Take part in the once-a-year Mooloolaba BOAT PARADE Cruise aboard Crusader 1

This year’s parade has unfortunately been cancelled by the organisers due to the potential impact of crowds along the shore and the Covid-19 pandemic rules and regulations.

Next years date has been already confirmed as Saturday the 18th December 2021!

Every year, during the month of December only, the waterfront properties of Mooloolaba, Minyama, and Buddina create a wonderful Christmas light spectacle. The reality is that this is viewable only from the water. All of this is as part of the now famous Mooloolaba Christmas Boats light parade. A parade in which up to 100 boats compete for the prize of best Christmas boat light display. Properties owners along the water’s edge compete for the prize of best presented display as well. Each year they clearly pull out all stops to have a shot at first prize! In 2020 the date was Saturday the 12th December. 2021’s date has been confirmed as Saturday the 18th December 2021.

Why not enjoy and be part of this rare and very special event aboard Crusader , our massive, 55 foot long charter vessel. Enjoy a once a year only gentle cruise as a passenger and guest participating in the boat parade itself. Not only will you experience the wonderful Christmas Lights on offer on many of the waterfront properties along the Mooloolah River and canals, but you will be the envy of hundreds and hundreds of people lining the shoreline.

With a maximum of just 45 passengers, you will have room to move, and always enjoy uninterrupted total visibility of the lights. This trip last approximately 2.5 hours!!

This special event provides a very special and personal experience on protected calm inland waters, making it ideal for anyone. You will be delighted with the amazing views of the absolutely amazing efforts made by the property owners and we guarantee you will enjoy a delightful and fun experience. This is ideal for families and young children too! No sealegs needed here!

Food can be brought along on a BYO basis, or pre ordered seafood packs are available at the time of your booking from Bridge Seafoods. You can purchase a wide range of drinks from our fully licenced bar, including coffee and tea.

Cocktails are a great addition to any event!

Bring along your Christmas Cheer – as much of it as you can! Maybe even dress up for the occasion! We can never have enough elves or Santas aboard for this cruise!!! Hurry as this cruise always sells out fast!

COVID Safe Cruising – for detailed information on how we’ve adjusted our tour to be COVID Safe and for updated terms click here.

PLEASE NOTE: COVID-19 impacts for the Christmas period are at the time of preparing this page still unknown. Passenger numbers may be restricted to a level below that of previous years. Bookings will be taken on a “First-In First-Served” basis. Should we find we are restricted in passenger numbers at the time of the tour, to a level that some are not able to be accomodated, the bookings received last will be offered a full refund. We believe this to be the fairest manner in dealing with this unprecedented situation.

Key Details:

Please note- This tour operates on Saturday the 12th December 2020 only!

DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION

The Bridge Seafood Pontoon, 209 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba ( Sunshine Coast ), Queensland. Australia (see the location tab)

DEPARTURE AND RETURN TIMES

Evening cruise: 6.30PM Departure with an 8.30PM return

DEPARTURE NOTE

Please arrive 25 to 30 minutes prior for a prompt departure.

WHAT TO WEAR & BRING

Anything goes although we recommend Comfortable clothing. No Eskis please

INCLUDED

Professional and experienced crew.	Self serve Iced Water
BYO Food.	Drinks available from the onboard fully licenced bar.

NOT INCLUDED

Seafood packs (Available at an additional cost)

BYO Alcohol, Soft Drinks, Coffee and Tea.

For a detailed “itinerary” for this ride please click on the Itinerary tab.

Please note that other impacts such as phone and agent bookings, weather and other unforeseen things could impact on the availability at the same time as you are requesting the charter online. Our Terms and conditions are available on this webpage ( Click here to view them now ) and will also be emailed to you as part of the booking confirmation.

Departure details

Please arrive 25 to 30 minutes PRIOR to your noted departure time. We would hate for the tour to depart on time should you be late and we have not heard from you! Depending on the departure time you may need to ensure you have enough time to find a car park.

Arrival of the boat

Once Crusader has safely moored, the crew will collect you from the entrance to the pontoon from which we depart.
Please do not wait on the pontoon itself as the crew will be mooring the vessel on its arrival and we safety is paramount for all. We can take a picture of your group with the boat for a memento should you like it.

Registering

Although we are not heading out to sea and just staying in the River and canals, each and every person coming aboard must sign in on the vessel’s passenger register, and be marked off the manifest by our crew. To this end the crew will provide the passenger log for you to complete. Our passenger log also doubles as the indemnity waiver. Have a balance to pay for the day? This is where and when you do that part too.

Safety First

As required by maritime legislation, the skipper will have to do a safety briefing before we depart. Much like on a plane any time you fly, we do need your attention for the couple of minutes it takes. We all hope and expect the information we are providing never to be needed, but its always best to be forewarned and prepared.

Get Get Comfortable

There is a lot a room and various areas to sit or stand. Find the spot you think is best and get ready to enjoy your cruise. There are not that many paople aboard that you can’t move about during the cruise if your first selection isn’t as perfect as you hoped!

Pushing off

You will already be seated, and the doors will still be open for this cruise. The crew will “throw” the mooring lines and head off towards the first lights. The Mooloolah river is restricted to a top speed of 6 knots, and the canal to just 4 knots, both which allows you to take in the beautiful waterfront properties and amazing light displays. Departure times are set so that we are pushing off as the sun sets. This to give you the full impact of the lights which of course look best after the sun has set.

Its a parade

Crusader 1 is a big vessel. Probably the biggest or 2nd biggest in the entire parade. Your will be seen by a lot of people! Enjoy yourself and give those on shore a wave!

The lights

These Christmas Light are only on during the month of December. The lights tend to be switched on on December 1st, and switched off straight after New Years Eve. And these is only 1 parade!

Food and drinks

You can purchase water and soft drinks aboard. Alcohol and food can be brought aboard on a BYO basis. So feel free to bring alcohol with you if you so desire. You will need to take any cans or bottles you bring along, back with you after departing. There are 2 toilets aboard Crusader 1 so enjoy!

Return

All good things must come to an end. We try to keep the return trip as short as possible to give us as much time viewing the lights as possible.

Back home

Once we have securely moored the vessel back at the departure pontoon you can leave the vessel when you like. Please take care when you disembark the vessel and ask for assistance if you feel you may require it! thats what there crew is there to do.

The “BRIDGE SEAFOOD ” Pontoon (located at the rear of the restaurant),
209 Brisbane Road Mooloolaba Qld.

For a GPS use “Bridge Seafoods” or “209 Brisbane Road Mooloolaba Qld”. In iPhone Maps “Bridge Seafoods” is far more accurate.

Please DO NOT park your car here on the service Road, but rather in the FREE public car-park next to the BP service station across the road.

The location is the corner of Incana Court and Brisbane Road. This parking is free and unlimited in time, and only a 2 minute stroll (100m) from the departure point.

Once parked please wait near the top of the ramp until instructed by the skipper that it is safe to come down the ramp and board the vessel.

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Google Rating

4.8

Sunshine Coast Afloat

A Google User

07:09 15 Jul 18

Yesterday with the help of Sunshine Coast Afloat we scattered my grandfather's ashes. The crew were amazing and caring and really helped make our day special. I would highly recommend this service to anyone. Thank you again!

07:27 21 May 18

Had a terrific day last Saturday 19 May 2018 on a 7 hour trip out from Caloundra with Captain Toby and his helpers Zoe and Dixon. Fish a bit light on but the crew were excellent. Will return when fish start biting. Good to have room to move about. Excellent car parking instructions. Best wishes from Ian and Dylan.

06:41 13 Aug 18

A very enjoyable whale watching cruise that doesn't take the whole day! The boat was very comfortable and the crew were fabulous. Whale watching is a group activity, so we were all on the lookout to spot whales and make some noise to encourage them to come towards the boat and take a look at us. We filled our bellies with lunch of sandwiches, savoury and sweet platters. It's really interesting to go offshore and look back at the Sunshine Coast landmarks from a different perspective. Places like Old Woman Island, Mount Coolum, the Buderim escarpment, Caloundra headland and of course the Glass House Mountains are all features on the horizon. Get out into the shipping channel and it's likely that you'll get to see some impressive cargo ships waiting to enter the Port of Brisbane. I would definitely recommend these short whale watching cruises ex Mooloolaba during the season. Whales are magnificent creatures and it's an honour to share the ocean with them.

02:34 28 May 18

The members of the Warner Recreation Fishing Club had a fantastic day on board Crusader 1. Captain and crew were fantastic and the frendliest we have encountered. Great weather and a great days fishing with the Captain able to locate a number of excellent spots. Looking forward to booking again.

01:05 30 Jul 18

The staff were fantastic, they made the trip something to remember. It was a real pleasure to be on the water, I would definitely recommend this charter for everyone.

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CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE CRUISE on CRUSADER 1

Take part in the once-a-year Mooloolaba BOAT PARADE Cruise aboard Crusader 1

This year’s parade has unfortunately been cancelled by the organisers due to the potential impact of crowds along the shore and the Covid-19 pandemic rules and regulations.