly on the boat, while travelling, and taken on the bank during a 15-min stopover on an island, where a range of birds, kangaroos and possibly emus are likely to be observed.
Booking information via Renmark River Cruises.

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MILDURA BASED "PURE INDULGENCE": - one of the "All Seasons" fleet of houseboats, based at Mildura, is a very spacious houseboat catering for the disabled with fully accessible shower/toilet facilities.
See: http://www.allseasonshouseboats.com.au/html/fleet/pureindulgence.html

These boats invariably have a 240-volt AC generator aboard, which you start-up and use, as and when you require it.

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FOR FIRST-TIMERS; - For wheelchair manoeuvrability, you do need the space of the big 10/12-berth boats. However, hire rates vary constantly. Rising dramatically during school and public holidays; - So it's best to get a current quote direct from the operators. ~ And tell them that you're bringing wheelchairs on board, so they'll know to prepare a shower hose, ramps and wide gangplank, etc., for you, ~ and they'll move beds etc. to suit your needs.
Brochures on these boats are available from the South Australian Tourist Bureau. - However, you'll probably have to ask for them by name. Because the staff at the Bureau have no reliable knowledge as to wheelchair suitability, and will usually provide you with an abundance of brochures, but only of the large fleet operators.

Roughly speaking, hire rates vary from $1,400 to $2,400 per week. Depending on boat you choose, time of year etc.. So, with a full boatload, you do have to budget for something like $250 to $350 per person for boat hire, diesel & food, for a Monday to Friday cruise, and proportionally more for a full-week. Weekend hire is available, and oftentimes commences 10-a.m. Friday, ending at 9-a.m. on Monday.

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"A word about the River;" - Operators on the Lower Murray stress that since they're only 60-min from ADELAIDE, it's cheaper, quicker and easier to move passengers and luggage to/from their boats. Many hirees, with scant knowledge of the River, see this as a huge advantage. There are, however, other things to consider: - The same closeness makes it popular with Adelaide's shack and water-ski fraternity. So it's a busier river with shack development encroaching on much of the bank: Moreover, the Murray below Mannum passes through a landscape that is devoid of any major windbreak features. It flows between pastures, levees and lagoons, and is dauntingly wide in places. It was in this section, near Mannum, that rough weather forced Captain Sturt to lay-up for three days during his original exploration in 1830: - Indeed, it would be tragic. If anyone experiencing adverse weather on this stretch, allowed it to put them off 'house-boating' in the future: - You must go upstream from Purnong (20-odd Km above Mannum), to be in the narrower more sheltered sections of the River. Where there's greater option for balmy evenings among gum trees, and where the river is well below the surrounding mallee plain, which protects you from the prevailing winds. Houseboats present a large above-water surface in comparison to what they have under-water. So wind can dramatically effects their speed and handling: - Yes! It can take an extra 90-odd minutes to drive 'all-the-way' to The Riverland, but the River is more sheltered and intimate 'up-there'; and if that's the way you'd like it then 'up-there' is where you'll have to go. - As hire generally commences around 2-p.m. on the first day, the extra driving time, should not really present any problem.

Nonetheless, whomever you talk to!!! - You'll find that "Bottom Enders" (ostensibly Murray-ians who dwell downstream of Morgan) rarely have anything nice to say about the "Top End". - And vice-versa also holds true: - - Suffice to say!!! - "Bottom End" boat trips are SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT from "Top End" ones: - And! To ascertain which you prefer, you may have to try both!!!