Donnelly River Cruises — Attraction in Manjimup

We are based in Perth and have seen this cruise opportunity for many years, thinking 'we must do it'. Anyway, we've done it at last and we were very happy with the experience. We were enjoying a great stay at Donnelly River Village. They pick up in a bus from Manjimup and Pemberton, or you can meet them at the boat ramp, so Manjimup pick up worked for us. Note: the river at Donnelly River Village is not navigable and it is quite a drive to the boat ramp. The cruiseship(?) has a glass enclosed undercover seating area and was plenty warm enough on a cold day in June. The sides have plenty of sliding windows for comfort in warmer weather. It is a slow cruise down to the mouth/ sand bar, a chance for a walk around and probably a slower return against the current (if there is one). This is a gentle experience, and some kids might find it a bit too slow moving, but I was fascinated by the scenery and commentary and many kids interested in nature would love it. Our host offered tons of information and observations about a wide range of issues with a 'Donnelly River Environment' theme. We had thought it was quite pricey before booking, but we were very happy with the 'value for money'. If you only go to view the real estate, it's worth it! Overall, a great experience, so informative, very professional and well worth the cost. We might do it again and would likely take overseas guests as a wonderous experience for...

Pristine river and beautiful scenery.

We had a fantastic trip down to the mouth of the Donnelly river and back. This is a most beautiful, wild, and remote piece of Western Australia, which very few people are lucky enough to see. Pete was full of information about the natural world around us - the river, the landscape, the botany and birds. We learnt so much from his laid-back chatty, entertaining commentary, with questions and discussions welcomed. The boat travelled smoothly and quietly down the river, past the cabins with their fascinating history, right down to the river mouth. This was barred up by sand, but the boat pulled up close by, allowing us to walk on the sand, see the breakers and even dip our toes in the Southern Ocean. Coffee and tea were served, accompanied by Pete's legendary muffins, tasting wonderful in the open air, before we set off on our return journey up river. On the way back we learnt about water conservation, land management, bushfires, what species need fire, controlled burns and what indigenous land management looked like, and some fascinating discussions ensued. I would highly recommend this boat trip. You get to see a wonderful place, with lots of interesting information, while relaxing and appreciate the...

was really excited for this cruise on 12 April after reading reviews it quickly turned to disappointment the bush was burnt out not Pete's fault but it took beauty away from the trip Pete's boat is old and in desperate need of new seats, the seat hubby was on was broken seat which made his trip uncomfortable and most of the seats were torn also my husband paid Pete cash while boarding the boat we were 3 adults which should of come to a total of $225 however Pete charged $270 cash whether he thought some child running through boat was ours I really don't know but I did say 3 adults also half way through the trip Pete came to me and asked for my card for payment forgetting the cash payment when I told him that hubby paid cash he seemed confused and walked away. The trip was 10 minutes short of 3 hours considering Pete does advertise this as a 4 hour cruise I feel really ripped off would I do this cruise again not likely. The most pleasant part of the trip was the beach where we could get out and stretch for 15 minutes and have a drink...