Overview
When mid-May hits, Brisbanites will be able to head to Breakfast Creek and hop on an eco-friendly picnic boat, all thanks to Denmark-born outfit GoBoat. But if you're keen to enjoy a meal, a few drinks and the general experience of floating on the river with your mates before then, you can — because the company is popping up in Kangaroo Point first.
You can still make a booking for GoBoat's official launch a bit further north of the CBD, or you can jump the gun and jump aboard in the city from Thursday, April 22. Yes, it's time to start getting excited about cruising along the river in a different way, with the vessels setting sail from Dockside Marina for a limited time.
Aimed at making the whole boating caper more accessible for everyday folk, the Scandinavian-designed vessels are slow-moving, a breeze to operate and don't require a boating licence, making for some fun, fuss-free sailing sessions. In a win for the planet, they also run on silent, pollution-free, electric engines, and are crafted from a mix of reclaimed timber and recycled PET bottles.
Each of the contemporary GoBoats clocks in at 18-feet long, and boasts a central picnic table with room for eight people (and for all the necessary snacks and booze). And despite what you might be thinking, they're even affordable enough to fit your budget — simply BYO food and drinks, find enough eager sailors to jump aboard and a GoBoat session will start at around $14 per person, per hour. That's $109 hourly for the first hour, but the longer you book, the cheaper it gets.
"We have seen incredible uptake across GoBoat's three Australian locations (in Canberra, Melbourne and the Gold Coast), and we're launching this pop-up because of overwhelming demand from the community in Brisbane since they found out we were going to launch at Breakfast Creek," said GoBoat Australia Managing Director Mr Tyrrell.
GoBoat will only be sailing from the Ferry Street spot for a few weeks, so you'll need to get in quickly if you're keen.
And, in great news for your pooch, the company's vessels are pet-friendly — surely you've got a very good boy who deserves a river jaunt.
GoBoat will pop up at Dockside Marina, Ferry Street, Kangaroo Point, from Thursday, April 22. For further details and to book, head to the company's website.
Images: Lean Timms