Posted by geoff on June 2, 2010
Hi everyone…
Cathy and I had the fortunate opportunity for a quick visit to Hamilton Island last weekend. We stayed on the seventeenth floor of the Reef view Hotel, with spectacular views over the coral Sea and Whitsunday Island. We went there for long enough as we had some work to do as well as play. On the Saturday we played golf on the new Hamilton island golf course which is located on the adjacent dent island. A short ferry ride takes you across and you are met by a shuttle bus service to the club house.
The Staff had all our equipment and buggies ready and we set off on what became the most memorable rounds of golf I have ever played. The course is superb and the views, nothing short of spectacular. The round took about five hours and I will always remember some of the most spectacular holes. if you get the chance, and you like golf, then don’t hesitate to come and play here. After golf, we inspected the new Hamilton Island yacht Club Villas. These are absolutely spectacular and provide the one thing that Qualia does not, and that is top class Hamilton Island accommodation with the ability to take your kids. The Villas are multi storey and all have magnificent water views. They are located adjacent to the new Hamilton island yacht club.
We had dinner at the yacht Cub restaurant that night which was also fantastic. You must visit Bommies restaurant if you come to stay. We left hammo the next day for Mackay as I had booked a fishing Zcharter with huntress Fishing charters. They run a 36 foot charter service from the Mackay boat harbour. maximum 8 passengers so there is plenty of room. They provided top line equipment as well.
We had a fantastic day and caught an icebox full of prime table fish. At the end of the day we had Coral Trout, Red Emporer, Nannygai and Sweetlip to take home.
It was a quick trip north, but we did have a fantastic time.
Posted by geoff on November 19, 2009
Well what a fantastic skiing season it was this year in new Zealand! We had hundreds of our clients reporting back to us as to what a fantastic time they had and how great was the ski scene in NZ. Most went to Queenstown on the South island, and stayed in either Queenstown accommodation or Wanaka accommodation. Being based in this region gives you easy access to ski at either Coronet peak, Trebla Cone, The remarkables or Cardrona alpine resort.
In 2009 the snow conditions were awesome. All the resorts had continual cover well over a meter in depth and the season started early and finished late. There was still good snow cover in October when red dust from Australian dust storms blew right accross the tasman Sea to stain the mountain tops with red. Skiing and snowboarding conditions wetre absolutely fantastic. Queenstown and Wanaka both have plenty of excellent accommodation and are within easy reach of the snowfields. Shuttle bus services run to each resort.
You can fly in direct to Queenstown from either brisbane, Sydney or melbourne which makes skiing in New Zealand so easy from Australia. other ski fields are available from Christchurch, where you can ski at Mt Hutt, Hanmer Springs or porter heights. On the North Island, Mt Ruapehu is the place to go with both the turoa and Whakapapa skifields providing a sensational skiing or snowboarding experience.
Posted by penny on July 28, 2009
Our trip with AAT and Hawk Dreaming was fabulous. It was just what we wanted. The camp site was fantastic and we saw some amazing country with good guides. It was a surprise to find it was a dry camp but that was very good for our health to have no alcohol for 4 days! Thank you for organising everything for us. It was a very memorable and special holiday.
Many thanks.
L.H.
3 Day Kakadu Hawk Dreaming Wilderness Camp
This superb small group safari style camping tour visits a wide range of environments at the ideal times of day for a true appreciation of Kakadu National Park. With special permission from the traditional custodians, we have been granted exclusive overnight access to the Aboriginal land of Hawk Dreaming.
For more information about this tour please visit NT Travel’s – AAT Kings – Small Groups – Darwin tour page.
Posted by admin on June 24, 2009
Shingley Beach Resort
This was the best place I have stayed in Airlie Beach. I think a lot had to do with the friendly owners.
The property is situated across from Able Point Marina which is perfect for those heading out to the reef.
Most of the accommodation is set behind on a huge hill, which is a mission to climb, however on arrival the owners do assist you with a person lift up with your luggage.
There is one room that has been assigned to those who have trouble walking up stairs or are wheel chair bound. This room is situated right at the front of the pool.
The rooms are in the process of bein re furbished to create a more modern appearance, however they are still comfortable, spacious and tidy.
There is also a new restaurant featured in the Resort.
This property is approx 15 min stroll from the Main Street in Airlie Beach and it is a nice walk along the Marina
Posted by admin on
Beach Club Resort
One street from the esplanade this property is prime location without being amoungst the rat race. The Property is well designed and is perfect for a romantic weekend away for a couple.
This property is not suitable for large families as the rooms are only designed to accommodate 3 people comfortable.
On the top floor is a fantastic BBQ area featuring a glass bottom pool.
I really enjoyed my stay here and would definitely recommend it in the future.
Posted by admin on
Boathaven spa Resort
This was definitely a beautiful place to stay. The room was fully equipped and we had our own personal spa on the balcony.
The views were a little disturbed with the construction of the new marina but I did not hear anything from this.
This property was situated approx 5 mins walk from the main street in Airlie Beach.
The property was well kept and tidy. It had modern furnishing and was extremely comfortable.
Posted by admin on
Long Island resort
Definitely a 3 star property. I was a little disappointed in the accommodation on this Island. The rooms are very run down and general maintenance seems no existent. Simple things such as re painting the mini golf and brushing away the leaves each day were things that seemed to be over looked.
The staff, more often than not, were moody and it sent off a bad vibe. I had actually asked one of the bar staff to atleast smile when serving me but I was refused a smile.
The Island itself was nice, with beautiful views.
The meals were nice but not anything to write home about.
There were a few complaints from other visitors about the activities and the kids club not being available.
There were night time activities on offer but seen as how they were not widely published I didn’t even know they were on.
The best part about this trip was the cocktails and walking trails.
Posted by admin on January 23, 2009
In 2007 I went to Tasmania and finally saw Cradle Mountain. It was a place I have always wanted to see since hearing how beautiful it was from my grandmother.
I was not disappointed, and although the weather was not being kind, I still loved it.
Cradle Mountain is a majestic place with the Mountains surrounding an open water lake. I could really see why they named it Cradle Mountain.
The walks around vary from day tracks to a few hours. The one I went on took approx 3 hours to walk and this took us all the way around the waters edge.
The Mountain, known as Cradle Mountain peaks higher than the rest and has a gorgeous waterfall running from it. All around is a variety of native Flowers and rainforest trees.
Before you go on any walk you should sign the visitors book. You should write when you started your walk and then sign again when you return. This is a safety options for if something were to happen to you on your walk.
There are plenty of accommodation options ranging from the exclusive properties like Cradle Mountain lodge, to cheaper alternatives like Hotels.
I do suggest everyone who goes to Tasmania, to definitely take the drive out to Cradle Mountain.
Posted by admin on
I was born and bred in this town, and have seen it grow day by day into the small city it is today.
Hervey Bay is the main land for Fraser Island, and the best place to view the whales, therefore it is no wonder the town is made up from Hospitality.
The beaches here are fantastic for young children as Fraser Island protects us from the rough seas. The most popular beaches are Torquay and Scarness, however Urangan does offer a nice peaceful beach and the Pier. The Pier is a great away to get out into the fishing areas without a boat.
There is wide range of accommodation consisting of Apartments and hotels. These generally have a 3 night min stay. Accommodation information can be found using the following link Hervey Bay Accommodation.
Some facts:
- The nearest international Gateway is Brisbane
Major Attractions would be:
- Whale Season
- Fraser Island
Hervey Bay has a diverse culture:
- It is a retirement destination
- A tourist destination
- And a beginning for young adolescence.
Major Festivals:
- Whale Festival, held during August.
- Peak seasons 13/12/08 – 18/01/09 and mid season over school holidays
Climate:
- Hervey Bay has a warm sub-tropical climate with no real extremes
- In summer, daytime maximum temperatures average 30 degrees celsius with minimum temperatures a mild 21 degrees celsius.
- Winters in ‘The Bay’ can be quite cold. Daytime maximums average 22 degrees celsius. The mercury is known to plummet to low figures; the lowest temperature recorded is -1.2 degrees celsius in July 2007.
Since the climate is sub-tropical, Hervey Bay receives most of its annual rainfall during the summer wet season from December to February.
Posted by admin on
In the year 2000, the Olympics were held in Sydney, Australia. This was a once in a life time opportunity.
I still remember the day I found out about it. I was in year 5 and the teacher told us….. I was so happy I ran home from school and told mum that I was going to go to the Olympics. Mum laughed and said darling that’s nice, but don’t get your hopes up because they cost so much.
From that moment I was determined. I did the paper run every Wednesday and Friday form $20.00. on weekends I went to my grandmothers farm and picked up …. Yes I did it….. COW POO. Arrggh 
I also fished off the Urangan Pier for Herrin, I would get paid $1.00 a bucket to feed the seal. RIPPED OFF 
Anyways, I got there in the end after saving, saving, saving. It was unbelievable, and not to mention extremely busy. We did a lot of site seeing while we were there. We visited the Opera House, Taronga Zoo, centerpoint Tower, and the many shopping centres 
Taronga Zoo was a huge eye opener as I had never been to a zoo before. The zoo was set out magnificently with each animal type having their own habitat, much like if they were in the wild. The animals ranged from Snakes and Lizards to Elephants and Giraffes. It was amazing and a real knowledgably experience.
Centerpoint Tower is a Tower in the CBD. It is one of the highest lookouts. The Lookout Platform is all enclosed and rotates. There is also a restaurant, for those special evening dinners.
Going to Sydney was an ultimate experience, from the Small streets of Hervey bay to the maze of highways in Sydney. I really enjoyed every moment and since then I have been back a number of times.
Hamilton Island visit
