take me to the river
The Clarence River, at the southern end of the Northern Rivers, is known colloquially as the ‘Big River’, while its Aboriginal name is ‘Breimbah’ or ‘Berrinbah’. Whatever you call it, this spectacular wide river, with its glistening waters, is a true jewel of this region – and one unique way to experience it is through Grafton 2 Yamba Houseboats, based in Brushgrove.
G2Y, as the company is also known, is owned and run by Vicki Edmonds and her husband Andrew, who were inspired to launch the company in 2012, and now offer a cruising area of almost 200 kilometres.
“What inspired us was this magnificent river at our doorstep that no one was using. We wanted to open the river up to everyone: the elderly as well as young children are comfortable on our boats.”
G2Y offers a range of boats for hire, sleeping from two to 12 people, with four new luxury vessels recently added to the fleet of the growing business.
The company has also recently benefitted from improvements in infrastructure along the river.
“The new jetties have helped us immensely,” says Vicki, “and the new facilities at Maclean jetty are also set to benefit us and our customers.”
Those customers generally come from as far north as Brisbane and as far south as the Central Coast, all drawn to a region that offers astounding natural beauty and a supportive and pro-active business community.
“We have found that everyone in the Clarence is happy to help you and is happy when you succeed.
“The tradespeople we have found and used are brilliant and the locals at Brushgrove could not be more supportive.”
Vicki adds that enlisting the help of the local Chamber of Commerce and council has also helped the business along.
Ultimately though, Vicki and Andrew’s aim is to showcase the Clarence River in all is beauty – and to draw a bit of attention away from some other Australian rivers that sometime hog all the glory.
“The best thing is that we have saved people from having to travel to the Hawkesbury or Murray rivers – they can have the same fun in their own backyard.”
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