Small-Group River Murray Dark Sky and Sunset Tour with Dinner

Amazing Dark Sky and river experience

I participated in the River Murray Dark Sky and Sunset with Dinner Experience on the weekend. Wow, a fantastic experience! Kelly is a warm & professional operator and the whole experience was quite magical. A beautiful cruise on the river with MV Dragonfly, followed by a relaxed bbq dinner at Walker Flat General Store, before the icing on the cake - sensational sky gazing experience in a private location and wow, what a sky we were privileged to experience! The astrology experts were informative and shared their knowledge with us in a wonderfully easy to understand way - the whole experience from beginning to end was incredible and I would thoroughly recommend to anyone wanting a warm and immersive experience with local operators within the region! Many thanks Kelly!

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Heartwarming, sparkling Skytour.

Dark skies tour We drove from Adelaide on a Saturday for the Dark Skies tour. It is an enjoyable day trip out to Mannum and while we were returning to Adelaide late it was a quick and enjoyable trip. We got confirmation that the viewing would proceed that night. The drive through the Adelaide Hills was beautiful. We stopped at the Big Rocking Horse Toy factory and had a picnic lunch. The motor museum is also along the way. Arriving in Mannum about an hour earlier for the 16:30hr tour pickup. To fill in the time we sat on the beautiful banks of the Murray with a drink at the Pretoria Hotel. Kelly picked us up in her comfortable mini bus and we went for a cruise along the Murray. It was one of the highlights of the tour. The boat captain’s (apologies, I can’t recall his name) commentary was informative but not intrusive and clearly showed his love and knowledge of the river. After the boat cruise Kelly took us via some sight seeing stops and a delicious bbq at Walker Flats to the Dark Skies site. The viewing seating options are very good- lay back chairs and bathtubs. My elderly mother was very comfortable. The weather conditions were good so we saw many constellations, Saturn, Mars and the moon in detail. Expert commentary was provided. Kelly is a warm and attentive host. Telling stories about the history and the community and creating a warm inviting atmosphere, throughout the tour. We highly recommend the Dark Skies tour.

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A must do, great night

From booking to the end of the evening, the whole experience was well organized and fun. Kel who drove us around was well imformed and interesting with all of her knowledge of the area. We had a fairly large group and she seemed to know everyone by name and made everyone feel comfortable. Included in the evening was a sunset tour on the river and it was beautiful, Levi our captain was also very interesting and showed us lots of wildlife and interesting facts as we cruised along. After our cruise we had a bbq at Walker Flat Riverfront store, which was delicous and there was plenty of it! We then went on to the 'dark sky reserve' and were spoilt with a beautiful clear night and saw so many stars with the help of a couple of very knowledgeable guides. Whilst we were busy stargazing Kel got busy and made everyone hot milos and they were served up with 'milky way' and 'mars bar' chockies. After a couple of hours we were taken back to Mannum feeling greatful for such a wonderful experience.

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Most do experience

Fantastic experience under the stars, was organized and ran very professionally, would highly recommend the experience.

Response from the operator: Thank you! So glad it came together smoothly and that you'd recommend the experience. This means a lot. Hope to have you back under the stars again sometime.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We booked this experience as a birthday surprise while travelling around Australia, and it exceeded our expectations. From the very beginning, the communication was fantastic from Kelly. Our host was incredibly attentive, keeping us updated with messages and even taking photos throughout the evening so we could simply enjoy the experience. It was clear how much thought, time and passion had gone into planning every part of the tour. Seeing her and her husband work together made it feel even more personal and welcoming. The dinner was delicious with plenty of options to cater for different preferences, the Murray River cruise was peaceful and full of fascinating facts thanks to our knowledgeable guide, and the stargazing itself was simply incredible. Seeing the night sky in one of the darkest places in the world was something we’ll never forget… and stargazing from bathtubs definitely wasn’t something we ever expected to have on our bucket list but wow it should be on everyone’s! Everyone we met throughout the evening was so friendly and genuinely passionate about what they do. As visitors from Ireland, it was a real treat to experience such a unique part of South Australia in such a welcoming way. If you’re considering this tour, do it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one we’ll be talking about for years to come! Thank you so much to Kelly ❤️

Response from the operator: Thank you for such a heartfelt review, it really means the world to have international visitors validate our experience offering! So glad the communication and the little touches (the photos especially) let you both just be present in the moment rather than worrying about the details. My husband and I genuinely love doing this together, so it means a lot that it came through as personal. Beautiful to hear the dinner, the Murray River cruise, and the stargazing all landed. A treat to have you amongst the very first in the bathtub trial. Your reaction on the night is exactly the kind of unexpected joy we hope for. Thank you for trusting us with your celebration, and for such kind words. Safe travels for the rest of your Australian adventure. Please send your friends from Ireland to us under the stars! ❤️

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