Indulge your senses on a 6 day luxury Proud Mary cruise with 4 nights in Adelaide with an Adelaide city tour, flights and transfers. Breathtaking beauty abounds aboard this superbly appointed and award-winning riverboat with an intimate river cruising style. Relax in your river view cabin with balcony. Savour gourmet food and wine experiences, enjoy guided shore excursions and nature walks in Mannum, Swan Reach, Sugar Shack, Portee Sheep Station, Aussie Apricots Orchard and Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve. Experience fine dining including a 5 course silver-service Captain’s Dinner and daily meals sourced from local ingredients. Moor under the towering cliffs of Big Bend, the highest cliffs anywhere along the Murray River, Walker Flat with its prolific birdlife and wildlife, Blanchetown and Mannum. Enjoy a tender excursion with your on-board ecologist and learn about the history and diversity of the area with informative on board commentary from your Captain and information sessions. Themes include: South Australia, Departs from Adelaide, River Cruising, Luxury Coach, Returns from Adelaide. + Show more

Package Includes

Return Flights to Adelaide (pricing options below)
6 Day Proud Mary Murray Indulgence Cruise
4 Nights Adelaide Hotel (superior 4 star)
All meals onboard the Proud Mary, FREE onshore tours, FREE guided nature walks and eco-excursions, FREE canoe hire, fishing reels & bait and FREE onboard tea and coffee
Adelaide City Tour
Meet and Greet Personalised Return Transfers (Port, Hotel and Airport)

Highlights

6 Day Gourmet Murray River Cruise Adelaide Murray River Murray Bridge Mypolonga Woodlane Caloote Ponde Mannum Mannum Dock Discovery Centre Younghusband Teal Flat Small Group Discovery Cruise Special 5 Course Dinner Special Barbeque Dinner Walker Flat Big Bend Swan Reach Swan Reach Museum Portee Sheep Station Almond Plantation Blanchetown Lock 1 Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve Guided Tour of Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve Bush Walk Mount Lofty Ranges Torrens Gorge Historic Churches Rundle Mall Montefiore Hill Gouger Street North Adelaide Gourmet South Australia Sugar Shack Apricot Orchard Revolution Motor Museum

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Departure Dates

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Descriptions

DAY 1 Fly to Adelaide

Fly to Adelaide and begin your Murray River adventure.You will be personally met at the airport by a DISCOVER AUSTRALIA representative and transferred from the airport to your hotel.

Meet and Greet Personalised Arrival Transfer, Overnight Adelaide Accommodation.

DAY 2 Adelaide City Tour

Adelaide is famous for stylish architecture, beautiful parklands, boutique shopping, cafe strips, sandy swimming beaches, fabulous arts events, festivals, nightlife, and sandstone cottages with sweeping gardens. The diverse cultural mix of its population guarantees that the food is sensational. Adelaide is Australia's wine capital and lies between rolling hills to the east and beautiful sandy beaches to the west, with world class vineyards within easy reach.

Your friendly driver will pick you up in the comfortable air-conditioned luxury coach before sharing experiences, fascinating facts and enchanting stories in the on-board full commentary throughout the morning. Today see Victoria Square (heart of Adelaide city), Gouger Street (restaurant cafe strip), King William Street's famous boulevard, The Terraces (4 terraces that separate the city from its greenbelts) and Adelaide's magnificent parks, gardens and greenbelts. See River Torrens with its delightful garden banks, Parliament House, State Library, Trinity Church (Adelaide's oldest church), and fashionable Hutt Street. See Beehive Corner at Rundle Mall, Adelaide Oval (one of Australia's most notable cricket grounds and houses the Bradman collection), the quaint suburbs of North Adelaide; O'Connell Street (restaurants and trendy shops), St Peter's Cathedral, Colonel Light's Lookout on Montefiore Hill (spectacular views over Adelaide).

Enjoy some free-time this afternoon to explore Adelaide and some of it treasures.

Luxury Coach Tour with Hotel Pick Ups, Overnight Adelaide Accommodation.

DAY 3 Explore Adelaide

Spend the day taking in the sights and surrounds of Adelaide. Visit the famous Adelaide Hills or spend the day exploring the churches, parks and famous museums and galleries of Adelaide.

Alternatively, you can visit the seaside town of Glenelg, renowned for its beaches and many tourist attractions.

The choice is yours.

Overnight Adelaide Accommodation.

DAY 4 Board the Proud Mary

Enjoy a leisurely day at your own pace before being transferred to Murray Bridge this evening to board the Proud Mary. After settling into your comfortable river view cabin enjoy a delicious supper and meet the crew, introduced by the Captain.

Cruise under floodlight to your overnight mooring of Woodlane and take in the river environment from a completely different perspective. Look for nocturnal wildlife and birds of the area such as night herons and owls as you glide past the graceful willows and dark waters of the Murray River.

Transfer to Murray Bridge, Supper, Overnight Accommodation Onboard the Proud Mary.

DAY 5 Cruise to Mannum and Walker Flat

Depart Woodlane and cruise upriver taking in some of the best scenery of the Murray River system including huge lagoons teeming with birdlife. The willows along the river bank were planted in the early 1900’s by riverboat captains to clearly mark the main river since the inland lagoons were so large that they often could not find clear channels to navigate.

Enjoy an early continental breakfast or a little later a hearty cooked breakfast as you cruise through Mypolonga, Wall flat, Caloote and Ponde towards Mannum. Disembark at Mannum and enjoy a guided coach tour of this historical township. Learn about the significant role Mannum played in the development of South Australia and where Captain William Randell launched the first paddle-steamer the “Mary Ann” in 1853. Your guided tour also includes entry to the Mannum Dock Discovery Centre - home of the fully restored Paddle Steamer Marion and a fascinating collection of historical memorabilia.

Depart Mannum and cruise upstream through Younghusband, Teal Flat, Lake Claret, Bowhill, Purnong and onto Walker Flat while you enjoy a sumptuous lunch prepared by your onboard chefs with dishes such as Roast Chicken Maryland, vegetables and a wild mushroom sauce or Pork Cutlet with Yam Mash.

Moor at Walker Flat, your home for the night and enjoy taking in the prolific wildlife and birdlife of the area including wallabies, wild ducks and bush turkeys. This evening is “Australiana Night”. Enjoy a dinner that showcases Australia’s ever evolving cuisine and featuring traditional bush food such as emu, kangaroo, damper bread and fresh water crustaceans with flavours of lemon myrtle wild bush tomatoes and quandongs.

This evening join your onboard expert ecologist for a Nocturnal Discovery Tour. Learn about the abundant local wildlife including the rare Southern Hairy Nosed Wombat. This rare species is only found in a limited area on the western side of the river but hopefully you will see a few active in the wild on your coach tour to their warrens.

Return to the Proud Mary for the night after your tour.

Breakfast, Mannum Coach Tour, Entry to Mannum Dock Discovery Centre, Lunch, Special Dinner, Nocturnal Discovery tour, Overnight Accommodation Onboard the Proud Mary.

DAY 6 Cruise to Swan Reach, Blanchetown & Sugar Shack

Depart Walker Flat this morning and cruise upstream past Wongulla, where the fossil of a 20 million year old shark was found 50 years ago. Enjoy a delicious continental or cooked breakfast while you cruise past the towering ochre cliffs of Big Bend.

You may also wish to browse through or purchase some of the souvenirs on display in the Dining Room.

Morning tea is also available in the Dining Room before you join the Captain for an informative talk on the Murray River including its history and the ecology of this diverse area. Perhaps watch a video about the famous 1956 floods that devastated the area.

Arrive at the township of Swan Reach, first settled in 1899 as the port of the large Portee Sheep Station. Board the waiting coach for a guided tour of the Costa Brothers Almond Farm - discover how this state of the art almond farm uses water-recycling technology to limit its direct impact on the river system. You may even be able to sample some of the produce. Then we visit the Swan Reach Museum - housed in the original school building built in 1917, the museum tells the fascinating story of the people who have lived on this magnificent stretch of the mighty Murray River.

Re-join the Proud Mary for another delicious lunch as we cruise through the shallows up to lock 1 at Blanchetown. The Murray River has 13 locks which control the water flow and level of the river. The locks create an excellent feeding place for the local birdlife. Watch pelicans and dozens of other species of water birds diving into the water to feed.

Enjoy your delicious chef prepared dinner as we cruise to our overnight mooring at Sugar Shack. Part of the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve – this is an astronomer’s paradise. The unpolluted skies and isolation from artificial light sources make the park one of the best places on earth to gaze at the stars. It’s also Trivia Night tonight, so let the games begin!

Breakfast, Murray River Information Session, Swan Reach Museum Tour, Almond Plantation Tour, Lunch, Dinner, Overnight Accommodation Onboard the Proud Mary.

DAY 7 Sugar Shack Tour & Cruise to Big Bend

Take in one of the most picturesque and unspoiled areas of the Murray River this morning as you enjoy a choice of either a full English breakfast or a refreshing continental breakfast. Perhaps head out onto the deck to immerse yourself in the surroundings and experience the peace of the riverside environment.

Enjoy another unique experience this morning as you take an environmental discovery walk of Sugar Shack. Learn about the importance of the floodplains to the river system and where explorer Edward John Eyre established the village of Sturt in 1840.

Depart Sugar Shack and cruise to Swan Reach for a brief stop - while you enjoy the informative onboard commentary – marvel at magnificent lagoons teeming with birdlife, stunning cliffs and spectacular scenery as far as the eye can see.

At Swan Reach, you may choose to disembark for a short stroll around the town and visit the town and Craft shop or you may choose to stay onboard the Proud Mary.

This afternoon, enjoy lunch as you cruise to Big Bend, where you will moor for the night alongside the tallest cliffs along the Murray River.

Enjoy a small boat cruise with your onboard ecologist through the lagoons and inlets of the river. Enjoy getting up close to the cliffs on your flat bottomed boat and learn about the diverse wildlife and birdlife of the area such as kangaroos, wombats, goannas, echidnas and emus.

Fall in love with the sunset as the evening rays glow on the limestone walls of the Big Bend Cliffs and enjoy a traditional Aussie barbeque under a canopy of stars. Later, join in the evening’s entertainment around a campfire with your resident musician. Request a song and you can even sing along if you choose!

Breakfast, Sugar Shack Tour, Self-Guided Swan Reach Tour, Small Boat Ecology Cruise, Barbeque Dinner, Evening Entertainment, Overnight Accommodation Onboard the Proud Mary.

DAY 8 Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Site, Cruise to Mannum & Special Captain’s Dinner

Enjoy an early departure this morning from Big Bend and appreciate a fulfilling breakfast as you cruise towards the Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Conservation Site. Embark on a guided tour of one the oldest archaeological digs in Australia and walk along the boardwalk to the site of ancient Aboriginal rock art where your local Indigenous guide will explain their meaning and significance. See the ceremonial site dating back tens of thousands of years where Aboriginal tribes met and prepared food. You can also take in magnificent vistas from the top of the cliffs.

Depart Ngaut Ngaut and join your fellow travellers in the Dining Room for an informative documentary on the Murray River as you cruise through Krohns Landing, Sabaruma and Walker Flat.

Enjoy lunch as you continue cruising south through Bowhill to Mannum. Enjoy some free time in Mannum or get ready for your special Captain’s Dinner tonight.

Tonight, we delight in the culinary highlight of our cruise, a five-course silver service dinner, commencing with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and featuring mouth watering dishes based on modern Australian cuisine. Relish the food, wine and atmosphere and enjoy a chat with the Captain as he visits every table. Dress up and enjoy the exceptional formal dinner.

Breakfast, Guided Tour of Ngaut Nguat Conservation Site, Murray River Documentary, Lunch, Special Captain’s Dinner, Overnight Accommodation Onboard the Proud Mary.

DAY 9 Mypolonga region and Cruise to Murray Bridge

Depart Mannum this morning and cruise to Woodlane via Ponde, Caloote and Wall Flat for our exploration of the Mypolonga region. Board the waiting coach at Woodlane for your guided tour of Aussie Apricots - a 3rd generation family run orchard – and the renowned Revolution Motor Museum, home to many fascinating and historical cars including South Australia’s first registered Taxi. We also explore the very unique Mypolonga school – a small, but very popular rural school established on the banks of the Murray in 1916.

Return to the Proud Mary and enjoy a smorgasbord lunch as you cruise back to Murray Bridge through Mypolonga, Sunnyside, Mundurra and Willowbanks. Arrive at Murray Bridge and say goodbye to your fellow travellers. You will be transferred to your Adelaide hotel for the night.

Breakfast, Guided tour of Apricot Orchard, Private tour of Revolution Motor Museum, Lunch, Transfer to Adelaide, Overnight Adelaide Accommodation.

DAY 10 Fly Home

Today marks the end of your indulgent Murray River adventure. You will be personally met at your hotel by a DISCOVER AUSTRALIA representative and transferred from your hotel to the airport for your flight home.

Meet and Greet Personalised Departure Transfer.

Inclusions aboard the Proud Mary

Relax in your river-view cabin with private balcony onboard the Proud Mary along the Murray River and enjoy FREE full board cuisine, FREE onshore tours, FREE guided nature walks and eco-excursions, FREE onboard presentations, FREE live entertainment, FREE canoe hire, fishing reels and bait and FREE onboard tea and coffee. Please note: the Proud Mary charges a fuel levy of $8 per person per night which is payable direct when you finalise your onboard account at the end of your cruise.

Flights Included

This package includes all flights as detailed below in the price section (including all fees, levies and taxes). However, we can tailor this package to include our special discounted 'package only' airfares from anywhere. Simply let us know.

Airport and Port Transfers Included

You will be personally met at the airport by a DISCOVER AUSTRALIA representative and transferred from the airport to your hotel, from your hotel to Murray Bridge to meet your cruise and return to Adelaide, and from your hotel to the airport for your flight home.

The Proud Mary in Detail

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Overview

Join us aboard this superbly appointed premium riverboat for a gourmet cruise experience on the mighty Murray River.

The stylish bar, lounge and dining areas provide the prefect location for indulging in the culinary delights of our resident chefs, while experiencing the passing amazing scenery.

Each cruise is defined by exemplary service from crew members who are genuine ‘river locals’, chefs who are passionate about local seasonal produce and a tour and transport operator dedicated to providing an unforgettable Murray River experience.

The recently refurbished MV Proud Mary is a purpose-built boutique cruising vessel providing an intimate and friendly atmosphere and offering a true insight into South Australia’s bushland and famous Murray River.

Departing from Murray Bridge, just one hour out of Adelaide, the Proud Mary caters for a maximum of just 40 passengers and provides the ideal environment for passengers to explore, experience, indulge and discover all the river has to offer.

The vessel, designed by Naval Architect Mr Peter James, was built in 1982 on the banks of the Murray River in Berri, South Australia, by the Berri Ship building company. It was purposely built with a shallow draft, allowing the vessel to safely navigate shallow sections of the river. The style of the vessel evokes the majestic Mississippi river cruisers.

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Proud Mary 6 Day Murray River Indulgence Cruise with Adelaide Stay

10 Day Cruise + Touring Package

Limited Availability at these prices. Deal ends soon. Questions? Call 1300 887 469 or Click to Ask Us

$ 3599 *

Typically $5074

*Holiday costs per person, for 2 people sharing, travelling on indicated dates. Subject to limited availability at these prices, after which higher prices normally apply, book now. Proud Mary charges a fuel levy of $8 per person per night which is payable direct when you finalise your onboard account at the end of your cruise. Prices are subject to change without notice. Select “Single” for solo traveller prices. Booking requests are made subject to availability. Itinerary and vehicle types subject to change without notice. Some governments and service operators have Covid vaccination requirements. Your included flights advised via email with 24 hours to select alternative flights, routing or airline (alternatives may be at a higher price). Included flights may not be the most direct routing. Arrive earlier/stay longer for specified airports only. Stop-overs are not possible. Subject to Booking Conditions, see Important Information before booking. © DISCOVER AUSTRALIA Booking Code: mp284