Brisbane's Pet-Friendly BYO Picnic Boats Are Available to Book for River Cruises Once Again

For hefty portions of the past two years, plenty of normal, everyday activities have been off the cards for Brisbanites, thanks to both the pandemic and the floods. But anyone who wants to picnic while cruising along the Brisbane River can now do so again — even if they don't own a boat.

If you live in the River City, you already have a whole heap of excuses to hang out in, on, near and around the water. Last year, however, GoBoat splashed into town. First, back in April, it set sail from Kangaroo Point while it was still finalising its permanent home. Then, in September, the Denmark-born company let Brisbanites hop onto the water in its eco-friendly picnic boats from Breakfast Creek.

Now, after 2022's catastrophic bout of late-summer/early-autumn weather put its operations on pause, GoBoat is hitting the brown snake from Brekkie Creek again. That means that it's back up and running at the Breakfast Creek Lifestyle Precinct, where the company has set up its own pontoon — and you can start hiring vessels from there once more.

With Brissie about to enjoy not one, not two, but three successive long weekends, the timing is mighty nice. So, filling a picnic basket, hanging with your mates and soaking in big river vibes is now back on the agenda over Easter, Anzac Day and Labour Day.

If you're new to GoBoat, the company is all about making the whole boating caper more accessible for everyday folk. So, to do just that, it has been busy launching its eco-friendly picnic boats in cities all over Europe over the past few years, as well as in Canberra, Melbourne, the Gold Coast and Sydney — and Brisbane, obviously.

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, boasting a central picnic table with room for eight people (and 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 $16 per person, per hour. That's $129 hourly for the first hour, but the longer you book, the cheaper it gets.

The Brisbane fleet sails seven days a week — and the company's vessels are pet-friendly. So, surely you've got a very good boy who deserves a river jaunt.

GoBoat is now operating in Brisbane from the Breakfast Creek Lifestyle Precinct, Breakfast Creek. For further details and to book, head to the company's website.

Images: Lean Timms.