John was a secondary school music teacher for 23 years (taught Kylie Minogue). He and his twin brother, Graeme, perform as The Howie Brothers. John has been leading successful music tours & music cruises for 25 years.
Gill Delaney (accordion/ukulele/mouth organ player from Wangaratta) has played in dance bands most of her life, and knows a million tunes! She will be coming on the tour as a musician and assistant tour manager, as long as we get sufficient bookings. She will be involved in lots of fun-filled informal music sessions with the tour group.
Outside Cabins open onto the outside deck and have picture windows. Each cabin has a private ensuite, air-conditioning, electric blankets, soaps, shampoo and towels and are serviced daily. Each cabin is approximately 12 sq metres. Most rooms have twin beds. A $60 per cabin per night surcharge applies for cabins with a double bed, subject to availability. Single/Sole Occupancy cabins may be smaller than standard twin rooms. All cabins are subject to availability. There are two cabins available for single occupancy.
You may wish to consider travelling to Adelaide the Pre-Tour Day, Tuesday 14th May 2024 (optional). We recommend staying at the Comfort Inn Regal Park Motor In, North Adelaide (where we’ll all be staying on Wed. 15th May). Gill Delaney will organise an informal get-together, for dinner, on Tues. evening 14th May, at nearby Café Palazzo (optional).
VIEW ITINERARYDAY 1 Wednesday 15 May, 2024 Adelaide
Morning: Depart North Adelaide at 10am. Do a pick-up at Adelaide
airport at 10.30am (please organise flights arriving in Adelaide no later
than 9.30am). Enjoy a sightseeing coach tour of Adelaide, including Port
Adelaide, Semaphore, West Lakes & Glenelg. We then visit colourful Adelaide
Central Market, for lunch. Afternoon: Visit the outstanding South Australian
Museum & the Art Gallery of South Australia. The museum has the most
comprehensive collection of Australian aboriginal cultural material in the
world, and a wonderful Biological Sciences collection (diverse range of fauna,
from parasites to whales), and Palaeontology (fossils) collection. Then see
Adelaide Oval, St. Peter’s Cathedral, and Colonel Light’s statue, as we make
our way to our accommodation, in North Adelaide. Remainder of afternoon:
Free time. Evening: Commencement of Tour Dinner, including entertainment
by outstanding Adelaide Celtic/country band, The Borderers. Overnight:
Comfort Inn Regal Park Motor Inn. (D)
DAY 2 Thursday 16 May, 2024 Victor Harbor
Today we make our way to the coastal town of Victor Harbor, on S.A.’s beautiful
Fleurieu Peninsula. On the way visit McLaren Vale, one of Australia’s premier
wine regions. Enjoy a guided tour & wine tasting at McLaren Vale’s famous
d’Arenberg Cube, an award-winning 5 storey cellar door/art gallery building
shaped like a Rubik’s Cube. The interior design of the building is colourful &
quirky, with lots of eclectic Salvador Dali type artworks. Continue on to the
historic town of Strathalbyn, where we stop for lunch. Strathalbyn is known
for its charming main street, filled with antique shops. In 1975 street scenes
for the film Picnic at Hanging Rock were filmed in the town. On arrival in
Victor Harbor we will ride the historic Victor Harbor horse-drawn tram, across
the Causeway to Granite Island. Evening: A free evening for you to explore
Victor Harbor. Overnight: Hotel Victor. (B)
DAY 3 Friday 17 May, 2024 Victor Harbor
Morning: Enjoy a journey on the historic Cockle Train, which travels between
Victor Harbor and Goolwa. In early days of settlement the local residents
would take a horse drawn train from the Victor Harbor/Port Elliot area to
Goolwa to collect cockles from the sandy beaches near the Murray mouth.
It was a great day’s outing, and thus the name….Cockle Train. We will spend
some time in Goolwa, so you can explore this historic and picturesque river
port town. We then travel across a bridge to Hindmarsh Island, where we see
the Murray Mouth (where the Murray flows into the ocean). Late afternoon:
Free time in Victor Harbor. Evening: Enjoy a pizza/pasta dinner at one of Victor
Harbor’s outstanding Italian restaurants. We will be entertained by excellent
Italian piano accordion duo, The Accordion Aces. (B,D)
DAY 4 Saturday 18 May, 2024 Kangaroo Island
This morning we catch the ferry to Kangaroo Island, the third-largest island
off the coast of mainland Australia. Kangaroo Island is a haven for wildlife and
features magnificent scenery, including sweeping white-sand beaches and
giant wind-sculpted boulders. On arrival visit the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil
Distillery & Café. Then enjoy a sightseeing coach tour of the island, including
the Remarkable Rocks & Admirals Arch, in Flinders Chase National Park. Near
the Arch, at Cape du Couedic, we will see where thousands of New Zealand
fur seals congregate on the beach, entertaining everybody with their antics
on land and in the water. We then travel to Kingscote, the main town on the
island and the first white settlement in South Australia. (B,L)
DAY 5 Sunday 19 May, 2024 Kangaroo Island
Morning: Visit the Seal Bay Sea Lion Colony, on the south coast of Kangaroo
Island. Seal Bay has been home to an Australian sea lion population for thousands of years, and offers one of the most exceptional nature-based
experiences in the world. Enjoy a guided walk along the beach, to get a closeup
view of the sea lions. We will also visit nearby Vivonne Bay, famous for its
sugary white sand beaches. Afternoon: Return to Kingscote, where we visit
the excellent Hope Cottage Museum and Reeves Point Historical Site. Then
travel along the north coast of K.I., visiting Emu Bay, Stokes Bay Beach (voted
best beach in Australia, in 2023) and Emu Bay Lavender Farm. Evening: Dinner
at our accommodation, including an informal performance by John Howie,
Gill Delaney, & a local guest artist. (B,L,D)
DAY 6 Monday 20 May, 2024 Mannum/Embarkation
Morning: Travel back to the mainland by ferry. Continue on to Mannum, arriving
mid-afternoon. We board the PS Murray Princess and head upriver. Evening:
Enjoy a Welcome Aboard dinner. As we cruise under floodlight to our overnight
mooring at Caurnamont, you may see nocturnal wildlife on the riverbank.
Watch for kangaroos, hairy-nosed wombats, tortoises, egrets and other species.
The resident on-board entertainer will provide entertainment. (B,D)
DAY 7 Tuesday 21 May, 2024 Blanchetown
Enjoy a leisurely morning and lunch as we cruise upriver to Blanchetown. We
will travel through one of 13 locks that maintain the flow and levels of water
in the lower reaches of the Murray River. Afternoon: We moor opposite the
town of Blanchetown (our overnight anchorage). As the last rays of the sun
fade we visit Burk Salter Boutique Winery, for wine tasting. Evening: Back on
board the PS Murray Princess, enjoy a lovely dinner (B,L,WineTasting,D)
DAY 8 Wednesday 22 May, 2024 Swan Reach/Sunnydale
After breakfast cruise to picturesque Swan Reach. The town was first settled
in the 1850s and was originally the largest of five sheep and cattle stations
in the area. The original Swan Reach homestead is now the Swan Reach
Hotel, where you can enjoy an ale or cappuccino overlooking the Murray
River. Visit the excellent Swan Reach Museum (optional…gold coin donation
at entry), which includes singer Julie Anthony’s debutante dress (she grew
up near Swan Reach). Back on board, enjoy the tranquillity as the landscape
slides by. When we arrive at Sunnydale, it’s all ashore for the Woolshed Show,
where we enjoy an entertaining sheep shearing demonstration. After the
demonstration visit the Woolshed’s Native Wildlife Shelter, where some of
South Australia’s native animals are cared for. Evening: For dinner, enjoy a
great Aussie Barbecue – cooked and served in a bush setting on the banks of
the mighty Murray River. After dinner there are two optional onshore tours to choose from (additional cost): (1) a Nocturnal Tour in a comfortable purposebuilt
cart, where you may see kangaroos, wombats, foxes, bats and owls, & (2)
the Dark Sky Night Tour, where you are taken to an internationally recognised
Dark Sky Reserve to observe the stars of the Milky Way. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 Thursday 23 May, 2024 Younghusband
After breakfast we slowly cruise downriver, past magnificent cliffs scoured
by the river over millions of years. Visit Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve,
one of Australia’s most significant archaeological sites. Step back in time –
tens of thousands of years – as you enjoy a guided boardwalk tour to view
ancient rock carvings and learn about the area’s aboriginal history. Return to
the vessel and cruise downriver to Younghusband. Evening: Enjoy a delicious
dinner including fun-filled entertainment by the ship’s crew. Note: Sometime
on the cruise, enjoy an informal music/singalong session led by John Howie
& Gill Delaney. All guests are encouraged to join in. (B,L,D)
DAY 10 Friday 24 May, 2024 Departure
Depart Younghusband and head back to Mannum. After breakfast we say
farewell to the PS Murray Princess, and board our coach. We will spend some
time in Hahndorf, on the outskirts of Adelaide. Hahndorf was established in
1839, by German immigrants, and the village still has a distinctly German
flavour. We are then transferred to Adelaide Airport for flights back home.
Tour members should organise flights home from 2.30pm. (B)
| TWIN FARE PER PERSON | SINGLE FARE |
|---|---|
| $5,275 | $6,570 |
Touring can involve a considerable amount of walking and stair climbing in the places visited and it is important that all tour participants have a level of physical fitness that allows them to take part in this activity without the need of assistance from others.
Tour Operator: Travelrite International Pty Ltd, (ABN 64 005 817 078) is the tour operator. The PS Murray Princess is operated by SeaLink.
Tour Costs: The tour costs are based on general transport, entry, and accommodation costs. Travelrite reserves the right to alter the costs if any of these factors change, giving any passenger that has booked the right to withdraw with full refund of monies paid or modify arrangements. No alterations to price will be made within 90 days of departure from Australia.
Deposit and Payment: A non-refundable deposit of $500 per passenger is required at the time of booking. Full payment will be required 90 days before departure for the Murray River Cruise tour. Cancellation over 120 days before tour departs will result in a cancellation fee of $500 per person. Cancellation under 120 days before tour departs will result in a loss of all monies paid. Payment may be made by cheque or cash. A 1.5% administration fee will be charged on payments made by credit cards.
Travel Insurance:
Travel insurance is recommended to cover the costs of
cancellation fees due to illness, death in family, etc.
Minimum Tour Numbers and Conditions:
The tour has been priced on
the basis of a minimum number of passengers having booked 90 days prior to
departure. Travelrite reserves the right to cancel the tour, giving a full refund of
all monies paid or offer arrangements to proceed with the tour at a modified cost.
Tour Organisation:
Travelrite reserves the right to change advertised
entrances if necessary for the smooth operation of the tour.
Refunds:
The tour is based on arrangements that do not allow for any refunds
in respect to sightseeing, accommodation, meals, airfare or other services not
utilized after the tour has commenced.
Baggage:
Due to coach restrictions, tour members can only bring one large
suitcase.
Responsibility: Travelrite International Pty Ltd. (ABN 64 005 817 078) is the tour organizer. Travelrite acts only as an agent in the making of arrangements for hotels, transportation, restaurants or any other service and does not assume any liability whatsoever for any injury, damage, death, loss, accident or delay to person or property due to an act of negligence or a default of any hotel, carrier restaurant company or person rendering any services included in the tour, or by act of God. Further no responsibilities are accepted for any damage or delay due to sickness, pilferage, labour disputes, machinery break-down, quarantine, government restraints, weather, terrorism or other causes beyond their control. No responsibility is accepted for any additional expense, omission, delays, rerouting or acts of any government authority. The passage contract between the carriers concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the carriers and the purchasers of this tour and/or the passengers. The right is reserved to withdraw any tour and/or make such changes in the tour as may be found desirable or necessary for the convenience of the parties and the proper carrying out of the tour. This contract shall be construed in accordance of the laws of the State of Victoria, Australia and any legal action must be undertaken in the State of Victoria. Attention is also directed to the terms and conditions of the cruise passage contract with SeaLink, detailed on their website.
Delays and unforseen events: You engage Travelrite International to book this tour on your behalf and you acknowledge that Travelrite International acts as your agent for the purpose of making contracts between you and the various providers of accommodation, transportation and other services that comprise the tour. Travelrite International may without reference to you provide or make available to you, or may as your agent engage any third party to provide or make available to you, any good or service which Travelrite International reasonably believes is necessary for your benefit to maintain the tour itinerary, repatriate you or otherwise accommodate, transport or sustain you in circumstances in which the tour itinerary fails wholly or partly for any reason. You appoint Travelrite International your attorney for this purpose. You agree to pay Travelrite International any cost thereof and you indemnify Travelrite International in respect of any cost it incurs in this regard. Travelrite advises you to obtain travel insurance generally including in respect of the risk that any such good or service may become required.
How to Book: Bookings can be made by completing a booking form and sending it with a deposit of $500 per person to:
Travelrite International Pty Ltd
423 Whitehorse Road Balwyn, Victoria 3103
Further information can be obtained by telephoning
Toll Free: 1800 630 343
Telephone (03) 8803 6868
Email sales@travelrite.com.au
https://www.travelrite.com.au/
About Travelrite International: Travelrite International Pty Ltd (ABN 64 005 817 078) is a well-established travel company which has been marketing throughout Australia for over 40 years. It is accredited with IATA. As such it directly represents the major airlines of the world and all major domestic and international hotel, tour and transport operators. Travelrite International Pty Ltd is a full member of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents – AFTA.
“One of the best tours we have ever done. Great program and lovely people.”
“Well organised tour that ran smoothly. Very impressed with Wayne Horsburgh, intelligent, talented and caring.”
