Can I go on a Melbourne kayaking tour?

Kayak Melbourne runs Melbourne kayaking tours from the Docklands along the Yarra River. The moonlight kayak tour option is more atmospheric.

Dusk approaches in the Melbourne Docklands as Kayak Melbourne’s moonlight kayaking tour prepares to depart. The bright lights and gleaming 21^st century statement buildings scream of the furious development the area has undergone in the last decade or so.

It’s a cityscape designed for heavily polished yachts, yet the noise comes from the dragonboaters. They grunt their way through strokes under the chivvying command of the regally-perched cox.

Melbourne kayaking tour starting point

Our mode of transport on the Melbourne kayaking tour is even humbler. But wobbling along in a sea kayak gives a duck’s-eye view unattainable by any other method. We loop around Victoria Harbour, stopping for fish and chips on the way and staring out the seagulls that fancy sharing.

From there, the Melbourne kayaking tour continues around the wharf and into the Yarra River. The river that Melbourne was built around is a classic case of nature being bullied by man’s will. When colonial settlers first happened upon the river in 1835, it was a winding, unruly thing.

Since then, humans have forced it into its current, much straighter route. Yet, past the almost feotally new marina and conference centre, there are teasing hints at what life was like before the city existed.

One pedestrian bridge has an odd basket shape over the top at one end. It’s designed to represent the eel traps the indigenous people would use for fishing. Then, slightly further on, is a glass tower with the letter F on the side.

Kayak Melbourne at Freshwater Place

This, says our guide, is Freshwater Place. It lines up precisely with the spot on the river where a small basalt waterfall once separated the fresh water from the brackish, tidal stretches. It was the permanent source of drinkable water that made the settlement viable. Later, in a scarcely comprehensible piece of planning vandalism, the waterfall was removed, making huge changes to the ecosystem.

At 9pm, with a golden full moon sandwiched perfectly between the skyscrapers on either bank, the flame towers on the Southbank put on their nightly show. Yet, as the kayaks slowly glide east, we feel strangely aloof from city’s contemporary energy. There’s a sense of being outsiders looking in. It’s strangely fitting that, at the boat ramp that marks the end of the journey, the welcoming party consists of Matilda – a somewhat territorial goose who tends to strut up and down with no inkling that she’s in the heart of Australia’s most culturally rich city.

Melbourne kayaking tour costs

The Kayak Melbourne moonlight kayaking tour costs $99, and lasts around two-and-a-half hours. It is one of the best outdoor activities in Melbourne. Departure times vary depending on daylight hours and the time of year. The company also runs a daytime city sights kayak tour, costing $82.

More Melbourne activities

Take the Portarlington ferry to the Bellarine Peninsula.

Drink under the bridge at Ponyfish Island.

Go shopping at South Melbourne Market.

Swimming at Mordialloc Beach.

Cycle around the Yarra Valley wine region, stopping at wineries such as the Balgownie Estate.