Once you've decided on the hire or activity of interest to you, simply contact us by email, phone or website message. Availability depends on other bookings we may already have, the weather forecast for your chosen date and sometimes other factors such as national park closures Either nominate a date and time that's convenient for you or ask about availability Feel free to ask any questions or seek clarification on prices, meetup location or whatever We'll then confirm your booking and payment is generally due on the day of the hire

We generally do not require a deposit at the time of booking, and you simply pay by card or cash on the day of your booking. For card payments we accept Mastercard, Visa and Amex branded cards. If we won't be meeting you, such as for canoes or kayaks delivered to Harrys Hut for you, we will likely ask for payment a couple of days before the hire starts. Payment can then be made by card over the phone, or you may remit direct to our bank account. We can also provide you with an invoice with payments instructions thereon. For unusual or group bookings, we may ask you for a deposit paid in advance - this will be discussed clearly with you on a case-by-case basis.

Our standard operating times are sunrise to around 4:30pm. We open early to accommodate people wanting to make the most of the normally calmer conditions on the water at that time. We suggest you use the following as a guide but talk to us directly as we can often cater for any special timing requirements you may have: For those doing day trips into the Noosa Everglades, we normally suggest a meetup time of 7am, with the next available window being about 8:30am. Our pre-departure briefing for these hires takes about an hour. Powered boat hires and casual hires on Lake Cootharaba generally start around 8:30am, and require a pre-departure briefing of around 30-45 mins For those doing overnight trips into the Everglades we normally go for a meetup time of 6:30am, and allow about 90 mins in our planning for you to travel to the launch area, unpack your gear, park your car, load your canoe or kayak and for us to go through the pre-departure briefing For those picking up their canoes or kayaks to take to another location, we can normally cater for any pickup and drop back times you want We normally ask you to arrive back at the end of your hire by around 4pm, though we do have some flexibility on this provided you are back well before sunset

We very much understand that your circumstances and the weather expected for your hire may change suddenly with little notice. To keep things as flexible as possible and also to encourage customers to book as early as possible, we have adopted the following cancellation policy: Any customers may change dates or times of their booking, or cancel outright, at any time and for any reason, and without penalty .... provided we are advised prior to the booked start of your hire. If you fail to arrive for your booking and fail to let us know before the booked time, the quoted hire fee remains payable in full. Hand-in-hand with the above is our general policy for most hires on not requiring a deposit in order to secure a booking. Rather, we simply rely on people to let us know in advance if their plans need to change for any reason. Per our standard terms and conditions, we do reserve the right to cancel or seek to change an existing booking. Normally this would be associated with poor weather or some other circumstances beyond our control.

Both types of craft have their pros and cons, and we happily advise you after taking account of your circumstances. In general: We have double canoes, double kayals and single kayaks available for hire You sit inside our canoes but you sit on top of our kayaks - and so generally you will stay drier in our canoes Our canoes can cater for 2 or 3 adults, or up to 2 adults and several kids - the actual capacity depends on the expected weather, where you wish to paddle to, the size and weight of the people to be involved and how much gear you wish to take with you. We discuss and agree all of this with you for each hire Double kayaks are limited to 2 paddlers You normally use single-bladed paddles with our canoes but they can also be paddled with double-bladed paddles in calm conditions (which can be more efficient) In kayaks you always use double-bladed paddles Kayaks are generally more efficient through the water due to their more slender profiles, but they are also less stable than the canoes Canoes are affected more in windy conditions due to their higher profiles above the water line, and consequently are more challenging in windy conditions Canoes offer far greater capacity to store and access your gear, while kayaks have very limited storage capacity - consequently, for overnight camp trips we would normally recommend you take a canoe Seating comfort also varies between canoes and kayaks: Most of our canoes have rasied seats with solid backrests, thereby providing better back support. We do use clip-on back supports with our kayaks but the seating positioms require your legs to be streched out basically straight in front of you In summary, if you have a lot of gear or want greater seating comfort or more stability, we'd suggest a canoe for you. On the other hand, if you are time-limited or are after the most efficient craft and you don't mind getting a bit wet, you should favour a kayak

Lake Escapades is based in Boreen Point but we do not operate out of a fixed business address. Instead, the meetup and start locations depend on what you are doing and where you are going. For day and overnight hires into the Noosa Everglades, we normally meet you just outside the national park entrance and then drive together for just 4-5 mins to the launch area located at Elanda Point. The meetup address for these hires is 59 Lake Flat Road, Boreen Point - we meet you here beside the group of 4 letterboxes on the side of the road. We also meet you at this address if you are collecting a canoe or kayak and taking it away to another location, sich as paddling on the Mary River or driving into Harrys Hut camp site on the Upper Noosa RIver. For casual paddling hires on Lake Cootharaba, we meet at our designated area on the lake foreshore just 50m or so south of the Tribe Cafe coffee shop and the Lake Cootharaba Sailing Club. The actual adress is opposite 16 Boreen Parade, Boreen Point - you will see our small sign in the parkland area. For a location map and further details, see here

The following is included on a share basis normally between two people: Tent Sleeping mats (foam) - please ask if you prefer self-inflating mats Folding stools - for seating Gas stove - with gas canisters Kichen set - includes a pot, pan, mugs, plates, cutlery and washing-up supplies Esky / Ice box Lighting kit - battery powered lantern and 2 x torches 2 x 10L containers of drinking water Basic first aid kit 2 x large water-tight drums - for the storage of your gear, personal items and per haps dry food A rubbish bin - as all rubbish needs to be bought out with you at the end of your camp trip Sleeping bags are not included in the standard kit as most people seem to have their own, though we have them available for hire for $20 each (for trips up to one week)