Dinner Cruise in Melbourne: The Yarra River Dinner, the Brunch and the Private Table for Two

A dinner cruise in Melbourne on GetYourGuide means one of three things: Melbourne River Cruises’ three-hour, four-course dinner with drinks from Southbank Promenade, from US$147 a person; its two-hour bottomless brunch from Southgate, from US$95; or Melbourne Boat Hire’s private dinner for two on a small electric boat, from US$413 for the couple. Prices are in US dollars as of October 2026. The first two are shared boats; the third is yours alone.

The three, side by side

GetYourGuide’s US-dollar starting prices and ratings as of October 2026. The dinner and brunch carry peak-season surcharges on some dates between November and January.

The four-course dinner cruise

The dinner cruise boards at Southbank Promenade and runs three hours on a fully enclosed boat, past Federation Square, Flinders Street, Rod Laver Arena, Riverside Park and the Royal Botanic Gardens with the city lit up. The meal is a tasting platter, a main, a dessert platter and a cheese platter, then coffee or tea with a glass of port or a liqueur. The sample menu’s tasting platter has a duck bao bun, an oyster with a seafood dip and seared lamb loin; mains include chicken, beef, blue-eye fish, lamb and a vegetarian option, and you choose yours when you book.

Three conditions to know before you book: the cruise is for adults only (18 and over), it is not wheelchair accessible, and the kitchen cannot cater for onion-free, garlic-free or fructose-free diets. It cancels free only up to three days ahead.

Check dinner cruise dates →

The bottomless brunch

The brunch runs two hours from Southgate on the Spirit of Melbourne, a boat with glass viewing areas, past the city’s parks, gardens and stadiums. Beer, wine and Prosecco mimosas are unlimited, with a selection of sweet and savoury food and tea and coffee. Bring ID. Like the dinner, it cancels free up to three days ahead, and some dates between November and January cost more.

The private dinner for two

Melbourne Boat Hire’s dinner cruise is the only private one on this site: a small, whisper-quiet electric boat for the two of you with a driver, 1.5 hours on the Yarra from Newquay Promenade in Docklands. You choose an entree board to share (a mezze board or the chef’s tasting board) and a main from a list that runs from pumpkin gnocchi and prawn and chilli spaghetti to marinara risotto and grilled chicken, with beer, wine and soft drinks. It has a single review so far, at 5.0.

Which one suits you

Pick by the occasion:

Prices are GetYourGuide's US-dollar starting prices as of October 2026; they change by date, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

Lighter options for the evening

For a sunset on the river without the meal, ON A BOAT’s sunset cruise from Southbank starts at US$42 and Melbourne River Cruises’ summer sunset cruise with a bar at US$46; the Yarra River cruises compared has both. For a group that wants its own boat and its own food, party boat hire and Yarra boat hire cover the self-drive and skippered boats.