I thought I'd done a tour of Melbourne from almost every perspective possible, but a
Moonlight Kayak Tour (or any of Kayak Melbourne's tours) exploring the Yarra River, its nooks, crannies and points of interest along the way takes the cake - or perhaps "takes the fish 'n' chips", given a finger lickin', hot and aromatic parcel of the fine stuff from the
Fish Bar was served to us aboard our kayak - a true on-water dining experience.
We parked at Federation Square and had a fun, fabulous time riding the
Blue Bikes along scenic
Southbank to Docklands, where we parked the bikes and headed up North Wharf Road. Our
Catching Your Dinner - Literally
guide Kent, a lovely guy who was the perfect host, met us, showed us the ropes, and in no time had us paddling around
Victoria Harbour and
Docklands' Waterways in a total of four two-man (or woman) very cool
Sea Bear kayaks. It certainly is a Melbourne tour with a difference.
As the sun set and we licked the salt from out satisfied lips, we headed under the Bolte Bridge, all the while watching the bridge's sparkly blue lights reflect off the water. (The city lights shimmering on the water were pretty mesmerising too.)
By this time, I'd gotten the hang of the paddling and was starting to minimise the splash factor - a very good thing if kayak tours float your boat. (They're suitable for all levels of fitness by the way.)
Seeing all the beautiful boats, yachts (and even paddling under a catamaran and the odd low bridge) made for an excellent adventure - and certainly adds a unique element to Melbourne's tours. We also stopped at various points for informative chats, like the
Polly Woodside and Crown's shooting flames.
The whole experience was very friendly, not just the camaraderie between our fellow kayakers, but waving to people on boats, on the riverbank, and on bridges until we disembarked at Federation Square. It was like one very close, very happy Melbourne community. Neat!
