Holidays Afloat &Ripples Houseboat Hire

From a base at Brooklyn, at the gateway to the Hawkesbury River, this long-running operator hires out a fleet of self-drive houseboats and cruisers — from a two-berth Weekender to twelve-berth Elite and Homecruiser boats. No licence is needed; the vessels stay under ten knots, so the river's quiet reaches around Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Berowra Waters and Wisemans Ferry open up at an unhurried pace. Each boat is self-contained for cooking and sleeping aboard, with a rowing dinghy thrown in and secure parking at the wharf.