Afloat on a Houseboat
A weekend on a houseboat is the perfect family getaway as there are no distractions and just the peace and quiet of the river, writes Amanda Cranston.
Having never been on a houseboat and preparing for a long weekend on the water with an adventurous four-year old, I admit I was a little nervous. But I shouldn’t have been because the Hinchinbrook Houseboat Lucinda Dawn was spacious and well equipped for families.
Travelling with our two children and accompanied by friends with their two children, it was great to get away from the phone, the television and all the other daily diversions. Our houseboat slept eight people and had two rooms with bunks and two with single beds which could be pushed together to make double beds. One bedroom even had a sliding door onto the back deck. It had a fully equipped kitchen with all crockery and utensils, a lounge and dining area with television and DVD player (although no television reception), a bathroom, two toilets and a top deck entertaining area with barbecue and seating.
After paying our bond and loading our food, bedding and fishing gear on board, we headed off down the Hinchinbrook Channel for a weekend of fishing and relaxation. The two little kids in their lifejackets watched excitedly from the small front deck as a dolphin swam beside us only 10 minutes into our trip, and once we found a calm spot to anchor the boat we were surprised at the variety of wildlife that actually inhabits the Hinchinbrook Channel.
Over the weekend we saw an enormous saltwater crocodile swimright by our houseboat, we saw turtles, jumping fish and caught a stingray, baby shark, lots of different fish and plenty of crabs. My five year-old daughter even caught her very first fish. The only downside to a fabulous weekend was the sandflies. We ran out of insect repellent by day two and we were all eaten alive but apart from that we had afternoon sleeps, watched the most beautiful sunsets in the evenings, fished in the moonlight and got to see a sky full of stars every night.
It truly was a fantastic weekend away as we were in no hurry to go anywhere, and just woke up and fished off the back deck or read at our leisure. It is amazing to think Hinchinbrook is only a few hours drive from Townsville and so easy to plan for a weekend getaway. Tide times obviously dictate when you take the boat out and bring it back, but Hinchinbrook Houseboats provides these details at the time of booking. For anyone who has never experienced a houseboat getaway, it really is a wonderful opportunity to truly relax and spend quality time with family and friends.
For more information on a houseboat getaway, contact Hinchinbrook Lazy Croc Houseboats on 4777 8377 or free call 1800 002 338.
