Great Sandy Marine Park: An Indigenous Experience and Turtle Discovery on a Glass-bottom Boat
4.6
123 Ratings
Urangan
Embark on an Indigenous experience and turtle discovery in the Great Sandy Marine Park. Cruise on a glass-bottom boat, snorkel with marine life, and explore Round Island.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Great Sandy National Park - We depart the Marina with no set itinerary, we travel with what the tides, weather and wildlife have to offer on the day. Our top priority is to offer the best experience for you to spot wildlife, snorkel, enjoy and relax. We stop at one or all three islands: Weenandin (Round Island), Tooliewah (Big Woody Island) and Pelican Banks. Here you will be received by a warm Welcome to Country and you will enjoy a healthy lunch. A unique cultural experience not to be missed while in Hervey Bay.
- Hervey Bay - You will see the iconic pier of Hervey Bay while cruising on board of the Milbi. Enjoy the scenery of the bay, learn its Butchulla history directly from your Indigenous guide, all through beautiful Dremtime stories.
What's Included
- Local Indigenous guide
- National Park fees included
- Lunch provided
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Mandatory online Snorkeling Waiver (link provided)
- Access to all activities
- Complimentary tea and coffee
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Drinks
- No Pickups
- No lunch
- No indigenous guide
- snorkeling is optional at an extra $10 per set payable on check in.
Additional Information
We offer an exclusive Indigenous adventure within Hervey Bay, presenting a unique journey through the Great Sandy Straits Marine Park from the perspective of a Butchulla man. Our Milbi vessel, due to its steadiness, is unmatched anywhere in the Bay, and we deliberately chart a course over tranquil waters, leisurely. Our boat is equipped with glass panels providing you an underwater view of the coral reefs, letting weather or attire not hinder your pleasure. Our boat is the only one with this feature in Hervey Bay, and is one of the largest in all of Australia.
We ensure a calm voyage offering four hours worth of marine voyages. We provide snorkelling gear, allowing you to encounter the myriad wonders of the marine park first-hand. You might see fish communities amidst the coral reef, turtles, dolphins, colonies of sea birds, and possibly a reef shark or a dugong. We allocate time for an exploration of Round Island as well as a wholesome lunch and snacks.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian / Vegan option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- All participants will be required to complete a waiver prior to snorkelling/swimming. Some pre-existing medical conditions (eg asthma, heart conditions, etc) may prevent you from snorkelling, please consult your doctor
- Bathroom facilities aboard (not wheelchair accessible) but not baby-changing facilities
- Pram accessible
- Snorkeling waiver must be signed.
Location
Great Sandy Straits Marina Urangan Hervey Bay
Buccaneer Drive
Our shop is opposite Cafe Balaena.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(123 Ratings)
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342franb
Dec 11, 2023
Most enjoyable and relaxing. - I have visited K'gari several times but had no idea the Great Sandy Straits offered so much more. A great tour with good lunch and very interesting islands to visit with great swimming as well. Loved it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U6739hqenricot
Nov 26, 2023
A great tour with excellent guides! - We had such a wonderful day on this tour. Our tour guide Jo and the skipper were both excellent. Jo was very friendly and had wonderful stories to tell including the traditional story of how K’gari came to exist and where the traditional name came from. He also gave us a demonstration on how to play the didgeridoo which was fantastic! The boat ride was beautiful and we spent about an hour on Pelican Island snorkelling. We managed to see a few dolphins and a couple of turtles too which was lovely. There was only about 15 of us on the boat which was very comfortable and we had plenty of space to move around. I would definitely recommend this your 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Turva81
Oct 1, 2023
A birthday cruise to remember! - I chose this tour for my family to do together on my birthday as I had heard great things, and we were not disappointed! The weather was spectacular, Aaron was so down to earth and vibrant with sharing his culture and the time spent on the beach was great. As a bonus we saw some great wildlife - including a mother and baby whale swimming past as a special gift. Highly recommend.
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S1109syaprilw
Sep 21, 2023
The rights balance - Relaxing, informative, enjoyable - We booked this tour as it also included Indigenous component . The First Nations employee was ill so we island hopped, snorkelled and walked around an island. We saw sea turtles and a shovel head shark. Waters were clear , the skipper at Jacky were great hosts, the whole experience was wonderful. Jacky went out of her way to organise an Indigenous walking experience for us the following day free of charge . Aaron was an incredibly knowledgeable First Nations local man who shared his knowledge of culture, plants species and the land. We loved it so much and thank him for coming in just for us. We highly recommend this tour centre for down to earth customer service , knowledge and local adventures . Thanks you from the Victorians.Tony & April.xx
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nzpantha
Jul 7, 2023
You should definiately try this tour - An amazing day, we had a group of 7 with the oldest being 91 and the youngest being 8 all had a great time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daveboy66
Jun 6, 2023
A fun day out - good value for money - Unfortunately the weather was against us so we were unable to snorkel, saw no turtles, no dolphins and no dugongs!
However, this was more than compensated for by our marvellous guide (Tiga??) who entertained us with ‘First Nations’ stories and folklaw, as well as some traditional dance and didgeridoo playing on Round Island.
A great experience. Good value for money. Thanks for a fun outing.
David and Irene.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherry_a
Dec 30, 2023
we had a great time... - we had a great time aboard few things out of there control was a lil bit of a let down but we can't control the weather overall was a great day out on the water crew are super nice ppl lunch was fresh was a great day definitely would book again to get the full experience next time thanks again team great job
Review provided by Viator
Danielle
Oct 10, 2023
Marine life not guaranteed but a great cultural tour. - Despite all odds the Captain and cultural guide Travis made it a memorable experience. The weather was rough so we couldn’t stop on one of the islands and we had rain - ponchos were supplied 😄 but the Captain skippered us safely through the turbulent waters. We saw two dolphins and some reef fish at the island we stopped at. I would suggest that marine life is not guaranteed on this tour. However, Travis absolutely made the experience worth it. His cultural knowledge of the region including cool uses for some local flora and a whistling shell which the family have had so much fun with since. Even the 15 year old said he would love to spend a weekend walkabout with Travis to learn more! I agreed! Great memories made!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sandraje2809ua
Sep 18, 2023
Great day - Travis and John were very knowledgeable and great guides. Although we didn't see a lot of marine life, we all loved the experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carlie1981
Jul 1, 2023
Hervey bay knowledge - Amazing staff the tour guide had amazing knowledge super friendly such good vibes. Go when the weather is warm and high tides for best experience. Good relaxing day out.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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