You don't need a licence to drive our houseboats but you do need to be at least 21 years of age. To ensure you have a wonderful time we explain navigation rules, brief you about the full operation of the vessel, and then take you for a short drive under supervision to make you feel comfortable before setting out on your own.

No navigation experience or knowledge is needed. Clear instruction during your briefing will show you how to use the river maps provided and our vessels are fitted with navigation instruments to help you safely travel throughout the river. As you will rarely be more than several hundred metres from the riverbank, 'line-of-sight' navigation is simple and easy. Driving is easy with forward and reverse gears and a steering wheel.

We provide our own operations manual to assist you during your charter. The Clarence River is one of the safest boating playgrounds in Australia. We make scheduled calls to you to establish your plans for the day and to confirm that you are safely anchored each night. Guests may contact us throughout the day by mobile phone.

Houseboating is a fantastic family holiday. Many charter groups comprise families with children. Please be aware that the lifejackets provided on our vessels are not suitable for babies or small children. We strongly recommend that you tell us in advance if you need small children's lifejackets so that we can ensure they're available when you arrive.

Our online booking page includes an availability calendar for each of our vessels, or you can call us on 02 6647 6638 to find out.

A full list of inclusions and what you need to bring is provided on each houseboat's individual page. The links from the 'Our boats' page give more details.

In very general terms you will need to bring your own consumables, groceries and personal items (eg food, drinks, toilet paper, shampoo, medications etc) while we provide just about everything you'd expect in a comfortable home away from home (eg blankets, towels, crockery, cutlery, pots and pans.) We also sell ice and frozen bait.

Both Coles and Woolworths will deliver your order to our premises but you should book your delivery window early to ensure your delivery matches closely with your arrival time.

Be aware, when packing, that storage and hanging space is limited on all houseboats. You should bring casual clothing, only as much as you need, and choose soft bags in preference to suitcases.

All of our houseboats have at least one TV, DVD player, radio and CD player as well as a selection of board games, jigsaws and books. You should bring your own DVDs and CDs. Idyll Daze is fitted with USB connectivity for your phone or MP3 player. You can view the inclusions on each boat from the links on the 'Our boats' page.

For general enquiries by phone or email we're available between 9:00am and 5:00pm. If you want to drop in and talk to us or see the boats we encourage you to call us first to make sure we're available.

The general check in time, if no other arrangements have been put in place, is 1:00pm. We will attempt to contact you a few days before your hire to lock in an arrival time which may be earlier than 1:00pm. Most of the time it suits us to get you away as early as possible but we have to make sure your boat is ready and we try not to have more than one hire party on the jetty at the same time.

You can check in later than 1:00pm if you like, but the houseboats can not travel after dark. If you are not loaded and ready to embark by 4:00pm you may be required to stay at the jetty overnight.

There's a couple of reasons.

Firstly, hirers who can demonstrate, to our satisfaction, the necessary experience and skill to safely navigate beyond Browns Rocks may request and may be granted permission to travel to Yamba. However, you should not make a booking assuming that you will receive this permission. The reason we restrict most hires from going past Browns Rocks is because the river is difficult to navigate from that point. It has numerous shallow rocky areas and is subject to strong tidal flows. The houseboats are designed to be navigated in the calmer, more sheltered water upstream. It is simply too dangerous to allow an inexperienced skipper to go further.

The main reason, however, is that our name describes our location in NSW and makes us easier to find. We were previously called Clarence River Houseboats, but, as wonderful as our river is, our research showed us that potential customers recognise and search for the towns more than the river. Yamba is a great place and has a multitude of accommodation options if that's where you want to holiday. However, we like to showcase the numerous beautiful and idyllic locations and experiences waiting to be explored further upstream.