Goulburn River Adventure – 4 days fishing

 

TRIP DOT POINTS  

  • Our most popular multi-day Australian trip. Can be run at any time subject to our availability.
  • Fully scallable in terms of number of days, type of accommodation and type of fishing. More details below.
  • Complementary airport transfers for our interstate guests.
  • Standard package is four full days of fly fishing including a mix of drift boating on the Goulburn River and/or exploration of the smaller streams nearby.
  • Five nights of comfortable farmstead or hotel accommodation.
  • All meals are included but the option to self cater breakfast and dinner reduces the trip price by $250 per person.
  • A complementary trip planning session and BBQ dinner at our base of operations / flyshop in Alexandra on the night you arrive.
  • Suitable for any age or fitness level. Having the drift boats and ability to drive right to the river in numerous locations means this trip is suitable for everyone.
  • Guide : Client ratio 1:2. Minimum of four people per trip and a maximum of ten.
  • Guides are exclusive to you each day meaning you can start at whatever time you’d like.
  • All flies are provided.
  • $2,900 per person.
  • A 50% deposit of $1,450 per person is required to secure bookings.
  • COVID SECURE is our guarantee that should a trip with us be interrupted on account of Government imposed covid restrictions – all payments are fully transferable to a future date. Learn more here.


Pull together a group of friends and come fish the superb Goulburn River and some of the smaller streams of the expansive Lake Eildon Catchment.

The Goulburn is the best fly fishery in the country. It has over 75 kilometres of premium trout water starting at the spillway at Eildon and extending all the way beyond Molesworth. Year-round releases of cold water from deep within the lake to the Goulburn River, provide cold, clear water, just perfect for trout.

Huge weed beds and miles of gravel beds are home to large populations of mayfly and caddis, providing fly fishers with amazing fishing. A staggering 90% of the fishing we do is with dry flies.

But it is not just about the Goulburn. Rivers like the Jamieson, Howqua, Delatite and Big all offer good trout fishing high up in the hills, where the trout are eager, and the life expectancy of a dry fly is not very long at all.

We also have private access to the larger lowland rivers including the Rubicon and Acheron. The former having featured in much of the writings of the late, great David Scholes where historically significant locations like Mr Findlay’s Water Race can still be found. We can even arrange a visit and possible fish of this fabled water for those wanting to walk in Scholes’ footsteps and experience a genuine piece of Australian fly-fishing history.

 

Included in the price are five nights of comfortable accommodation, four full days of guided fishing (combination of walk/wade and/or drift boat), all meals, use of all gear and flies, transport in modern 4WD vehicles, as well as a B.B.Q. dinner at our base of operations on the first night of the trip. We can even arrange transportation to and from Melbourne Airport at no additional charge.

Not included are fishing licences, alcohol and incidental purchases.

This trip is for groups of fly fishers wanting to have a genuine adventure close to home. It’s also a great way to make up for a lost international trip and is an excellent option for interstate fly fishers who may never have experienced fishing on this brilliant tailwater.  For those wanting to drift boat only, you can fish four days on this river without fishing the same water twice.

This trip can be run on arrangement for groups of four or more anglers.


Sample Itinerary

Please note that this is only a sample itinerary. We can run this trip based solely on drift boat fishing for those wanting to fish from the luxury of our boats every day.

DAY 1   

Meet the guides at our base of operations in Alexandra and settle into your accommodation for the first of five nights. Planning session at our store and a complementary B.B.Q. dinner with the guides.


DAY 2    

Drift boat the Goulburn River Section 1 Eildon to Thornton. Full Day.


DAY 3:

Drift boat the Goulburn River Section 2 Thornton to Alexandra. Full Day.


DAY 4:

4WD trip into the hills to chase fish in small water with three weights and dry flies.


DAY 5:

Drift boat the Goulburn River Section 1 Eildon to Alexandra. Full Day.

DAY 6:

Depart for home.

 

 

Each of our boats can comfortably accommodate up to two fly fishers. They are safe, stable and very comfortable. Casting braces make for easy standing/fishing, although it’s a real pleasure to fish while sitting in these boats.

 


AT A GLANCE

This trip begins and ends at our Flyshop in Alexandra, the base of operations for your four days of fly fishing the Goulburn Valley.

On arrival you’ll be greeted by our team and shown to your accommodation. Once you’ve settled in, you are invited back to our establishment for a complementary B.B.Q. and planning session. Armed with all the latest intel from our recent guided trips, and using the huge topo maps on the wall of our shop, a plan will be formulated that takes into account both the fishing conditions at the time and the needs/wishes of your group.

There are no limitations on what we can do day to day. Whether it is all drift boating or a mix of boat, walk-wade and even instruction in specialist fishing techniques, streamcraft and casting. We can do it all.

You may choose to fish as a group with two to four boats sharing a section of river and remaining within shouting distance. This is a lot of fun and a very social experience, especially when you are hooking fish and keeping a light-hearted score. Or you may wish to split boats into different areas or send one group to a small stream while another fishes from the boat, preferring to meet up at day’s end. You may even like to start early to beat the heat, or sleep in and start late to catch the evening hatch.

This is a trip like no other in Australia and represents amazing value for money. With some of the most experienced fishing guides in the country at your service for the duration of your visit, and with no set agenda other than to make the most of your time in the area, this is a unique package no one else can replicate.

Accommodation in the form of comfortable private homes is included. Upgrades to the accommodation are available for those who want the very best of what is available locally – with the potential for non-fishing partners to come along for a week of relaxation in the country. We can run this trip for beginners and experienced fly fishers alike, even a mix where one group are learning the fundamentals, while the other is out drifting.

 

MEALS

All meals are provided. We will stock your kitchen with ample breakfast supplies for the week, supply lunches every day, and high quality and nutritious meals ready to go in your fridge each night so that we can stay out late and fish the evening rise. Lunches (sandwiches/fruit/water/soft drinks) are provided on the guided days, as is drinking water.

As all of the homes we rent have kitchens, the option to self-cater for breakfast and dinner is available and reduces the trip price by $250 per person. You may also select this option and choose to eat at any number of local hotels and restaurants. Most groups choose to self-cater.

Alexandra is a bustling small country town of around 3,000 people and has many pubs, restaurants and cafes to choose from. Dine at the Grant Street Grocer for breakfast, or try the Alexandra Hotel for a wonderful dinner and a great selection of wines, or the Corner Hotel for a top pub meal.


FISHING

Included in this trip are a guide and drift boat (for each pair of anglers), all flies; as well as the use of any gear if required.

Whilst the sample itinerary lists two days drift boat fishing and two days walk-wade fishing, this is only one of any number of possible configurations. You will have a 4WD, guide and boat available to you for the duration of your trip with no set agenda other than to find fish and have fun.

On regular guiding days our guides often have two jobs back to back. On these trips your guide is yours for the day, meaning you can start whenever you want.

This trip is also suitable for beginners, and we can put together a program that takes participants from never having cast a fly rod, to catching fish by trip’s end. We regularly get groups of couples doing this trip where the inexperienced anglers do two to three days of instruction while those who can fish are drift boating. By the last day of the trip everyone is capable of jumping on the boats.

Phone 03 5773 2513  or 0418 995 611 to discuss the options. We are available from 8am – 10pm, every day.