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I rented the Britannia for my 40th birthday with a bunch of friends and family including young kids. The boat was so comfortable and spacious even with 12 of us onboard. The boat was even nicer than the photos on the website, bathroom was very large and was more than enough for all of us to share On the final day I wasn’t confident driving the boat back alone and our service manager Dave was more than happy to come to us to drive it back. We also made several trips back and forth to the port over the week and Ken and the team were happy to accomodate my guests with trips to the car park and pick ups from the houseboat to those leaving early Highly recommend Murray River Houseboats and can’t wait to come back every year and do it all again
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Julie Montgomery, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 29 Jan 2021
Thankyou so much Rowena for your kind feedback. We do try very hard to make our guests stay a memorable one. We are so fortunate to have supportive staff who do their best to accommodate our guests needs. We look forward to welcoming you back. Kind Regards Julie Ken and and all the team at Murray River Houseboats
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Spent the first week of December 2020 enjoying “a touch of opulence” up on the Murray. Deciding to book our trip mid-Lockdown in Melbourne caused us a bit of stress, however Julie and the team were accomodating and understanding throughout the whole process.
There was months of communication between Julie and myself and she always answered the phone and always answered my questions with kindness and professionalism. When we got there the team were incredibly kind. Josh was exceptionally friendly, he took us through the boat and taught us how to operate it and answered any questions we had, he also met us upstream on the last day to help us dock the boat professionally!
The boat itself was immaculate, a nice bottle of bubbles and a huge bowl of fruit was left for us and was greatly appreciated. The boat was massive, all 8 of us never felt cramped and had ample room to relax and enjoy ourselves.
Overall the week we spent on opulence was astounding, I’d highly recommend this company and this boat to anyone who asks.
Thanks to Julie, Josh and the rest of the team for making our week so good. We will definitely see you in the future!
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Julie Montgomery, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 16 Jan 2021
Thanks Joshua Glad to hear that you had a great holiday. We would also like to thank you for choosing Murray River Houseboats and look forward to seeing you again in the future. Cheers Ken & Julie Montgomery Murray River Houseboats
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A wonderful experience for locals, interstate visitors and international visitors a like. Hard to imagine a better and more relaxing holiday for a family or a group of friends than that on a Murray River Houseboat. We had 5 families and the Decadence still felt big with lots of room to move. The houseboat was incredibly well maintained, very clean, well provisioned, and the service offered by Julie & Ken was second to none. Biggest regret was only staying 3 nights. We are now planing our second trip with the same families and 3rd trip with friends. It is a perfect holiday for any age group. Murray River Houseboats could not be faulted.
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Date of stay: November 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from mrhboats, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 28 Apr 2020
Thank you so much Mladin for your glowing feedback. We do try very hard to make all of our guests stay memorable. We certainly will welcome you back anytime and we are sure you will enjoy your next stay as much as your first as many other guests have before you. Hope to see you soon. Kind Regards Ken and Julie Montgomery Murray River Houseboats
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Murray River Houseboats were fantastic! We stayed on the Indulgence boat and it was flawless. Great layout, lots of room for 8 adults.
Floor to ceiling windows with sliding doors provided great ventilation in bedrooms. Although bedrooms are on the more compact side (as to be expected on a boat), storage was functional and enough to suit our needs. Biggest bonus was all bedrooms had their own ensuites. Living areas were large, well appointed and comfortable. Kitchen both upstairs and downstairs were extremely well equipped. The extremely large fridge, drink bubbler and ice maker were greatly appreciated. Plenty of towels and extra toiletries on board too.
It is good to take water toys like jet ski, stand up paddle board, floatation devices etc for times when you want to go down the River but don’t want to move the boat.
Ken and Julie were exceptional hosts, always available if assistance was needed. Would definitely recommend and we will be absolutely be returning.
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Julie Montgomery, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 24 Jan 2021
Thank you for your lovely review. We are glad to hear that you had a lovely holiday and we look forward to seeing you again in the future.
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From the lovely paddle steamer chocolates on the beds on arrival, the luxury sheets, towels and toiletries the houseboat Decadence lives up to its name. All 8 of us have traveled widely, we all agree Murray River Houseboats is well and truly up there as a high quality holiday experience. The river was very high and flowing very fast, but we had amazing care and support from the team to ensure we still had a safe and interesting Murray River and bushwalking/bird watching experience. There is ample and generous fridge freezer space to keep all 8 adults well fed and watered for an entire week.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:This is a very comfortable boat for 4 couples.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Julie Montgomery, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 23 Apr 2023
Thankyou so much for your kind and much appreciated review. We do our very best to provide a memorable experience and we are so fortunate to have a great team that want the same for our guests . We hope to see you again some time on our beautiful river . Kind Regards Julie and Ken Montgomery Murray River Houseboats
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We had a great time, Murray River Houseboats provided us with a beautifully presented boat (Indulgence) with features that meant we wanted for nothing. The staff were very helpful and friendly. We really have appreciated dealing with MRH. We have already recommended to friends and suggest you would have difficulty finding a better experience.
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Date of stay: June 2021
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Julie Montgomery, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 18 June 2021
Thank you Peter for your lovely review, and look forward to seeing you again in the future.
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My husband and I have now had 2 holidays on Murray River Houseboats. Just the 2 of us on Endeavour in 2015 and then on Opulence in 2019 with our Daughter, her husband and their 3 children. We all loved it. The kids were so relaxed and had a great time. We took somd large floating toys that we could fit into and/or on, and dragged them behind the boats. We didn't hear one complaint from the kids the whole time. The Adults were able to just sit back and chill. There was pleanty of room for us all, the beds were very comfortable and with 2 bathrooms, no queing up for a shower. Both of our times on the houseboats, thery have been spotless and very comfortable. Julie and Kem have always been wonderful to talk to about anything you want to know, and go above and beyond to ensure you enjoy your ride. Highly recommend to anybody - even just 2 of you - that you will love it!!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from mrhboats, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 29 Apr 2020
Thank you so much Janette for your lovely review and we are so very pleased that both holidays were such memorable experiences . We will always do our very best to ensure you have a great time. We certainly hope to see you again no matter what the combination is on board as all parties we believe will enjoy. Kind Regards Julie and Ken Montgomery Murray River Houseboats
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Just a quick thank you to Graham, Leanne, Jody & gang, for a great 4 on Osprey. The whole team are about welcoming you to their houseboats, Yvonne & I went down a day early and were shown the houseboat by one of the ladies that look after the boats. On day one we were greeted by Jody and given a quick tour of Osprey’s features and operation. Once everybody was finally aboard Jody watched me to see if I managed to hit anything on the way out of the marina, yea!! We missed everything, a quick trip down stream, a U turn and docked with the bank, Jody pronounced me an ‘ Honorary Captain’ and off we went to explore upstream from Renmark. The boat had everything you could possibly want in a vessel like this, H&C Shower, 2 toilets, 3 bedrooms and kitchen, dining lounge, plus two outside undercover decks. Great sized fridge freezer, ice box for the ales, new gas range and a remote controlled petrol powered generator, if the need arises. TV, video and stereo finished off the equip. We were lucky to have won one of the River Revival giveaway vouchers for $750. That was half price for the houseboat hire straight away. I contacted Leanne and she did everything she could to help with the booking, thanks Leanne. All in all the team were outstanding in their service and helpfulness towards us, they were great and this is what stands companies apart. Thanks to you all for making the trip memorable, we would recommend you to all and sundry. Special mention to Jody and his antics with a very small paddle. 🤣 Sorry mate, could not let that one go by 😁😁
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Talk to Leanne at Renmark Houseboats, she will help advise you on all your needs to make this a...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed our Houseboat experience on the Murray River! We found Murray River Houseboats to be a very well-run company: staff are extremely helpful and attentive, the houseboat we hired (Britannia) was very well equipped and clean, and operating instructions were clearly and succinctly given and demonstrated at the outset. On our first day, we encountered a small mooring issue, and help was but a phone-call away.
One thing we feel to be worth pointing out to anyone intending on a houseboat experience is the fuel cost. As this was our first experience on a Murray River houseboat, prior to our hiring, we enquired about the fuel cost, and were advised that, for Britannia, the average additional fuel charge is around $350 for a week's hire; however we were charged $968.20 (455 litres for boat motor and 15 litres for the generator).
To give some perspective to what follows, we were keen to see as much of the river as we could, so in the first 4 days we sailed to Torrumbarry Weir (80km from Echuca) and back. Then 2 friends joined us for the next 2 days, and we sailed around 30km each way, totalling approximately 220km all up. The speed we travelled was more or less as advised (2,500 rpm downstream, 3,500 rpm upstream). Basic lighting, fridge, and hot-water were powered by a 12-volt solar system: because of the inherent noise, we didn't use the 240-volt petrol generator for heating; we used only the small gas heater on low setting overnight. Our brief use of the generator was less than 1/2 hour for the microwave oven, and we did all our other cooking on the gas stove and barbecue.
On our return of the boat, we were incidentally informed that very few patrons actually travel all the way down to Torrumbarry Weir -- and in fact we hardly saw any moving houseboat after about 20-30km from Echuca. We're not sure whether this is due to the fuel cost, or lack of adventurous spirit! We did enjoy our apparently-extended travel, as the river-scape changes significantly further downstream. We would advise future patrons, prior to setting off, to enquire about the potential fuel cost based on their intended travel -- to avoid any "bill-shock"!
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Julie Montgomery, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 2 weeks ago
Thank you Juliana & Richard for your review and are pleased to hear that you "thoroughly enjoyed" your houseboat experience. In regards to your fuel cost, it is very difficult to estimate fuel usage before your trip, without knowing what your intentions with travelling on the river might be. We have some guests that find a spot on the river and stay for a number of days or even the entire time. When we are asked the average fuel cost we base it on the average. The amount of time you travelled would be very rare. Perhaps if we knew a little more as to what your intensions were, we would have advised a different fuel estimate. Your fuel usage per hour was around the average of 10 litres per hour on the Britannia. Just like a car hire, the total fuel used varies considerably with use. The average hirer would do 10 – 12 hours in a week. You travelled for 44 hours! We certainly are always transparent and have only the best intensions to try to ensure our guests have a memorable experience, which you did. We wish you all the best, and hope to see you again in the future.
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Don’t book with this lot unless you’re prepared and happy to push your waste down the toilet with the onboard ’Poo stick’. This stick is mentioned, as part of the induction, as being necessary if too much paper is used in the marine toilet. As we were only 2 couples on a 10 berth boat, we didn’t use the toilet to its max and couldn’t have been more frugal with the paper. The toilet blocked pretty much first use and continued to require ‘the stick’ until the toilet eventually broke on day 4. This meant we had to walk back to Echuca and spend the day there while the toilet was replaced. Unfortunately the new toilet didn’t fix the blocking issue and ‘the stick’ was employed constantly for the next 3 days! The owners continually refuse to acknowledge the massive inconvenience all this caused and the impact it had on our experience. They refuse to accept responsibility for either an inappropriate system or lack of required maintenance (or both) or to acknowledge that compensation is appropriate for the inconvenience and for us having paid for 7 days hire when we effectively had the boat for 6. Look elsewhere.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid if you expect good customer service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Julie Montgomery, Owner at Murray River Houseboats
Responded 14 Sept 2022
Dear Sir/Madam, As in previous correspondence we have apologised for any inconvenience caused. In our 20 years of business we have always tried our best to offer well maintained boats and the best service we can . There was no suggestion you used too much paper . Our staff just explained the difference between a marine toilet and a full flush toilet if too much paper is used before flushing. When the issue was reported we replaced the toilet and have since adjusted the system further which has been beneficial . We are also looking to replace with a full flush system in the near future as we continue to improve where we can. However this system has been in place for many years with many repeat guests on this boat without issues. It is a shame and disappointing that you have not had anything at all that is positive to say about the boat and your time on the Murray and that your holiday was defined by this issue. We are grateful that we have had many lovely reviews over the many years and if we did not try our very best to look after our guests we are sure it would not be the case. We supported our guests through Covid by offering full credits during lockdown which was at a huge financial burden to our business. We endeavour to do what we can . We wish you all the best but are disappointed that you feel there was no effort made.
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Thank you for your enquiry. For your reference we are in Echuca on the NSW and Victorian border and the parameters you can travel are between Torrumbarry Weir and the Goulburn River. There is approximately 100 kms of river you can travel which is still more than ample distance to cover if holidaying for a week or even 10 days . You are travelling at approximately 8 to 10 kms per hour with the current and about 5 kms against the current. This can also vary slightly depending on river flows. Echuca is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in Victoria which is why many of the travel shows feature our town. There are wineries and a wonderful golf club resort that you can access along the river. We also have some lovely restaurants , cafes and hotels along with many other great attractions and a good shopping strip for those who are interested in browsing.
We have 6 boats in our fleet from our 2-7 berth the Mayflower which is one of our very popular middle market boats through to our renowned top of the range Indulgence and Decadence. Our hires commence on Monday and Friday. We have a 3 night weekend package from Friday to Monday, a 4 night midweek from Monday to Friday and 7 nights commencing Monday or Friday. Naturally you can have longer periods as long as you finish on Monday or Friday. The exception is when following a long weekend or public holiday.
All of our boats are fully self contained with all you could need in a kitchen and we have hooded BBQ on the top or bottom decks. We have refrigerated split system air conditioners on all of our 6 boats. The top decks have table and chairs, sun lounges and eskys for our client’s convenience. To add to the atmosphere we have installed out door speakers for music on the top deck. We have TVs on the top and bottom decks and all boats have a weatherproof canopy or rooftops to cater for all seasons conditions. Our top end boats have numerous other features that you can access on our website.
Murray River Houseboats are located in the Port of Echuca amongst all the Paddle boats in the heart of town and walking distance from all the tourist attractions and shopping strips. Our main focus has been to offer the best presented fleet to cover all needs and categories.
It is important to us to present a well maintained product to be proud of while offering a good service to further complement our product. This can only be achieved if you have a good team working with you. We are very fortunate that this is the case and are regularly complimented by our guests on our wonderful staff .
We also pride ourselves on provisioning our boats with many extras that other operators do not offer.
We have a high percentage of repeat business and an excellent reputation we have worked hard to achieve.
This is also reflected in the lovely reviews we have received on Trip Advisor, Google reviews and on our Facebook page.
Murray River houseboats have also been featured on many travel shows and in the media.
These include Coxys Big Break, Getaways, The Morning Show, and the Herald Sun just to name a few.
We hope this has given you a feel for what we have to offer.
There are more places to choose from in the Echuca area.
LOCATION
AustraliaVictoriaEchuca
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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