Murray River Paddlesteamers offer 10 per cent commission for agents booking Australian Star sailings

Murray River Paddlesteamers offer 10 per cent commission for agents booking Australian Star sailings
Edited by Travel Weekly


    Murray River Paddlesteamers is offering a 10 per cent commission for travel agents booking sailings on the new $6.75 million Australian Star, Australia’s first five-star, overnight riverboat.

    From June 2025 PS Australian Star, will start offering cruises of up to a week on the Murray River. To inspire Australians to be among the first onboard, Murray River Paddlesteamers is offering early bird savings on all suite bookings and a bar credit for bookings made by June 30, 2024.

    The luxury 38-guest vessel fuses heritage and contemporary elegance and will be the first five-star river vessel in Australia, the largest paddlesteamer in the Southern Hemisphere and the only wood-fired, five-star, accommodated paddlesteamer in the world.

    Backed by $2.25 million in funding by the Victorian Government’s Regional Tourism Investment Fund, PS Australian Star will feature a deluxe lounge offering sweeping river vistas, a fine-dining restaurant, multiple outdoor relaxation areas and 19 sleek staterooms, all opening to a deck and offering an ensuite, air-conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, luxury linen and a TV entertainment system as well as ever-changing river views.

    A new suite on the Australian Star.

    The modern-day paddlesteamer will also sport a modern, energy-efficient, hybrid diesel/steam propulsion system featuring a 1907 wood-fired steam engine, adding a touch of nostalgia and authenticity to the journey.

    The new vessel will begin offering year-round, all-inclusive cruises of between three and seven nights on the Murray River from Echuca in Victoria from June 2025, succeeding the current, smaller vessel, the 16-guest paddlesteamer Emmylou.

    Emmylou on the Murray.

    Savings and bonuses for earlybird suite bookings

    Earlybird savings of 10 per cent for premium suite bookings and a $100 bar credit per suite are available for bookings for PS Australian Star made by June 30, 2024. The offer applies to sailings from June 23, 2025, to December 31, 2026, subject to availability. Including the suite discount, fares for a three-night cruise will be available from $2970 per person, twin-share, in a suite, a four-night cruise from $3960 per person, twin-share, in a suite, and a seven-night cruise from $6930 per person, twin-share, in a suite.

    Fares include onboard meals, daily shore excursions and experiences, V/Line rail transport between Melbourne and Echuca, cruise transfers, Wi-Fi, gratuities, selected beers and wines with dinner and soft drink, bottled water and tea/coffee throughout the cruise.

    A balcony and suite on the new Australian Star.Cruise the Murray in a suite on the new Australian Star.

    Latest News

    • Hotels

    Likuliku Lagoon Resort Fiji closes for major revitalisation

    Ahura Resorts has announced the planned closure Likuliku Lagoon Resort, which it manages, from 1 February to 30 April 2025 to make way for a series of major revitalisation projects. The projects will include: A refurbishment of all bures including the addition of private plunge pools to 11 of the existing beachfront bures which will […]

    • First Nations
    • Tourism

    YHA Australia spotlights First Nations culture with tours and cultural experiences

    YHA Australia will spotlight Indigenous cultural learning with a growing offering of free in-house experiences for guests as part of this year’s NAIDOC week celebrations. The organisation has committed to ensuring each property across its Australian network includes a First Nations experience to allow authentic engagement for international and domestic travellers. This also aligns with […]

    • Cruise

    Aurora Expeditions’ 20 per cent savings on Antarctica 24/25 and Arctic 2025 itineraries

    Aurora Expeditions is inviting travellers to take advantage of a suite of incredible new offers for those wanting to make their polar travel dreams a reality in 2024 and 2025. From now until 30 September 2024, travellers with the Australian-owned adventure travel company known for immersive and responsible small ship exploration can enjoy up to […]

    • Regional

    Regional Event Fund supports 66 communities with $1.3m in grants

    Sixty-six regional communities across NSW have been awarded funding from a program that supported the emergence of the Deni Ute Muster and the Parkes Elvis Festival. Founded in 1999, the Deni Ute Muster has become one of regional NSW’s most unique and exciting events. Initially conceived as a response to the hardship of drought, the […]

    • Tourism

    Australia’s first Agritourism Summit heads to the NSW Southern Highlands

    Australia’s first Agritourism Summit is set to take place on Thursday, 29 August in the NSW Southern Highlands. The event is where tourism and farming connect in an insightful and practical day-long event for farmers. The event will offer a unique opportunity for aspiring and established agritourism entrepreneurs to gain valuable knowledge and network with […]

    • Health & Wellness

    Chiva-Som Hua Hin’s new sleep enhancement specialisation

    Thailand’s pioneering transformative wellness destination, Chiva-Som Hua Hin, addresses widespread sleep issues with the launch of its sleep enhancement services. The new services can be added to any of the resort’s 16 retreats and are specially designed to help guests improve their sleep quality and overall wellbeing. It combines advanced sleep hormone and sleep apnea […]

    • Events
    • First Nations

    Moama Lights opens every weekend for July

    Moama Lights, the spectacular regional light show, is now open every weekend until 28 July and allows guests to immerse themselves in this year’s theme: “Enchanted Nights: A Celebration of Light”. The light show is inspired by Banjo Paterson’s evocative poem The Daylight is Dying the light displays have been designed and produced by the […]

    • Road & Rail

    Rail Europe offers 20% discount on Eurail passes

    Advisors can now pass on a generous 20 per cent savings on Eurail Global Passes and selected One Country Passes when booking with Rail Europe. Valid for travel from 1 September, the discount applies to most passes except for Germany and Scandinavia Pass products, as well as certain Eurail France Passes. Valid for 11 months […]

    • Cruise

    Explora Journeys announces new entertainment program

    Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle ocean travel brand of the MSC Group, announces the launch of a new entertainment program aboard the EXPLORA I. The comprehensive 14-day program promises to elevate guest the guest experience with a series of evening performances, interactive activities, and exclusive events. Digital activities: an industry first A standout feature of […]

    • Aviation

    Delta marks 15 years of travel to Australia on US Independence Day

    This July marks 15 years since Delta Air Lines began flying between Sydney and Los Angeles. To mark the occasion, Delta Air Lines had a small activation at their check in counter at Sydney Airport on Thursday July 4 – Independence Day in the US. Passengers were greeted with red, white and blue balloons as […]

    • Events
    • Health & Wellness

    Boxing camp with world champion boxers at COMO Uma Canggu

    COMO Uma Canggu has invited boxing enthusiasts to an intensive six-day boxing camp, led by world champion boxers Darren Barker and Ryan Pickard, this October. Participants will master the fundamentals of boxing, improve their self-defence skills, and transform their fitness regimen. Under the expert guidance of world-class boxers, attendees will undergo a variety of workouts […]

    • Cruise

    Travelmarvel unveils its Europe Coastal Cruising 2025 lineup

    Travelmarvel has revealed its 2025 Europe Coastal Cruising program and introduces 13 itineraries that include two extended combination journeys. The MS Caledonian Sky also makes its grand return the APT family. Captain Cook Cruises Fiji announced MS Caledonian Sky will wrap up her Fiji charter and depart Fijian and Southern Pacific waters in November this year, […]

    • Destinations

    Queenstown welcomes fresh snow dump for school holidays

    The spectacular mountains of Queenstown, New Zealand, have been blanketed by snow – as much as 50cm in 48 hours – providing the perfect winter vacation for the entire family. All four of the region’s ski areas are now open with The Remarkables having recorded 70cm of snow already this season while Cardrona Alpine Resort […]

    • Hotels

    Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel and Bungalows’ soft reopening

    The Sheraton Hotels & Resorts iconic grand jewel on Apia Harbour, Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel & Bungalows reopen following a multi-million-dollar refurbishment. The property will reopen in a phased manner with 56 of its 175 rooms, suites and bungalows now available for bookings. The grand opening of the hotel is expected to be in […]

    • Technology

    Commonwealth Bank offers new Travel Booking service via its app

    Commonwealth Bank is offering a new Travel Booking service via its CommBank app, which allows more than 6 million eligible customers to search, book and pay for flights and hotels from hundreds of airlines and hundreds of thousands of hotels. The new CommBank digital experience is powered by global online travel agency Hopper, already used […]

    • Aviation

    Lufthansa Group gets green light to take major stake in ITA Airways

    The European Commission has approved Lufthansa Group’s proposition to take a 41 per cent stake in ITA Airways following an investigation by EU antitrust regulators. The deal which was first announced in May last year will see Lufthansa pay 325 million Euro to take the remaining shares in 2025. Both Lufthansa and ITA have previously […]