Proud travellers

28 Jul 2021

Recently, 12 members of the Probus Club of Austral travelled to South Australia for a week of luxury cruising the Murray River onboard the Proud Mary Riverboat.

Lisa, the Proud Mary representative, flew into Sydney to address the group in late December 2019. The original tour date was September 2020, but due to COVID the departure was delayed.

Proud Mary offered seamless door-to-door travel. Members were picked up at their over 50s village in Leppington and driven to Sydney airport where they were met by the staff of Virgin Airlines who processed the group booking in no time at all. After a short 90-minute flight they arrived in Adelaide, collected bags and were met by the coach driver who loaded the bags and drove them to Glenelg, a delightful beach suburb in Adelaide for a short lunch stop over.

Following an informative tour of Adelaide, Michael the Proud Mary coach captain drove members the 80km to Murray Bridge. The crew of Proud Mary met them at the dock, carrying their luggage onboard and into their cabins which were small but well appointed.  Once they were settled the boat headed north up the mighty Murray. They were treated to a late dinner and then retired for the evening.

The next five days and nights were amazing; two French Chefs from Mauritius prepared five-star meals for members at every meal breakfast, lunch and dinner with never a repeat menu.

The scenery along the Murray was serene and spectacular. Pelicans entertained all as they skied up to the boat trying to catch the fish caught up in the boat’s propellers. The bird life was vast and varied and the soaring cliffs at Big Bend spectacular.

Each day they moored at a different location and were met by the coach driver who took members on a range of interesting tours including “Spotlighting” for Hairy Nosed Wombats at night, village and farm tours and even a visit to Mypolonga Primary School where the students process apricots sourced from the local orchards and also run a souvenir shop as part of their curriculum.  A visit to Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal site, which is the ancestral home of the Nganguraku People, was a highlight.

Returning to Adelaide, they stayed two nights at the Hilton Hotel, which gave members the opportunity to take a day tour of the Barossa Valley. They visited Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop and the Seppeltsfield Winery complex, stopping on the drive back at Mount Lofty Lookout for a panoramic view of the city of Adelaide.

On the final day of this wonderful trip all of the transfers and flights were taken care of by Lisa and Proud Mary. Following the flight, members were met at Sydney Airport and driven back to the Village. 

Wow! What a hassle-free holiday this was. Highly recommended to everyone.