From the Land Down Under – Australia

In the previous edition of my travelog, I provided insights on the virtues of taking groups to St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Barts, three unique Caribbean islands that are often overlooked by group travel planners. Today we’re going to hop on a Qantas flight and say G’day mate to one of my all-time favorite destinations – Australia.

It isn’t hard to write about the “Land Down Under” because there are so many amazing experiences to be had. The challenge I face is paring down all the amazing options for you in order to keep this article readable. So, in that spirit I’m only going to focus on Sydney and Cairns, although Melbourne, Alice Springs, and Hayman Island are also amazing locations for group events.

Let me start by saying that in my years of working in the group travel services arena I’ve had the fortune of operating a half-dozen group events in Australia. In every case, my clients were reticent to give the destination full consideration because of the long flights (14 hours from the West Coast) and because there’s a perception that it’s “just another cosmopolitan destination.” However, once I got them there for a site inspection, every client agreed it was well worth the travel time, and the post-program participant surveys always validated their decisions.

A Trip to Sydney

Sydney is indeed a cosmopolitan city akin to San Francisco and New York, but the difference is in the unique Australian culture. In most major cities, you’ll find the locals keeping their distance from the tourists; not so here. Walk into a local pub, let them hear your Yankee accent, and someone’s likely to ask you where you live and offer to buy you a pint as you discuss how NFL players are softies compared to Aussie Rules players!

Daytime group tours offer many amazing choices. Adventurous souls can take the “Harbour Bridge Walk” where they harness up and climb across the very top of the iconic “hanger” bridge. Another of my favorite group events is to host a sailing regatta in the scenic harbor. It’s always fun to host an event at the famed Bondi Beach Club, where you can have the actual lifesaving team perform a competition for your group while they enjoy some “shrimp on the barbie.”  Heading across the bay to the Taronga Zoo to meet the Koalas, Joeys, and Wallabies is also an immensely popular tour. My other favorite tours include a pub crawl of the historic “Rocks District” and a scenic harbor ride via chauffeured Harley Davidson.

At night, Sydney is simply magical. A fun opening night is to host an Australiana party in your hotel ballroom with a folk band, barbecue, ice-cold Fosters, and an actual cuddly Koala for photos with your guests. Favorite off-property events include pub crawls in the historic Rocks District or the new Ivy Precinct. Want someplace with a stunning view? I recommend a private room at the iconic opera house with a killer view of the bridge, or if heights are your thing, the Tower Eye soaring 830 feet above the harbor. My favorite group final night in Sydney is to charter a yacht, sail the harbor, and end with an awe-inspiring fireworks display.

A Trip North to Cairns & Port Douglas

After exploring Sydney let’s take a 3-hour flight northward to Cairns and Port Douglas in Tropical North Queensland. While Cairns is known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, my heart will always lie in Port Douglas. “Port” is only a one-hour drive from the airport and is quite scenic as you dart in and out of the bays. Once you’re nestled into your beach resort, you can don your “cossie” (swimsuit) and flip flops and take in the fresh breeze at a welcome seafood bake on the beach. If you’re visiting in the right season, you simply must try the Balmain Bay bugs for dinner!

There are several must-include day tours up in Port Douglas. One is taking a cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef for world-class snorkeling/scuba diving. Another is taking safari vehicles into the Daintree Rainforest to see the majestic forestry and rivers while hiking hidden paths with a charming Aussie guide. Heading over to National City for lunch at the pub will make you feel like you’re in the opening scene of Crocodile Dundee. I also strongly recommend a day trip back towards Cairns, where you can take an authentic scenic steam train up the mountainside into the Tjapukai village, where you’ll meet and learn all about Aboriginal culture, including the art of playing the haunting didgeridoo and learning how to throw a boomerang. Heading down the mountain is stunning as you descend on the Canopy Aerial Tram.

Once the sun goes down, here’s my list of group must-dos. First, a cocktail reception and barbecue dinner at the amazing Wildlife Habitat in Port. Next (for groups of 50 or less) would be a private dinner at Silky Oaks Lodge overlooking Mossman Gorge. For a “non-group” evening I highly recommend a casual dine-around in the charming village of Port Douglas. Lastly, the showstopper of your group’s stay down under would be a private group dinner in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest with chandeliers hanging from the haunting trees along with native entertainment from the Tjapukai Aboriginal village.

A Favorite Memory of Mine

A favorite memory of mine was when I once hired a local actor for a client site inspection in Port Douglas. On the first day, we went into National City (think Crocodile Dundee) where my client “chanced” into meeting a local farmer who was playing a guitar in a local pub for a friendly conversation. That night, back in Port, we were doing a progressive dine-around. We get to our first restaurant and lo and behold, who do we bump into but that same farmer. He sits down for a chat (and an appetizer on us). We say goodbye and head to our next stop and, you guessed it – there’s the farmer. This goes on until the last stop where I engage in a “stern” side conversation with our freeloader friend. When we get back to the resort, there he is in the lobby, where he pulls out his guitar and plays a custom-written song for my client. Two months later, I’m in a meeting with the client when he brings up “the farmer” and  I realized I never shared with him this was all a set-up. He thought I was mad at the poor guy! Fun times on the road…

In my humble opinion…

If you’re looking to go international for a group travel trip as an incentive and adventure is a must then these two destinations pair up well together and I would recommend three nights in each location. If you don’t have six nights to spend then know that each location is a very good destination for a four-night stay. Australia has the cachet and intrigue needed to inspire performance in an incentive campaign, and as stated earlier in the article, every group I have taken there received rock-solid ratings from the attendees. That’s the straight dinky di mate!

If you are intrigued by these destinations or interested in learning more about how other locations can be tailored to your audience and budget, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for a no-obligation chat. Our incentive group travel services give you access to budget planning, hotel sourcing and contracting, air ticketing, communications, on-site management and so much more.

I’m passionate about sharing insights gleaned from my travels and don’t want anyone to miss out on the journey of a lifetime!