HOW IT WORKS
The important
stuff
Suitable for all ages.
Suitable for all ages
With BBQ Buoys, it's on for young and old and we love seeing people of all ages on board! Children aged 12 and under (including infants) must wear the provided life jacket at all times while on board, and we have suitable life jackets for everyone else tucked away on the Buoy. To hire a Buoy you must be 21 years old, it's an insurance thing.
BYO food allowed
(food packages available)
BYO food allowed
We leave it up to you to decide what to eat on board. Choose a BBQ and cook yourself a culinary masterpiece, or select a table and bring some nibbles. We can offer pre prepared cheese and meat platters which must be ordered 3 or more days in advance.
No boat license needed.
No boat license needed
As long as you are at least 21 years old and have a valid car driver's licence, you can hire a Buoy. "P" license is accepted "L" licenses unfortunately not. No boat licence and experience needed. Our crew explain how everything works during check-in and will give you some top secret skipper tips to ensure you come back a fully fledged Captain of the Torrens!
Choose flexi option to avoid bad weather
Chose Flexi option
The Flexi Option allows rescheduling up to 24 hours before your cruise so if conditions are looking less than ideal, you have the peace of mind of rebooking on a better day. Bear in mind if the weather is extreme (rain, wind, heat over 38°C), we will rescedule all bookings!
No BYO alcohol.
(drink packages available)
No BYO alcohol
It's a licensing thing but not to worry; we have you covered with a great selection of South Australian beers, wine and cider and classic soft drinks available to purchase from the menu. You can BYO water, juice for the kids or some coffee/tea if it's an early cruise.
$100 cash deposit required.
(refunded after cruise)
$100 Cash Deposit
A $100 deposit will be taken on the day of your cruise which will be refunded after the cruise if you come back on time and comply with our Terms and Conditions.
General FAQs
Safety for children and adults
Yes, we provide life jackets and our boats are quite stable. We are not aware of any motion sickness cases and we’ve had plenty of pregnant women on board. Come and enjoy!
Check this out: One of the ladies on board was pregnant while on board.
By this we mean real emergency, not running out of pinot noir. We will give you the most current instructions during your safety briefing. You should always provide first-aid where you can, call emergency authorities on 000 and await further instructions.
You must be at least 21 years old to hire a BBQ Buoys. It’s an insurance thing.
There is no minimum age to celebrate someone’s birthday. However if you are planning a birthday party with more than 5 children on board, they need to be at least 6 years old and there must be 1 adult for every 3 children on board.
Absolutely, but we do have some rules to keep everyone safe. There must be 1 adult for each 3 children and every child under 12 MUST wear the lifejacket provided. Babies are welcome and we provide life jackets for them too. There is NO age restriction to come on board. Infants under 12 months don’t count as passengers as they will be travelling on the parent’s lap and no maxi cosi or other child seats are allowed for safety reasons.
Yes, we provide life jackets for adults and children and babies. Children under 12 MUST wear a lifejacket at all times.
Yes. We routinely check each Buoy before it goes out for each cruise and provide fire extinguishers and blankets, as well as life jackets and a life ring. BBQ Buoys operate safely in over 40 countries.
Food and drinks
While you’re welcome to bring your own food, for an extra charge we can supply amazing Cheese and Meat grazing platters, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. There is strictly no BYO drinks except for water, juice and coffee/tea.
We’re sorry but you cannot bring alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on board, it’s a condition of our liquor licence. We offer some great drinks deals though so check out our website. If it makes you feel any better, you can bring your own food.
Yes, we do. The provision of alcohol is limited under our liquor licence (3 standard drinks per person/hour). Alcohol must be purchased through BBQ Buoys and you must not BYO. The skipper must not exceed the legal limit of 0.05 BAC. All other passengers can drink moderately. Please read the terms and conditions.
The skipper is responsible for the safety of all passengers on board and must not excess the legal limit of alcohol consumption.
Products and services
If you have more than 10 people who want to cruise together, we recommend you consider hiring a second, third or even fourth boat. We have 2 boat types: 3x Big Buoy’s (seats 10 people) and 1x Little Buoy (seats 8 people). The legal maximum mentioned is not extendendable. Please note: babies under 12 months don’t count as passengers but anyone over 12 months does. Please contact us if you plan to hire 2 or more boats in the same time slot.
Yes, there’s no party without tunes. We provide you with a Bluetooth speaker free of charge. Feel free to play music on your own device but please respect the people enjoying the Torrens around you and keep it to a moderate noise level.
Yes, we provide you with an esky free of charge.
During the booking process we will ask you to select your preferred (FREE) centre module: Gas BBQ or table are available and included in the booking fee.
Our Buoys have a legal max of 10 people (not 11, 12, or 13 even though there might be some children on board and your group is slim enough to fit more). The only exception applies for babies under 12 months. They travel on their parents’ lap and don’t count as individual passengers.
We have 2 types: 3x Big Buoy’s (seats 10 people) and 1x Little Buoy (seats 8 people). We choose the best BBQ Buoy for you depending on the size of your group and your selected package.
Booking and cancellation
WE ARE OPEN!
Fortunately, current Government measures have no impact on our ability to offer cruises for up to 10p on board (please note, social distancing m2 rules don’t apply for groups of up to 10p on the same table/boat).Â
If restrictions change in the future we will be in touch with you as soon as possible via social media and if you have a booking with us then via direct mail.Â
Stay safe!Â
Flexi Option:
- Cancellation: Cancel up to 14 days (30 days standard) before your cruise day to receive 100% refund
- Reschedule: Reschedule your cruise up to 1 day (14 days standard) before your cruise so there’s no more stress about unexpected changes
- Unsafe operating conditions*/**/***: If it’s unsafe to operate on the cruise day you can choose to a) reschedule within 1 year (standard 6 months) or b) cancel your order and receive 100% (50% standard) refund of your hire fee + 100% refund for pre-ordered drinks
*BAD weather/unsafe to operate: e.g. strong wind, heavy rain, thunderstorm, temperatures +38°C. **GOOD weather: all other conditions: e.g. light rain with low wind speed are acceptable, so are temperatures <38°C. ***Decisions based on weather forecast 1 day before functions date. We’ll contact you if needed!
This extra must be booked within 24hrs of creating the order and can’t be added after that.
Bad weather is no fun for anyone, so we will only operate the vessels if it is safe to do so according to weather conditions and the Adelaide City Council*. If we are forced to cancel your session you will have the option to reschedule your trip to an available slot in the same price category within the next 6 months (12 months if you have booked the Flexi Option) and according to our Terms and Conditions. Alternatively you may cancel the booking from your side and receive a 50% (100% if you have booked the Flexi Option) refund for the hire fee. All pre-ordered drinks are 100% refundable in any case.
For a small extra fee you can book our “Flexi Option” to receive 100% refund in bad weather cancellation situations and to have more freedom to reschedule up to 1 day before your initial cruise date.
Our main (but not only) source to decide potential closure of the station is the weather forecast for Adelaide on the Website of the Bureau of Meteorology. We will assess factors such as temperature, rain, wind, thunderstorm risk etc. We consider temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius as bad weather to allow you select between above listed options. We make all weather related decisions one day before the scheduled cruise and contact you if we need to reschedule or take any other action.
*Occasions arise when the Adelaide City Council or other Governmental bodies close the River Torrens even with short to no notice.
You may return your BBQ Buoy whenever you like during your allocated time; however there will be no refund for an early return.
Apart from facing the grouchy looks of the next customer, you will be charged $50 per 15 minutes over time as written in the terms and conditions. We will take it from your deposit.
If you don’t want the good times to end and there is no booking immediately after you, we will try our best. However, all extensions are subject to availability and at the discretion of BBQ Buoys crew.
15 minutes early please. You will need 15 minutes prior to departure for your safety briefing and driver’s assessment. If you do not pre-order drinks and you prefer to purchase them on the day, please allow a few extra minutes for the purchase process. Please note that ordering drinks on the day may cause delay and reduce your cruise time.
Yes, you do. A deposit of $100 will be charged at day of travel. If you bring our Buoys back to us on time and in agreed conditions, your deposit will be returned within 24 hours. Please read the terms and conditions, it’s important.
The easiest way is to book online. For customised bookings, you can email us or call us between 10am to 6pm.
Boat licence
No. This can be your first time as a skipper. BBQ Buoys are easy to navigate and we give you a full briefing with tips and tricks for a safe trip before you take charge. You will need a full car driver’s license and bring it on the cruise date.
No boating licence required, but you do need a full car licence and you must be at least 21 years old. Please present your driver’s licence on the cruise date.
Practical Stuff
No, that is a terrible idea. Swimming in this section of the River Torrens is strictly prohibited.
No, feeding animals and birds on the water and on shore at Pinky Flat is strictly prohibited.
No, bad idea. Fishing in this section of the River Torrens is strictly prohibited.
Sorry, no. You can see how tricky that would get. No pets not allowed on board.
Yes, you do. You must leave your BBQ Buoy in a clean state. Spare a thought for the next group who won’t want to sit on your crusty chip packets. We do provide you with rubbish bags to keep things tidy along the way.
It’s up to you. We can provide you with almost everything you need. Esky, ice, drinks, bluetooth speakers, cutlery, tongs, plates, cups, napkins and a rubbish bag. All you need to do is bring your crew. If you book the BBQ grill you will need to bring your meat, salad and liquid oil for the plates (no spray please). Do you prefer full service? Check our amazing cheese and meat grazers.
You can take your BBQ Buoy along the River Torrens from the Torrens Weir to the Frome Road Bridge. Collection and return is at Pinky Flat, off of War Memorial Drive unless otherwise stated in your booking confirmation. After sunset, the operating area is limited to the river section between King William Street bridge and Weir. On event days such as NYE or Australia Day start/finish location may vary too! Please check our product descriptions for more info.
The BBQ Buoys Hiring Station at Pinky Flat is a caravan, which makes providing a BBQ Buoys bathroom a bit tricky. Public toilets are available at the golf course at War Memorial Drive, the kiosk at River Torrens Weir and at Victoria Drive behind Jolley’s Boathouse. Please use the public toilet to the right side of the building and please do not block Popeyes landing area in front of Launder’s Cafe.
The easiest way is to book online. For customised bookings, you can email us or call us between 10am to 6pm.
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