Seasonal
Christmas Lights Hire
Cruise the famous canal light displays on a magical twilight self-drive hire.
Plan your evening
The essentials
- Season
- 1 Dec - Early Jan
- Departures
- From 6:30pm
- Back by
- 9:30pm
- Hire length
- 2, 2.5 or 3 hrs
No self-drive night hires on Christmas night (25 Dec) or New Year’s Eve — a skippered White Pearl cruise runs on NYE instead.
Arrive 20–30 minutes before your start time for check-in.
You’ll need a boat licence
These are self-drive boats, so whoever’s driving needs a boat licence. The boats are easy to handle and we run you through everything before you head out.
- A WA Recreational Skipper’s Ticket (RST)
- A recreational boat licence from another Australian state
- A commercial certificate (AMSA or RYA)
- A international boat licence
Bring the licence itself plus photo ID on the night, both are sighted at pickup. Lost your RST? Contact the Department of Transport (rst@transport.wa.gov.au) to arrange interim evidence.
No one in your group licensed?
Book a seat on our skippered White Pearl cruise instead, we drive, you sit back and enjoy the lights.
Before you go
What to bring
- A warm layer — it’s cooler on the water after dark
- A camera or phone for the displays
- Snacks and drinks — BYO welcome
- The recommended route map we give you at check-in
Evening rates
| Vessel | 2hrs | 2.5hrs | 3hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Pontoon | |||
| 12 Person | $775 | $795 | $815 |
| 10 Person | $645 | $665 | $685 |
| 8 Person | $516 | $536 | $556 |
| Pontoon | |||
| 12 Person | $710 | $730 | $750 |
| 9 Person | $532 | $552 | $572 |
| 8 Person | $473 | $493 | $513 |
| 7 Person | $414 | $434 | $454 |
| 6 Person | $355 | $375 | $395 |
| Bow Rider | |||
| 6 Person | $355 | $375 | $395 |
| 5 Person | $355 | $375 | $395 |
| Fishing Boat | |||
| 6 Person | $355 | $375 | $395 |
| Runabout | |||
| 8 Person | $355 | $375 | $395 |
| Dinghy | |||
| 4 Person | $237 | $257 | $277 |
Twilight Christmas Lights session pricing, across the whole fleet.
Book the lights
Choose your evening
Twilight hire across our whole fleet through the festive season, at evening pricing. Pick a December date, then your vessel, start time and duration.
Booked out?
Join the Christmas lights waitlist
These evenings fill fast. If your night’s gone — or there’s no boat big enough for your group - add your details and we’ll email you the moment a suitable spot opens up. It’s free and there’s no obligation.
Good to know
The details
A Mandurah tradition
Every December the canals light up as homeowners deck out their waterfront gardens, and the best seat in the house is on the water. The displays are run in partnership with the Mandurah Districts Rotary Club — pop a donation in the wishing wells as you pass and you'll be supporting local community groups. It's one of Western Australia's most loved holiday outings, and it books out.
Booking & availability
Weekend evenings before Christmas are the busiest and vessels are limited, so book as early as you can once dates open. If your night is full, join the waitlist and we'll call you if a cancellation comes up. Our partner Blue Manna Boat Hire in the marina is another option if we're fully booked.
Food & drink on board
BYO snacks and drinks are welcome. For something more, our neighbours at The Peninsula (“The Pen”) can put together a food order to bring aboard — place it at least four hours ahead and collect it next door to our office on your way through.
Bond & damage waiver
A refundable $200 bond is held at pickup and returned within 24–48 hours of a clean return. Prefer peace of mind? Add the excess-reduction waiver for $20 per day and your liability for accidental damage drops to $5,000 — without it you're liable for up to $10,000. If a hire runs from daytime into the evening it's charged at the day rate plus the night rate.
Passenger numbers
Each vessel's passenger limit is a legal capacity that includes adults, children and infants over 12 months, and it can't be exceeded — there are no exceptions, and if you arrive with too many people to safely go out, no refund applies. Boats make a single departure and return, so everyone joins for the whole hire; you can't swap passengers partway through.
Cancellations
Evening hires are non-refundable. With 14 or more days' notice we'll issue a voucher valid for 12 months; with 7 or more days we'll try to reschedule you subject to availability. Last-minute changes (illness, travel, weather) can't be refunded or moved, so we strongly recommend travel insurance.