Corroboree West 2017 - Part 1 Corroboree and Melbourne
My flight to the Gold Coast was with Singapore Airlines and I had a super flight to Singapore enjoying their wonderful hospitality and great inflight entertainment. My onward flight to Coolangatta was with Scoot (a low- cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines) but my luggage was checked all the way through from London. Singapore’s Changi Airport remains one of the greatest transit airports in the world and if you ever have a few hours between flights it is better here than almost anywhere else.
After leaving London on Saturday evening I arrived in Coolangatta early on Monday morning. A short transfer later and I was at my hotel, home for the next few days – The Star Gold Coast. This large hotel with its own casino and is ideal for conferences as it is connected by a walkway to the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre (where the Corroboree was taking place). Soon after checking in I was off on my first sightseeing trip I was visiting MovieWorld. This theme park is smaller than what you would see in Florida but great fun for all the family with three huge big dippers being the main draw. There is also a great afternoon parade with lots of your favourite characters for photo opportunities. After a very enjoyable afternoon, it was back to the hotel to meet some of my fellow travellers and try and catch up on some sleep.
The following morning, we were divided into different groups to experience the Gold Coast as a destination. Our group were taken to Point Danger on the New South Wales border and then to Kirra Point for surfing and bodyboarding lessons – all great fun. Lunch then was at Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club where we learned all about the network of Surf Life Saving Clubs as well as having a super lunch. After lunch we visited Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where I got to meet some of the cute locals, including Parley the Koala who I got photographed with as well as hearing about the work taking place in the animal hospital to save animals caught up in accidents. After returning to our hotel we had a few minutes to freshen up before attending the Welcome Function which took place in a huge marquee set up on Surfers Paradise beach. This was an amazing event where we entertained with music, food and hospitality before finishing early before 9pm as we had a busy few days ahead.
The next three days followed the same pattern. Basically, this consisted of 10-minute meetings with over 100 suppliers from throughout Australia including hoteliers, tour operators, airlines, transfer and attraction companies as well as all the individual states and territories. This was quite an intense few days but probably the best way to meet so many diverse and different companies. In the evenings there were a variety of venues for dinner, these being Burleigh Brewing Co. where food trucks were available; BMD Northcliffe Surf Life Saving Club, where I had great fish and chips and finally our farewell event which was held in a Marquee at our hotel. So, after an intense few days I am now even better prepared to plan my client’s Australian holidays with a huge contact list for the whole continent.
After saying our farewells to people, we met on the Gold Coast is was up bright and early for our Virgin Australia flight from Coolangatta to Melbourne. After a smooth flight and quickly collecting our luggage we made our way to St Kilda. This suburb of Melbourne has a great beach and a bohemian feel to it with quirky shops and restaurants. Our group had a super lunch here before heading back to central Melbourne and overnight stay in the Melbourne Short Stay Apartments on Lonsdale Street. This is a great alternative to a hotel stay and ideal for larger groups and families. Then we were off to see the sunset from the Eureka Skydeck on Melbourne’s tallest building. Following which we had a lovely walk through the bustling riverside area before our dinner in Gazi, a Greek restaurant. After a lovely meal it was back to our apartments using the trams (which are free within Melbourne’s Central Business District).
Up early the next morning we took a tram to get to Federation Square (the heart of Melbourne) again there was a great atmosphere as the Melbourne Marathon was taking place. From here we took a walking tour exploring Melbourne’s famous lanes and arcades an experience I would thoroughly recommend. All too soon we were on our way out of the city on our way to Phillip Island, I really enjoyed my short visit to Melbourne and would love to return some day.