Corroboree West 2019 (1 of 2)
Flights to Australia were provided by Singapore Airlines, so after my short flight from Belfast City I checked in with Singapore Airlines for the flight to Perth from Heathrow via Singapore with my luggage tagged straight through to Perth. On the outbound flight there was a good connection at Singapore affording just enough time to check emails before boarding the next flight. The service in Economy with Singapore Airlines remains one of the best in the air with good meals, snacks and excellent service. The in-flight entertainment is also great, I watched a complete TV box set in between some naps. After leaving Heathrow on the Sunday evening I arrived in Perth late evening on the Monday, with a packed itinerary for the Tuesday!
Our hotel for the stay in Perth was the Crown Promenade, which is part of a large hotel and entertainment complex about 4kms from the Perth CBD. After a very short sleep it was time to see what Perth and the local area had to offer. Our day included a walking tour, watching a live pearl harvest before visiting three (yes three!) wineries in the Swan Valley before joining all the other groups for the Corroboree welcome evening at a fourth winery! So, a short transfer into Perth and soon we were walking around with our guide exploring Yagan Square, Northbridge, the CBD before ending our tour at Elizabeth Quay. Perth is a vibrant young city but one with a bit of history and a city I would like to return to. Our next stop was to see a Live Pearl Harvest at Willie Creek Pearls’ Elizabeth Quay. This was fascinating and a real opportunity to learn more about pearls and how they are brought to market.
After our busy morning we were off to the first of our Winery visits for our lunch. A short half hour took us to the Upper Reach Winery where we could sample some wines and have a delicious lunch. We then moved on to Olive Farms Winery for a wine and cheese tasting, and sampled some amazing produce here. If you ever visit, you must try The Duck’s Nuts an amazing blended red wine, or the exceptional Stari fortified wine – which is just like Christmas in a wine form. Then we headed for the Mandoon Estate where we visited their excellent accommodation (The Colony) as well as sampled their wines and beers from their own brewery. I would recommend a stay here if you plan to explore the Swan River area.
Finally, it was time to meet all the other groups participating at Corroboree West 2019 and head for the Sandalford Winery for the amazing Welcome Event. All too soon it was time to return to our hotels in readiness for our busy next few days.
Over the next three days I met with over 130 suppliers from all over Australia to learn more about their products and whether these would be something that my clients would be interested in. Each evening there was a different event, from a Western Australia Showcase at Perth City Beach, to a casual group dinner at Embargo (a large bar complex on the Swan River) and finally the farewell event held at the Crown Perth (unfortunately this had to be held indoors due to poor weather). At the farewell event they announced a major prize of a Business Class upgrade for one lucky attendee for the return flight from Singapore to Perth and I was gobsmacked to be the lucky winner!
I will let you know about my amazing flight home later in this series.