AFF Gathering #18 in MEL on 21-23 November 2025

Save the date! The 2025 AFF annual member gathering will be in Melbourne from 21-23 November 2025.
There will be a welcome dinner on Friday evening, a more formal dinner with a guest speaker on Saturday evening, and optional activities throughout Saturday and Sunday.

All AFF members and their friends & family are welcome to attend. Most people usually fly into the host city on Friday afternoon, and leave on Sunday afternoon/evening. Of course, if you're a Melbourne local, the flying part is optional.

We'll update this thread over the coming months with more information about the planned activities, dinner venues and costs, which we expect to be in line with previous gatherings. (E.g. you can read about the 2024 Brisbane gathering here, or the 2023 Launceston gathering here.)

There will be a $5 registration fee per participant, plus the cost of any activities and/or meals that you choose to join.

For now, please feel free to let us know in this thread if you think you'll be able to make it! For those unfamiliar with the AFF terminology:

• "Platinum" means your attendance is confirmed and you have booked flights/accommodation
• "Gold" means you're likely to attend but will need to confirm at a later time
• "Silver" means you're unlikely to attend at this stage.
• "Bronze" means you're unable to attend.

The entire AFF team looks forward to seeing you in November in Melbourne!

 

[AFF Editor]

Gathering Schedule​

Here's an overview of the activities and dinners that will be held throughout the weekend. We will update this post with more details closer to the event.

Friday 21 November

Welcome drinks & dinner
Join us on Friday evening for a casual dinner and drinks at Emerald Peacock.

Saturday 22 November - daytime activities

There will be 3 optional activities during the day on Saturday.

Option 1: Melbourne Sights Walking Tour (maximum 36 people)
The first optional Saturday activity a 2.5-hour walking tour through the Melbourne CBD with a professional tour guide. Starting from the State Library of Victoria, we'll see the main sights around the city including Bourke St, Old Melbourne Gaol, Carlton Gardens, Chinatown, Eureka Tower, Yarra River and Federation Square. You'll also learn heaps about Melbourne's rich history, laneways and coffee culture.

This tour will run from 10am until approximately 12.30pm. The meeting point is the State Library of Victoria.

Option 2: MCG Tour & Australian Sports Museum
This option is ideal for sports fans! Join a 75-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), followed by a visit to the Australian Sports Museum (located at the MCG).

The start time is TBC, but we expect it to be in the late morning.

*Please note that this option may need to be amended if there is an event on at the MCG on this day.

Option 3: Yum Cha Lunch
Join fellow frequent flyers for a delicious lunch at a yum cha restaurant in Melbourne's Chinatown precinct.

The time and location is TBC, but we expect lunch to start around 12pm.

Saturday 22 November - evening

Dinner at Hyatt Centric
As per past AFF gatherings, the Saturday night dinner is the main event. This year, it will be held at Hyatt Centric Melbourne.

Sunday 23 November

Melbourne Culture Capital Walking Tour (maximum 36 people)
If you're still in Melbourne on Sunday morning, you're more than welcome to join us at 11am for an "alternative" walking tour with a professional tour guide. Unlike Saturday's sightseeing tour, this tour focuses on Melbourne's famous culture, including its street art, arcades, music scene, architecture, multicultural influences and AFL. We'll visit spots including the Melbourne Town Hall, General Post Office, AC/DC Lane, Union Lane and Drewery Lane.

This tour will run from 11am until approximately 12.30pm. The meeting point is the State Library of Victoria.

 

[AFF Editor]

This post is reserved for the attendees list:

Attendees

Username	Arrival date/time	Arr Flight #	Accommodation	Departure date/time	Dep Flight #
@WilsonM
@Mattg
@admin
@admin +1
@Doug_Westcott		Local			Local
@Hvr
@RooFlyer
@LinaLee		Local			Local
@Silvia		Local			Local
@Sprucegoose		Local			Local
@perk		Local			Local
@sap1l
@MathNerd
@Port Power	Wed 15:45	QF780	Pullman on the Park	Wed 15:10	QF775
@PrezRegan	Fri 16:50	VA274		Sun 12:50	VA267
@kpc
@kpc +1
@jswong	Thu 17:40	NZ125	Pullman CC	Mon 18:00	NZ256
@n7of9	Fri 11:30	VA836	Brady Hotel Central	Mon 10:55	VA829
@Lowjhg	Fri	JQ8	Hyatt Centric	Wed	JQ7
@Traveller X
@jxv
@jxv +1
@Jacques Vert	Fri	QF1501		Sun	QF466
@Gem56
@bPeteb	Fri 15:20	QF623	Hotel Indigo	Sun 17:05	QF628
@cove
@Dantas	Fri 15:50	QF1514		Sun 15:50	QF1513
@dsdavidc
@dsdavidc +1
@Big John
@Big John +1
@Bundy Bear
@NM
@msam95		Local			Local
@FishFood
@Human		Local			Local
@KathN	Sun morning
@gwilli1	Fri 13:05	VA836		Sun 14:00	VA849
@Steph123		Local			Local
@drcam		Local			Local
@somebol	Thu	VA268		Sun	VA259

 

[Dantas]

Gold!

 

[AIRwin]

Gold - reflecting my soft landing in my new membership year

 

[Doug_Westcott]

Platinum at this stage. As a local no fights are required - will advise accommodation details nearer the date.

 

[RooFlyer]

Granted the organisation has only just begun and as long way off but can you give any hints about likely localities for dinner etc? Central CBD, fringe CBD, anything? Will obviously influence accommodation choices. Happy to cancel and change at a later date if organisation firms up somewhere else but wouldn’t mind locking in something now.

 

[Hvr]

I'm also Platinum. Another local with a Myki card.

 

[Mattg]

I'm Platinum for this

Granted the organisation has only just begun and as long way off but can you give any hints about likely localities for dinner etc? Central CBD, fringe CBD, anything? Will obviously influence accommodation choices. Happy to cancel and change at a later date if organisation firms up somewhere else but wouldn’t mind locking in something now.

There's probably a good chance the dinners will be in or close to the CBD.

I'm personally looking at voco Melbourne for accommodation, but it's probably a bit too early to book just yet.

 

[Bjet]

Silver for me… as difficult for me to decide which event I am going to!

 

[zig]

Gold for me.

 

[RB001]

Solid gold.

 

[blackcat20]

Gold. We may be able to attend dinner if we line up a sitter early enough.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Gold (+1) is the plan - kudos to the organisers

 

[JessicaTam]

Platinum for me.

 

[RooFlyer]

Platinum, Pullman on the Park so far.

Mantra100 is available for Accor Plus for $4,000 night.

 

[RB001]

Mantra100 is available for Accor Plus for $4,000 night.

Stay an extra night either side, and it's express to Diamond!

 

[LinaLee]

Platinum for me.

 

[samh004]

Bronze - will be seeing RÜFÜS on the Saturday night in Sydney.

 

[rainbowgirl]

Gold for me.

Those dates fall right into the middle of silly season for family and school events but I'll make an effort to keep the weekend free. I'm very interested in knowing what the day events are going to be.