BBQ Buoys, Adelaide: Torrens River boat hire with a twist

The BBQ Buoys on the Torrens River offer boat hire in Adelaide with a difference. You can have a barbecue or boozy picnic as you cruise along the river in a circular boat.

As novelty transport goes, the BBQ Buoys on the Torrens River in Adelaide take some beating. These doughnut-shaped boats are available for hire.

The idea is that you get a group together and explore the river while eating and drinking.

Food and drink on a Torrens River cruise

The key to these bizarre boats is that they have a barbecue or table in the middle. You can sizzle up some meat on the way down the river, or tuck into a picnic while gliding along the Torrens.

You can also book a drinks package in advance, and keep them cool in the ice box provide by BBQ Buoys. And, yes, you are allowed alcoholic drinks, even though no boating licence is required to take the circular boats down the river.

Pick your perfect Adelaide day trips

Barossa Valley tours: 1. Wine-tasting with lunch 🍷. 2. Food and wine tour. 3. Small group wine tour with exclusive VIP tastings.
Kangaroo Island in a day – including sea lions 🦭, koalas 🐨and national parks.
Adelaide Hills tours: 1. Sights plus Murray River lunch cruise combo. 2. Small group cheese, chocolate & wine tour with Hahndorf German village.
McLaren Vale tours: 1. Small group wine tour with lunch. 2. Hop-on hop-off wineries tour 🍷. 3. Food and wine indulgence tour, including the gloriously weird d’Arenberg Cube.
Victor Harbor and southern highlights tour – including the Granite Island horse-drawn tram.

How many people can fit in a BBQ Buoys boat?

The BBQ Buoys can hold up to ten people, and it’s no surprise that they’re popular with work parties and hen dos. However, it is perfectly OK to rent one as a couple and turn it into a romantic experience.

Each BBQ Buoy comes with cutlery, plates, cups, napkins and tongs, plus a Bluetooth speaker so you can pump out the tunes while drifting along the river.

BBQ Buoys on the Torrens River in Adelaide, South Australia. Photo by Duy Dash/ South Australian Tourism Commission.

Where is BBQ Buoys?

The start and end point for the BBQ Buoys adventure is at Pinky Flat, just off War Memorial Drive on the north bank of the Torrens. During daylight hours, you’re allowed to the take the boat between the Torrens Weir and Frome Road Bridge. After sunset, further restrictions apply, and you can only go as far as the King William Street Bridge.

**15 fabulous Adelaide experiences to supercharge your visit**

DOLPHINS 🐬: Swim with wild dolphins, kayak with the resident bottlenose pod or watch them on a dolphin cruise.
FOOD AND WINE 🍷: Indulge on Adelaide food tour including Adelaide Central Market. Or try a wine discovery tour with tastings at the National Wine Centre. Or the ultimate Penfolds Magill Estate experience with full estate tour & Grange tasting.
WILDLIFE 🐨: Spot koalas on a guided Morialta nature hike. Or walk from Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty with entrance to Cleland Wildlife Park.
CRUISES ⛵: Watch the sun set on a twilight coastal cruise, get to know the city on a Torrens River cruise or take a high tea cruise aboard the Popeye.
SPORT 🏏: Dare to take on the Adelaide Oval Roofclimb or enter the fabled scoreboard on the behind-the-scenes stadium tour.
ACTION 🚵‍♂️: Descend Mount Lofty on a downhill mountain bike tour or kayak along the Torrens River.

BBQ Buoys prices

The pricing structure for the BBQ Buoys in Adelaide is a little unwieldy. For two people, it a BBQ Buoy costs from $180. For up to ten people, it costs from $340. Add-ons include food and drink packages. The standard booking time is two hours

For full pricing and further information, visit the company website.

Other things to do in Adelaide include tackling an aerial adventure course at TreeClimb Adelaide, doing the Roofclimb at the Adelaide Oval and visiting Morialta Falls in the Morialta Conservation Park.