Port of Sale Heritage Cruises

Drift back into a different time, when our waterways were our highways, and journey from the Port of Sale to the landmark Swing Bridge (1890). Spot birds and wildlife as you cruise and your guide recounts the region’s remarkable stories, from its first people the Gunnaikurnai, through early settlement to the present day.

Port of Sale Heritage Cruises operates a two hour heritage cruise twice daily (subject to change during off peak periods - Saturdays and Sundays 10am and 2pm) on the Rubeena (1912 ). If you have a special event or want a wedding celebration with a difference, the Rubeena can also be booked solely for your group.

The canal links the city of Sale via to the Thompson River, Latrobe River and the Gippsland Lakes to the open sea.

The Rubeena’s quiet electric motor and leisurely pace are ideal for spotting even the shiest creatures. Birdsong provides a constant soundtrack to your journey and keen eyes will spot Whistling Kites, Pelicans, Sea Eagles, Cormorants, Moorhens, and Azure Kingfishers. 

As you pass downstream, the ancient river redgums form part of the Ramsar-listed wetlands abutting the river, home to an abundance of birdlife and native fauna including koalas. These ancient river red gum trees show scars left by the Brayakooloong clan of the Gunaikurnai as they created their canoes.

On your journey you will pass McArdells Gap, the site where the Enterprise was built – the first boat on the Gippsland Lakes. At the junction with the Latrobe River you will pass the oldest operating Swing Bridge, which was completed in 1883. The bridge still swings each Saturday and Sunday to allow vessels to enter the Port of Sale.

The abundant birdlife is significant to the region’s first people, the Gunnaikurnai, and a local artist commemorated their creation story of Borun the Pelican and Tuk the Musk Duck in an evocative sculpture set in parkland at the Swing Bridge.