Quality Comfort Inn Accommodation, Cruises & Tours in Port Augusta near the Flinders Ranges & Outback South Australia, near the departure point for Flinders & Outback Water Cruises. |
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We still say your cruise was one of the highlights of our many holidays! We will always remember the dolphins swimming alongside the boat, the unbelievable way you turned the boat at the top of the gulf, your wonderful hospitality and extremely interesting commentary. |
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| Brian & Kaye Adelaide |
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To compliment the scenery you will also receive an informative commentary which will highlight some of the lesser known unique aspects of the area, essentialy telling the story of the land & its people.
The upper reaches provide safe calm river like cruises combined with our easy access makes it suitable for all ages, all year round. Our low passenger numbers give all our cruises a personal feel.
- Cruise Area
- Cruise Vessel
- Best Cruises & Prices
- Top End Eco Cruise
- About Us
- Best Time to Cruise
- Cruise Eco Policy
- Awards Accreditation Memberships
- Taste the Region
Search for DekyZayne on Face Book.
Take some time to browse our website. You will learn about what takes place in our unique
area. For those already who have cruised with us you can revisited some of the eye
opening facts of our area.
- Our History
- Awards
- Accreditation
- Tides
- Mangroves
- Dolphins
- Whales
- Birds
- Other Marine Life
- DekyZayne Official Opening
- Merchandise
- Port History
- Catering
- Why the name DekyZayne?
- Carbon Offset Scheme
Click to see...
South Australian Minister for Tourism Hon. Dr Jane Lomax-Smith's Cruise comments...
Download Cruise Brochure... Download Departure Point Map...
Port Augusta is home to a resident pod of Bottlenose dolphins which are spotted 90% of the time & during late August you may be lucky enough to spot a Humpback whale whilst on the cruise.
Armchair Adventure & Easy Access
Our youngest cruiser is Steven Tasker, just 7 weeks old.
Flinders Ranges Water Cruises reserves to change/vary schedules at its discretion due to tide, weather, wild life encounters or other factors.
Our History
Our cruises started in early 2004 & has since completed over 1800 cruises. What started out as basically a sightseeing cruise out of Port Augusta has since evolved into a cruise giving unique perspective of the sights, history & ecology of this unique waterway. Our first vessel "Investigator" was a 6.4m Quintrex pontoon boat which served us well for just on 500 cruises. The knowledge gained from our first vessel allowed us to design our new vessel "DekyZayne". Which now allows us to do the cruise in complete comfort in all weather. The arrival of DekyZayne has taken the cruises to another level that allows everyone to enjoy cruising in all weather.
Flinders Ranges Water Cruises is family owned & operated by Aaron & Christine Morgan, both 4th generation locals.
Each cruise is only conducted by Aaron who has personally conducted over 1800 cruises on the waters North of Port Augusta.
Why the name DekyZayne?
When we decided to get a new vessel we named it “Big Deky” after our son Declan. But it took longer than expected to design & construct, in that time we had our second son Zayne so we named the completed vessel “DekyZayne” You can see below Declan & Zaynes first cruise & a more recent cruise.
Awards
Flinders & Outback Water Cruises is proud to have won the 2007 SA Great award for tourism in the Flinders Ranges & Outback region. The 2007 Business Port Augusta award for tourism & was finalist in the Business Port Augusta Most Outstanding Business of the year Overall.
Accreditation
Flinders Ranges Water Cruises has completed both its Tourism Accreditation & Eco Certification. To ensure that each cruise is conducted to provide not only the best experience for each guest but has minimal negative environmental impact on the environment. See our enviromental policy below.
Carbon Offset Scheme
Flinders & Outback Water Cruises & Day Tours operates it entire operation to minimise its negative impact on the environment.
To offset our measured carbon emissions we have purchased forestry offsets from the NSW GGAS (Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme). These are forestry credits that meet the standards of the Kyoto Protocol. We have purchased 40 tonnes of carbon credits, 23 tonnes for our fuel & 17 tonnes for electricity, waste & office practices. We are continually refining our practices to minimise our effect on the environment.
Port Augusta has some great businesses that can provide all you catering needs. The cruise provides the ideal setting to enjoy some magnificent catering or takeaway.
J M Deli - This is a port Augusta institution in catering & can provide every thing from savoury platters to cakes. Of particular note is there pastry line up of small pasties, pies, quiches & sausage rolls.
Ph: (08)8642 2840
Address : 10 Carlton Pde, Port Augusta
Ian's Chicken Hut - The best BBQ Chicken Shop in Australia, its a big call but try it for yourself. Grab a chicken, some spuds, salad & your ready to cruise.
Phone (08) 8642 4905
Address: 12 Eyre Highway, Port Augusta
Vince's Pizza - Great Pizza all cooked fresh the traditional way. Vince's is to pizza what Ian's Chicken Hut is to chicken.
Ph:(08) 8642 4277
Address - 54-56 Victoria Pde, Port Augusta
Barnacle Bill's Seafood - Very fitting for a cruise to have a selection
of great seafood while you sit back & relax.
Phone (08) 8641 0000
Address: 60 Victoria Pde, Port Augusta
Tides
The below photos show the difference in tide heights. We have a 4m rise & fall of tide each day with 2 high tides & 2 low tides each day, see graphs further down showing tide cycles including the unique 'Dodge' tides.
High Tide above, Low Tide below
The below graphs show average tide cycles for the Port Augusta area. The yellow portion is the day time , the blue is the night time. See below for Summer, Winter & the unique Dodge tides.
The above is a typical Summer tide pattern, with a large tidal variation during the day (yellow portion) & a smaller variation during the night (blue section).
The above is a typical Winter tide pattern, with a large tidal variation during the night (blue portion) & a smaller variation during the day (yellow section).
Then once every 2 weeks the Sun & Moon get in such a position they cancel each others forces creating a couple of days of slack tides. These are known as 'Dodge' tides. True dodge tides only happen in 2 places in the world, South Australia & the Gulf of Mexico.
Mangroves
From Whyalla on the Eyre Peninsula & Port Pirie on the Yorke Peninsula, North past Port Augusta is home to around 40% of South Australia's total mangrove population. All the mangroves in South Australia are a single species, called the Grey Mangrove. Flinders & Outback Water Cruises takes you right up into the mangrove system.
If you look around the base of the tree you can see the 'air roots' or technically 'pneumataphores' which provide oxygen for the tree. What these air roots also do is slow the tide flow around the base of the mangrove, so there is a build up of silt around the base thereby building land for themselves so when they drop their seeds they have a better chance of propagation.
Port Augusta Dolphins
Flinders & Outback Water Cruises have a 90% sighting rate on morning cruises. The Port Augusta pod consists of 5-8 dolphins which generally stay between the power house & the very tip of the gulf. Sometimes we see them all together or individually but its always a special occasion.
Joy the Dolphin
The elder dolphin in the Port Augusta is 'Joy', she is the most common & friendly Dolphin encountered. Most of our dolphin pictures are of 'Joy' see below.
In the last 5 years she has raised 2 calfs. As 'Joy' is the matriarch of the the Port Augusta Dolphins, it seemed fitting to name her after the Port Augusta mayor Joy Baluch.
Click to view Port Augusta Dolphin Footage....
Click to view Dolphin Footage with Actual Dolphin Sounds...
For more information on dolphins you can visit
www.wdcs.org.au
www.oceanlink.island.net
www.marinemammalcentre.org
Dolphin Interaction Policy
All our interactions with the dolphins occur
with no feeding at all. Dolphins are by nature interactive with other species,
including humans. Because we don't do anything to annoy the Dolphins we have built a special bond with the Port
Augusta pod, allowing the Dolphins to come in close to us. This in turn allows us to study the Dolphins allowing a
better understanding of this unique group.
We keep all our actions clear & concise the Dolphins no our actions, in the whole time we have been operating
the vessel has never hit a Dolphin. It must also be said in the 4 years of operation we have never seen a propeller
mark on any of the Dolphins from any vessel.
Our vessel is fitted with state of the art Hydrophone from burns electronics you can see them at www.burnselectronics.com.au/
Whales
South Australia's Top End Gulf Country certainly is an unknown area full of surprises. Humpback whales have seemed to put Port Augusta on their migration in late August. Very little is known about this occurrence with each year we learn a little bit more. It is a truly almost unbelievable spectacle to see whales frolicking in the Flinders ranges & Outback region.
Click to view Port Augusta Humpback Whale Footage....
Prints of the photos is are now available for sale with part proceeds going to the Port Augusta Miriam High Special Needs School. Please contact us for further information.
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2008 had the first whale arrive on 22 June so far we have only seen 2 whales.
Click to view footage of the first whales in 2008...
Each year we learn a little bit more & the information gathered over the past 5 years indicates we may be on the cusp of something truly remarkable on a world stage. The regularity & timing each year (July-September) indicates that this is a migration, as a migration is defined as an annual or regulation movement from one position to another. With Humpback whale numbers increasing by 10% each year we may be witnessing the establishment of a new Humpback annual migration route. So far we have noted each year there is a mother & calf coming up, around the same time as a large male. This indicates that it’s possible the Humpbacks may be coming up to mate.
This year (2008) we have been lucky enough to be visited by a Southern Right Whale. In the last 4 years this is the first time we have confirmed the Sighting of a Southern Right whale at the head of the gulf.
Birds
South Australia's Top End Gulf Country abounds in bird life from the resident Egrets to the migratory Red Necked Stints. Our luxury vessel allows a stable platform that can get up close for great viewing. Below is a selection of photos taken from our vessel.
For a list of birds found in the area you can go to the Arid Lands Bird List
Back To
Top...
Other Marine Life
The top of Spencer's Gulf is frequented by some unusual & uncommon visitors
from time to including seals, sunfish & dolphin fish.
Yellowtail King Fish
Dolphin Fish
Port History
Port Augusta was first established as a trading port as anything coming out of Northern South Australia had to come out by sea as there was rail or road infrastructure. As the rail & road infrastructure was established this took away from the sea trade, commercial operations stopped around 1972.
The cruises takes you to various spots to view historical points of interest where you can compare between today & photos of days gone by. Below is the old Salt Works barge used to transport salt from the top of the gulf. It was eventually replaced by a small bridge to take the salt across the gulf to the train line. In its later years it was used as a dance barge, you can see the tea rooms underneath & the dance floors on top.
Other Cruises
You also have the option of creating your own cruise at you specified time. All cruises are
based on 2 hour $40/pers package with a minimum of 6 persons or equivalent. This makes it perfect for special
occasions, visiting friends or relatives & corporate entertaining. Please contact us for further
information.
Why not book a theme cruise!
DekyZayne Official Opening
Our new Vessel 'DekyZayne' was officially opened on 27 May 2007 by Hon. Jane Lomax-Smith the South Australian Minister for Tourism.
The Minister took the time to enjoy a cruise with us on what turned out to be a classic cruise with fantastic weather & a visit from one of our resident dolphins.
After we first opened up in early 2004 Jane took a cruise with us, then when we received our new vessel she readily accepted an invitation to open our new vessel. This also gave the minister an opportunity to see how we have evolved into an exceptional cruise experience.
Below is a photo taken near the old salt works on the ministers first cruise in 2004.
Merchandise
Vouchers & Souvenirs make excellent gifts or memento's of your cruise.
Vouchers are an ideal gift for those who are hard to by for. Vouchers can be individualised for any amount or cruise, please contact us for further information.
Ideal Voucher Gift Pack- For $99 you receive a voucher for two persons on a Morning Top End Eco Cruise plus a Hat.
Stubbie Cooler $5
Hat $15
Back Pack $35
Travel Pack $45 (Backpack, Stubbie Cooler, Hat)
All merchandise feature our logo. Our logo represents the view from the Westside Foreshore, featuring the beach, gulf, bridge & Mount Brown. You can see this if you stand out the front of the Hotel Augusta & look towards Mount Brown.
Pictures Available for Sale
The above picture of 2 Humpback Whales frolicking with Mount Brown in the background is available for sale. Large (25x20cm) $35aud Medium (20x15cm) $20aud. For other sizes please contact us.
- Cruise Area
- Cruise Vessel
- Best Cruises & Prices
- Top End Eco Cruise
- About Us
- Best Time to Cruise
- Cruise Eco Policy
- Awards Accreditation Memberships
- Taste the Region
Fishing Port Augusta Kingfish_Port_Augusta Cruises Top End Eco Cruise Cruise Tour Stay Packages Marina Site Map Links
Quality Comfort Inn Accommodation, Cruises & Tours in Port Augusta near the Flinders Ranges & Outback South Australia as well as being near the departure point for Flinders Ranges Water Cruises.
