Boat Tours & Cruises

Mandurah’s pristine, uncrowded beaches are playgrounds for all ages and interests.

Boat Tours & Cruises

Explore an estuary twice the size of Sydney Harbour

A relaxing way for you to explore the vast, calm, inland waterways around Mandurah is on a guided tour.

Mandurah Cruises

Experience the best of Mandurah’s incredible natural environment on 1-hour, half-day or full-day marine adventures with Mandurah Cruises.

Encounter Western Australia’s best dolphin population on their daily 1 Hour Dolphin & Scenic Marine Cruise which offers you the opportunity to experience playful wild dolphins in their natural environment, wetlands teeming with diverse bird life, magnificent canal homes, heritage listed pioneer and cultural sites, live commentary and more. You can even enjoy a delicious, fresh fish & chips lunch on board!

If you’re after a relaxing half day on the water, then join Mandurah Cruises for a Murray River Lunch Cruise or learn about the region’s rich indigenous history and culture on a Dreamtime Cruise. They also offer seasonal and special event cruises across the year.

There are also great seasonal cruises for you to choose from:

Start the weekend with Mandurah Cruises’ Floating Bar Cruise  – Every Friday Night for ONLY $10!

Departing from Mandjar Square at 5pm, 6pm, 7pm & 8pm every Friday night, you can hop on board for one 45-minute loop or stay until the bar closes at 9pm. Enjoy sunset skie, sweet tunes, cocktail specials, and purchase chilled drinks from the bar. BYO share platters welcome.

Watch the sun go down on the water of Mandurah’s peaceful estuary on the 1.5-hour Sunset Cruise, set against a golden summer sunset, accompanied by live music. Sit back and relax with a drink in hand from the bar on board as you take in the stunning views. Dine on a delicious shared cheeseboard for 2 or munch on WA’s famous Fish & Chips for dinner from Cicerello’s.

Enjoy a scrumptious high tea on the relaxing 2-hour High Tea Cruise through Mandurah’s luxurious canals and picturesque inland waterways. Included is a complimentary glass of sparkling and unlimited tea & coffee. Specialty cocktails, wine and spirits can also be purchased from the bar on board.

BC Mandurah Cruises
Dolphin Cruise & Views | Image courtesy of Mandurah Cruises

The Pirate Ship Mandurah

The Pirate Ship Mandurah offers tours through the inland waterways and canals throughout the year on board a custom-built Pirate Ship.

Take your seats as you depart from the Eastern Foreshore for a 45 minute cruise and venture through Mandurah’s inland waterways and canals on the fun pirate adventure for children and adults of all ages.

As you cruise through Mandurah’s canals, you can steer the pirate wheel, ring the bell or sit back and enjoy the scenery and lookout for the wildlife that call the Mandurah canals home, including the famous bottlenose dolphins.

The 1.5 hour Sundowner Cruise on the famous Mandurah Pirate Ship departs from the Eastern Foreshore and heads north towards the marina to see all the amazing boats.

You’ll also cruise by Dolphin Quay before coming back into the estuary and into the Port Mandurah canals. Check out the magnificent homes before enjoying a spectacular sunset. The cruise is BYO and guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family.

The Pirate Ship Mandurah

Mandurah Murray River Cruises

Experience private boat charters with Mandurah Murray River Cruises.

Enjoy serene voyages for up to 10 people featuring scenic nature views, playful dolphins and stunning sunsets. Choose from various cruise options, including Murray River Cruises, Sunset Cruises, and Dolphin Cruises.

Convenient pick-up locations make it easy to integrate your cruise with lunch or dinner plans.

Custom Private Cruises are also available for personalised experiences. With complimentary ice and an esky provided, bring your own snacks and drinks for a relaxing journey on the water.

Unwind and create lasting memories with Mandurah Murray River Cruises.

Pontoon boat potting around at Mandurah Ocean Marina
Mandurah Murray River Cruises

Mandurah Boat Charters

Why not charter a boat for the day and explore the waterways of Mandurah? Get a group of friends and family together and head out for a day of sightseeing and fishing, or cruise along the estuary, stopping for a drink or bite to eat. It’s the ultimate way to relax and enjoy our beautiful waterways.

Hire a Deluxe Charter Pontoon Boat with Mandurah Boat Charters for a fun day out on the water. A skipper comes with the pontoon when you hire the the 16-person or 20-person Deluxe Pontoon.

BC Mandurah Boat Charters
Mandurah Boat Charters

Charter the ‘White Pearl’ Vessel 

1 Hour Deluxe Scenic Dolphin Cruise

Step aboard the ‘White Pearl’ for the ultimate one-hour scenic dolphin watching cruise. Relax in comfort as you explore the vast inland waterways of Mandurah, which are twice the size of Sydney Harbour.

Your journey begins at the Marina, offering stunning views of Dolphin Quay and a variety of boats. Then, glide through the famous Mandurah canals, where you’ll marvel at million-dollar homes lining the waterfront. As you continue down the estuary, be sure to keep an eye out for the abundant wildlife, including black swans, cormorants, and Mandurah’s beloved resident dolphins.

This cruise is available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from September to April, providing an intimate experience for smaller groups and private charters, with a maximum of 19 people.

Departures are at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. Don’t miss the chance to discover Mandurah’s captivating aquatic world.

 

Mandurah Sunset Cruise

Indulge in a serene evening aboard this 90-minute Mandurah Sunset Cruise aboard the ‘White Pearl’. Experience the breathtaking Western Australian sunset as you set sail on select Saturday evenings from January to April.

This leisurely cruise offers a glimpse of the magnificent canal homes along the way, followed by a journey into the Peel Harvey estuary and the Mandurah Marina. The highlight? Watching the sun dip below the horizon with friends and family by your side.

Feel free to bring your favorite snacks and drinks to enhance your cruise experience.

Departing at 6:15pm in January and gradually adjusting to an earlier departure time as Easter approaches, this cruise promises unforgettable memories against the backdrop of Mandurah’s picturesque waterfront.

Mandurah Sunset Cruise aboard White Pearl vessel
Mandurah Sunset Cruise aboard White Pearl vessel

Luxury Boutique Boat Charters Mandurah

Come and join in the fun and experience a different side to Mandurah’s waterways and Peel inlet.

Luxury Boutique Boat Charters Mandurah offer unique, personalised and intimate chartered experiences on the beautiful Murray River for a minimum of 2 guests and a maximum of 4 guests.  If you book, you’ll have the skippered boat to yourself.

Luxury Boutique Boat Charters Mandurah offer 3 cruises per day. Choose from the Breakfast & Birdsong Cruise or their Bubbles & Grazing Board Cruise or their signature cruise,  the Sunset & Tapas Cruise. Check out all cruises here.

From the moment your skipper welcomes you aboard, all  you have to do is relax and enjoy!

All cruises are 2 hours in duration and are inclusive of food.

Luxury Boutique Boat Charters Mandurah will accommodate whatever it is you would like to do.

BC Luxury Boutique Boat Charters
Image credit: Luxury Boutique Boat Charters

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Guide to Mandurah!

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Mandurah is the ultimate aquatic and nature playground. Trip planning and experience making is easy with our destination information guide.

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Fishing & Crabbing

Mandurah is renowned for its seafood and fantastic fishing.

Fishing & Crabbing

Mandurah is renowned
for its seafood and
fantastic fishing.

The Mandurah fishery is also the first joint recreational and commercial fishery that received the international tick for sustainable fishing and quality from the Marine Stewardship Council in 2016.

This means that both the commercial and recreational fishers of Mandurah are showing the world how sustainable fishing should be done. Something we’re very proud of, so we hope you follow the rules and guidelines too when you go out to catch yourself dinner.

Fishing

Fish for herring, sand whiting, bream, cobbler, tailor or garfish in the Mandurah Estuary. In season you can fish for salmon and tailor on the beach, and the Dawesville Cut is the best place to catch King George whiting.

Fishing at Dawesville Cut Mandurah
Fishing at Dawesville Channel (Dawesville Cut)

You can also catch trout and redfin all year in Lake Navarino (also called Waroona Dam) and Drakesbrook Weir in Waroona. If you love some black bream, mulloway and whiting, Murray River is a great spot to try your luck. Upstream, the river has been stocked up with trout. At Preston Beach, fish for whiting, herring, skippy and salmon (when they run) straight from the beach.

A licence is required for freshwater and boat fishing and you can obtain it via fish.wa.gov.au. Fishing gear is available for hire in Mandurah.

Seafood and Fishing Tours

Learn tips and tricks from the pros and get access to the best spots to catch seafood on a tour.

On Mandurah Cruises’ Wild Seafood Adventure you’ll journey out to the Indian Ocean and help haul in crayfish pots, before enjoying the rewards of your labour with a delicious barbecue lunch with local wines, served on board as you cruise the calm estuary waters.

If you’d prefer to go out fishing by yourself, boats and fishing gear can be hired from Mandurah Boat Hire.

Crabbing

Mandurah is well-known for its blue swimmer crabs and excellent crabbing.

Crabbing season opens on December 1st, just as the weather warms up for summer. By January the Peel-Harvey Estuary is swimming with full size crabs ready to be caught.

Early morning or evening is the best time to catch them and you can go crabbing from a boat, a jetty using drop nets, or wade into the shallows with long-handled scoop nets.

Family crabbing in Mandurah
Crabbing at Novara Foreshore Reserve, Falcon

Rules for crabbing

You don’t need a licence to catch crabs, however they can only be caught from 1st December to 31st August and there are minimum size and bag limit regulations.

The minimum size limit is 127mm. The size of a crab is measured from the tips of its spikes across the widest part of the shell. Measure accurately using a crab gauge available from the Mandurah Visitor Centre and fishing tackle shops.

Keeping undersize crabs or egg-carrying (‘berried’) females is illegal and you could be fined up to $5,000. These crabs must be returned to the water immediately, before attempting to catch another crab.

The bag limit in the Mandurah area is 10 crabs per person per day. You must not catch crabs for anyone else. A boat limit of 20 crabs per boat per day applies (as long as there are two fishers with their Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence on board).

If you use a powered boat to fish for crabs or to reach your fishing location, at least one person on board needs a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence (RFBL), available for purchase from a Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development office or online.

See full details on crabbing rules in the Mandurah area here.

Best Locations

You’re more likely to catch full size crabs in January, and early morning and evening are the best times, when crabs come into the shallows.

Here are our tips for some good places to go crabbing:
  • Mandjar Bay
  • Mandurah Estuary
  • The Peel Inlet-Harvey Estuary by Boundary Island
  • Sticks Channel
  • Mandurah Estuary Bridge
  • Dawesville Cut

Our Tip: Visit the Mandurah Visitor Centre before heading out and ask if there are any new good spots this crabbing season.

Please check: Some areas around Mandurah are protected nature reserves and off-limits for crabbing all year around. Look out for signs before you start crabbing to make sure it is an approved area.

How to clean & prepare a blue manna crab

Now you’ve caught some nice full-sized crabs, but what to do next to be able to enjoy them?

Well, here you go:

It’s best to cook crabs a few hours after they’ve been caught, as they usually die quickly. Bring crabs to the boil in salted water, then simmer for 5-6 minutes (longer for more crabs). Once cooked, place in cool water. Serve with bread, lemon, vinegar or seafood sauce.

Where to buy crabs

If you don’t have much luck catching your own crabs, you can buy fresh local crabs here.

  • Wattsies Place

    • open 7 days a week from 8am to 5pm
    • Address: 2299 Old Coast Rd, Herron WA 6210
    • Cooked Crabs available daily. Raw Crabs only available Tues-Sat (24hrs notice required for raw crab orders).

    Fun Fact: Fishing in Mandurah since early 1890’s began with Alfred Loton Watts and wife Ester Watts (Nee Morfitt). Wattsies Place began trading approximately 46 years ago under a tree in the front yard of John & Diane’s house, since then the business has grown and prospered as Mandurah’s reputation for fresh seafood has spread. Visit Wattsies Place or pre-order via phone on (08) 9739 1065.

  • Fisho Singleton

    • open Wed-Sun from 9am to 6pm.
    • Address: Corner of Singleton Beach Rd & Mandurah Rd, Singleton WA 6175
    • Crabs are sold fresh or cooked

  • Fisho at Gilbert’s Fresh Market

    • open 7 days a week from 8am-5pm
    • Address:  13-15 Rouse Rd, Mandurah WA 6210.
    • Crabs are sold cooked only

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Mandurah is the ultimate aquatic and nature playground. Trip planning and experience making is easy with our destination information guide.

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Beaches & Surfing

Mandurah’s pristine, uncrowded beaches are playgrounds for all ages and interests.

Beaches & Surfing

Mandurah’s pristine,
uncrowded beaches are
playgrounds for all ages
and interests.

Whether you’re after a family-friendly day by the seaside, a stroll along the shore spotting shells and marine creatures or an epic surf spot, Mandurah has it all. Here are some of our top picks.

Falcon Bay, Falcon

This beautiful bay on Spinaway Parade in Falcon is much loved by the locals. Northern facing and protected from southerly winds, it’s perfect to spend all day swimming and relaxing by the water.

It also has shady grassed areas, picnic tables, BBQs, a playground and toilet/shower facilities and the popular Falcon Bay Beach Cafe’ nearby selling everything from coffee and cake to a delicious, filling lunch with views across the ocean.

The calm waters make it a great spot for paddlers too. It also has a reef area ideal for exploring or snorkelling at high tide and a pontoon offshore in summertime.

Our tip: if you are keen to learn to Stand Up Paddle Board or surf, Star Surf has you covered, offering lessons at Falcon Bay and other nearby beaches.

Click here to get directions.

Falcon Bay Beach
Falcon Bay Beach

Town Beach

Welcome to Town Beach in Mandurah, a beautiful and popular destination for beach lovers of all kinds. Whether you’re a young family looking for a day of fun or a group of friends seeking a hangout spot, Town Beach has something for everyone.

Supervised by Surf Life Saving teams on the weekends, Town Beach ensures a safe swimming environment, making it the perfect place to spend a summer day. With cafes and restaurants within walking distance, you can easily grab a bite to eat or enjoy a refreshing drink while soaking up the sun.

The beach is equipped with several undercover shades on the sand, providing a comfortable retreat from the sun’s rays. Just a few meters back from the beach, behind the car park, you’ll find convenient facilities, including toilets, barbecues, and a playground. This makes Town Beach an ideal spot for a day in the sun or a picnic with the family.

So, whether you’re looking for a relaxing day by the water or a place to socialize with friends and family, Town Beach in Mandurah offers a welcoming and well-equipped environment for all. Come and enjoy the sun, sand, and surf at this fantastic beach destination!

Click here to get directions.

Town Beach Mandurah
Town Beach, Mandurah

Pyramids Beach, Dawesville

Popular with locals and tourists, this Dawesville beach boasts pumping swell and plenty of exciting beach activities almost all year round.

Patrolled by the Port Bouvard Surf Life Saving Club, this spot is always busy with surfers, swimmers and body boarders for good reason.

There is plenty of parking, public toilets/showers and shelters as well as a path weaving through the dunes along the 1.4km stretch of beach which is ideal for walkers and cyclists.

Click here to get directions.

Pyramids Beach by Bruce Ellis
Pyramids Beach | Photo by Bruce Ellis

Lido Beach, Dolphin Quay

Also known as Marina South Harbour Beach, this man-made swimming area is perfect for kids and families.

With plenty of sand to play with, a huge shelter to stay away from the sun’s rays, Lido Beach is especially fun for the little ones.

It also adjoins Keith Holmes Reserve with playgrounds, BBQ’s and all day parking, making it a top destination in Mandurah for a picnic and day of adventure.

As if it couldn’t get any better, it is also within walking distance of the Marina with plenty of restaurants, cafes and markets just minutes away.

Click here to get directions.

Lido Beach Mandurah
Lido Beach, Mandurah Ocean Marina

Doddies Beach, Halls Head

A protected bay with a cafe, plenty of parking, playgrounds, shade, grass and BBQ facilities, Doddies Beach is a popular spot on a summer day for good reason.

Although it can be subject to collecting some seaweed from time to time, it is usually always good for swimming with calm waters.

Jet skis and boats can pull up not too far from Doddies Beach making it a great place for a day on the water!

Click here to get directions.

 

Village Beach, Wannanup

Another man-made beach, this Wannanup spot is easy to find by turning off Old Coast Road onto Northport Boulevard and then turning onto Batavia Avenue at the end of Northport Boulevard.

Technically not the ocean but estuary waters, this sheltered spot is perfect for the little ones with a large, sandy shore and safe swimming but is also an ideal location for paddling and stand up paddle boarding.

There is a grassy park right next to the beach with playgrounds, showers, BBQ’s and parking, making it another perfect spot for a day out or a picnic lunch.

Bonus points: this spot has great canal views.

Click here to get directions.

 

Silversands Beach, Silversands

If you’re looking for kilometres of pristine coastline, perfect swimming spots and even a couple of challenging surf spots including Fourth Groin, look no further than Silversands Beach.

Boasting clean sand, safe and calm waters and plenty of opportunities for the perfect Instagram photo, Silversands Beach is one of the best.

Take a casual stroll along the shore, join the many locals working out, take a dip in the water or enjoy the incredible sunsets that kiss the horizon goodnight along the coastline.

Click here to get directions.

Silver Sands Beach, Mandurah
Silver Sands Beach | Image by Mary J Tubbs

Madora Bay Beach, Madora Bay

This idyllic beach is popular for beach fishing, a beautiful stroll or watching the sunset.

With a pristine coastline and often uncrowded, Madora Bay has brand new viewing platforms to take in all that Mandurah’s oceans have to offer.

Click here to get directions.

Madora Bay Beach, Mandurah
Madora Bay Beach | Image by Bumblebee Drones

Seascapes Beach, Halls Head

Not as good for swimming but you will find some spots along the coast without reef for a refreshing dip.

Seascapes Beach is great for a stroll along the shore with the dogs as there is plenty of sand to run around on.

There are plenty of rock pools with cool marine creatures to explore during low tide all the way along Seascapes Beach.

With Pirate Park close by and plenty of restaurants including Spill the Beans cafe for breakfast or enjoy pizza or fish and chips as the sun goes down. Seascapes Beach has everything for the perfect summer day by the water.

Click here to get directions.

Seascapes Beach Halls Head by Lisa Watson Photography
Seascapes Beach | Photo by Lisa Watson Photography

Blue Bay, Halls Head

This little slice of heaven in Halls Head is less protected but is an awesome spot for snorkelling, just metres from the shore.

Very clean and often quiet, there are plenty of rock pools to explore when the tide is out and there are always epic ocean views.

With plenty of parking and toilet/shower facilities at Blue Bay, it’s a great day out. Don’t forget to pack the sunscreen and the umbrellas because there is no shade here.

Click here to get directions.

Blue Bay Beach Halls Head
Blue Bay Beach, Halls Head

Discover
how the
locals
like it

Download Your
Guide to Mandurah!

4390 MAPTO 2023 Planner Cover

Mandurah is the ultimate aquatic and nature playground. Trip planning and experience making is easy with our destination information guide.

Find more inspiration

Take a look at some of our best picks