The drive to the houseboat is 300km, about 180 miles. Our three vehicles rendezvous in Renmark for lunch at a recommended Thai restaurant, Nui's Thai Kitchen. Lunch is very good, particularly good for Renmark.
With Harry's assistance, we unload the vehicles and load the boat with Harry taking care of parking the cars and briefing us on the boat. Briefing welcomed but not essential: four of us have cruised Outback Star previously, in 2013. Pictured below is the 2013 crew which consisted of us, Bronwyn and Neil, and Bronwyn's father Brian and his wife Suzie. We had the crew shirts made as a joke on Brian.
Seven years on, the Captain of the Hot Tart (our renaming of the boat and the crew shirts is a very long story) is getting on in years, had a recent accident, and was unable to make this year's voyage.
Outback Star is one of only two houseboats on the Murray to have three bedrooms and three ensuite. Most three bedrooms have none or one ensuite. Some four bedrooms have four ensuite but most of the four bedroom houseboats have two shared ensuite. Our crew voted each time and determined that we were too old for each couple to not have a private bathroom.
The normal entry to the boat is the center of the bow. One enters into the lounging and conning area. Facing aft, the left side of the boat has three bedrooms with ensuite. The right side had a dining table seating eight followed by a large kitchen. There is an outdoor dining table on the fantail which seats six and beyond the enclosed fantail there is a swim platform.
On the upper deck is a lounging area, a high-top table with four seats, a wet bar with keg, and two lounge chairs for sunning or relaxing. There is an alternative steering station on the upper deck which we never use in two cruises.
And we're off.
That is the brewery on the hill.
We leave Wilkadene and a couple kayakers to our stern and begin the Murray River Cruise 2020.
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