This is one of a few boatsheds that enable you to have a boating trip in nature, while you're still…read morein the city! Lane Cove has some gorgeous mansions each with their own boatshed and lush front gardens you can peak at from your hired vessel. Take care though-the river has its sharks and stingers :)

A very safe place to try out Kayaking is at Lane Cove National Park as the river is very calm and…read morestill. It is a hidden gem in the inner west. The water is generally easy to row in and there are only a few people kayaking. The Boatshed is a blessing to the park. It offers Kayaks, Canoes and Paddle boats to explore the water. You can hire in half hour blocks or for the whole day. The kayaks are in very good condition and the compulsory life vests come in a range of sizes. I came back earlier than my scheduled time and was offered a Bike ride for the remaining 15 mins. That gesture offered by the owner has made this a 5 star review. I realised my love for mountain biking again and the road to ride on is not too bad.. Quite a fun day. Oh, the boat shed also sells ice-creams and crisps and non-alcoholic beverages. Not to much variety, but enough to keep you refreshed if you forgot to pack your picnic basket.

Just a stunning experience. I was extremely lucky to be given this as a reward from one of my…read moreclients. Went on their twilight sailing experience recently with a great, small group who I occasionally work with. Stunning (despite the cold weather) and the skipper was talented and passionate about sailing. Went on the Colorado boat, and you would be forgiven for thinking that it might be too squishy, yet many of us were content to just sit down (wearing ponchos), eat and chat the night away with glorious Sydney Harbour as the stunning backdrop. Nice. I ended up driving the boat for around half of the trip, and it was a real buzz to drive a sailboat right underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Something I will never forget for a long time. Highly recommended experience if you love Sydney; our stunning harbour and you are a water baby at heart. Rejoice and have heaps of fun!

Do NOT book with Sydney By Sail Hunter and Salona Yachts Australia. Staff are incredibly rude. They…read morewere planning to make us sail in terrible weather. Apparently "no postponements unless it's gale force winds". After 4 phone calls + calling another more reputable sailing company that verified that they'd canceled all of their sails for the day and offered fee-free reschedules - the "owner" offered to reschedule us for a $100 fee. He then called us back 5 minutes ago to say that "he'd changed his mind" and we can reschedule in the next 2 months without a fee.

Love this place!! Great place to rent kayaks, due to lovely staff, fun equipment to rent and…read moreperfect place to paddle away the afternoon.

Audley Boatshed is located in Sydney's Royal National Park, about 30kms south of Sydney's CBD…read more Surrounded by thick rainforest, and enchanting bush land, it is the perfect place to hire a canoe and paddle along the breathtakingly still Kangaroo Creek and Hacking River. If you don't feel adventurous enough to take to the water, why not grab a rug and enjoy lunch at the picnic pavilion, or on the ample lawns surrounding the boatshed. I make the trek down to Audley once a year (around Christmas time) with my nephew, and he absolutely loves it. Once you hire a canoe and hit the water, you can go one of two ways. Left or right! If there is a child in your company, I suggest you go right along Kangaroo Creek. After about 2kms the river tapers out and you cannot go any further by canoe. It leads you to the perfect spot for a swim or bushwalk exploration. But be careful, it can be a little dangerous. I once slipped off a rock while exploring the bush land at the end of Kangaroo Creek and cut my knee open. Not such a big deal, but considering mobile phone reception is nonexistent in this part of the National Park, if something does go wrong, you may have a long, painful canoe ride ahead of you. Audley Boatshed offers a truly unique way to enjoy the vast natural beauty of the Royal National Park. As you sail down the still waters of Kangaroo Creek, engulfed by the music of the rainforest, it will be hard to believe that one of the liveliest cities in the world bustles and pulsates only 30km away.

It's a speed boat ride with some fun stunts! I had heard a lot about the ride from a friend and was…read morepretty excited to experience it myself. It starts at darling harbour and takes a round in the cockle bay wharf itself. I had expected the stunts to be very exciting but I was a little disappointed to be honest. Nonetheless you may like it if you are not that much of an adrenaline junkie! The driver is very friendly and tries to involve everyone while performing the stunts; he even asks the preference of stunts from the riders which I think is great as mostly tourists like to try such attractions and it gives them a welcoming feeling.They even have gift vouchers that can be used to gift on a special occasion. Its best to check the website for when they are operating as mostly do not operate on weekdays.

For some reason I've always thought the Jetboat ride as a tourist thing but when I was given a…read morevoucher for it, I didn't complain. There are a few options to choose from in regards to how long you spend on the boat (or ride?!) but I'm sure they all do similar things and go around similar areas. I guess I should of asked but with my voucher I didn't really have an option! It was a bit of a chilly day and we were all warned that we might get wet. Well that was an understatement to say the least. Drenched might be a better term! It was worth it though. Jetting around at high speeds, stopping to a halt in a split second, doing 360's (ok maybe 180s) adds up to plenty of water splashing all over you. Really good fun though and definitely not just a tourist thing.

they were really friendly and helpful for this visitor from the other side if the country. The shop…read moreis pretty easy to reach by public transport from the CBD and they found me a lift from there to the boat ramp. A smallish group 10+ skipper, meant it wasn't too crowded and we were flexible enough to stop when we saw whales (an absolute highlight of my trip but no guarantee's you'll get them too!) visibility wasn't great at the first location but that often happens so after a quick chip of soup we tried again somewhere else and were well rewarded. they were particularly good any looking after those with less experience.

Dishonest. Do your self a favour and avoid these clowns. I spent over $10,000 dollars at this…read morestore. The vtx dive computer that I purchased didn't work from the start. They refused to exchange or refund and now just lie about the details of the purchase. Disgusting people and service.

At just $25 per hour for a single kayak (paddle board is the same price). This is a great way to…read morenot only get fit, but spend a lovely sunny day exploring Sydney Harbour. At a regular pace, you can make it around Shark Island and back. No, I didn't see any sharks. Phew! If you want to do something romantic, or just chill with a special someone. My suggestion is to stop off and have a relaxing picnic on Shark Island, which has harbour views to die for. But you will need to book and pay landing fees beforehand. Call 13000 PARKS Rent the Kayaks for a few hours and take the views in. It's worth it.

Another must on the Sydney bucket list is a boat tour around Sydney harbour. See the Opera House…read moreand Royal Botanic Gardens from another angle, and sail right under the ominous Harbour Bridge. If the weather is right, this makes for a perfect way to spend a weekend afternoon. My friends organised a sailing adventure for a birthday and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate. We left from Rushcutters Bay and set out on a four-hour charter for $400 an hour, but with a group of 30 it didn't add up to too much each. The 33-foot catamaran was spacious and even included a BBQ, a spot to keep our beers cold and an audio system to plug in the iPod. We sailed around the harbour for a while, then paused for a swim and lunch. We went in January so it was blue skies and biting sun, and we docked that afternoon a shade darker and a lot happier. I couldn't believe it had taken me so long to sign up for a harbour cruise, but now I'm pretty much finding any excuse to organise another... Sydney Mainsail were excellent. The staff were really friendly and accommodating and I'd definitely hire them again.

My team and I hired the Ocean Blue boat for 4hours to celebrate the release of our software. Our…read moreexperience was really outstanding with the Sydney Harbour Escapes. The boat was on time and the staff took us to an offshore area where we could swim. After the swim we had scrumptious dinner on the boat all while cruising the Sydney harbour. The skipper would stop the boat at perfect spots where we could take picture-perfect photos. Overall, it was a  memorable experience and I would recommend them to anyone.

My first experience of this company was for a friends birthday and going out from Rose Bay into the…read moreharbour is hands down one of the best things you can do in Sydney. This company is conveniently based in Rose Bay which is just out of the city and has plenty of on road parking in the area. I also had a great time on a corporate cruise which was fully catered and a mixture of sun, delicious food and drinks with friends/colleagues is an excellent tonic. Everything went off without a hitch and everyone on board was very professional. I know a couple of friends who hired out a boat and ended up stranded on some rocks so it's nice feeling to hand over the responsibility for organisation, expert skippering and crew around the harbour including catering to professionals who take care of everything so that you are completely free to just enjoy beautiful Sydney harbour. Definitely recommended!