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.

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