AFF Gathering #14 in CBR on 4 - 6 December 2020

Added to Calendar: 04-12-20, 05-12-20, 06-12-20

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**This event is now fully booked! For those who've already registered, this thread contains important information & updates about the weekend. We look forward to seeing you soon.**

Canberra has been chosen as the AFF Annual Gathering destination for 2020, occurring over the weekend of the 4th to 6th December; this will be the second time the event has been held in the final month of the year. The average temperature range for December is 11.9ºC to 26.3ºC. The average rainfall is 53.2mm with 7 rainy days. It is Australia's eighth most populous city (as of June 2018) representing 1.83% of Australia.

Canberra has previously played host to an Annual Gathering, as the fifth city chosen in the fourth year (2011). On that occasion, 13 attendees made the journey. Canberra is not the first city to play host twice, with Melbourne previously taking that honour as the first (2008) and eighth (2014); Adelaide as the second (2008) and twelfth (2018); and more recently Sydney as the third (2009) and thirteenth (2019).

Helping to organise this year will be @support & @Mattg.

If you're attending, we recommend downloading the Check in CBR App. Due to COVID-19, please be mindful to practice good hygiene and social distancing where possible. If you are unwell, please do not attend.




Schedule

Here is the itinerary for the weekend:

Friday 4th December
To start the weekend, we'll be holding a dinner at Southern Cross Yacht Club, Yarralumla. You are welcome to arrive between 6.30pm-7.30pm for drinks at the bar, and dinner will be served from 7.30pm-9.30pm. There will be a fixed 3-course menu (we can account for dietary requirements), and the cost is $59 per person. Drinks will be available for purchase from the bar on the night.

Saturday 5th December - morning activities

Saturday Activity Option 1 - Parliament House tour

We'll meet at Parliament House and join a 30-minute public tour of the building. There is no cost for this activity - you'll just need to make your own transport arrangements to/from Parliament House. You must be at Parliament House by 10.15am, in preparation for the tour which will take place from 10.30-11am. We'll meet outside the main entrance, before the security checkpoint.

Saturday Activity Option 2 - visit to Australian War Memorial
Join other AFF members for a visit to Australian War Memorial. Please note that tours are not currently available, so you'll be visiting as a guest. There is no cost for this activity - you'll just need to make your own transport arrangements to/from Australian War Memorial. Meet outside the main entrance at 11.30am.

Saturday Activity Option 3 - Full-day winery tour
This will be a full-day winery tour with a maximum of 10 people, running from around 9.30am until approximately 3.30pm. You'll be picked up from Pepper's Gallery Hotel in Civic in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle and visit 3 wineries in the Canberra region. The cost is $190/person and includes lunch at Olleyville as well as a professional guide for the day. Note: This tour includes visits to wineries in NSW and it is recommended that you eat breakfast before joining the tour.

Saturday 5th December - evening
On Saturday evening, we'll be holding a dinner at Kingston Hotel. Before the dinner, there will be an optional one-hour Frequent Flyer Points Masterclass + Q&A session hosted by AFF editor Matt Graham from 6-7pm. This event is sponsored by Frequent Flyer Solutions and attendance is free, but you'll need to register.

After this, the main dinner will commence at 7.15pm. There will be a guest speaker at this dinner. Members will be able to order and pay for food & drinks on the night - no pre-payment is required.

Sunday 6th December
On Sunday we're offering a sightseeing tour to some of Canberra's best outdoor spots.

Sunday Tour - Mt Ainslie, Lanyon Homestead & Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Departing from Pepper's Hotel at 9.45am on Sunday morning, we'll visit Mt Ainslie for panoramic views over Canberra before heading to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in the south of Canberra, where you'll see some of the local wildlife including koalas and we'll stop for a short walk. Along the way, we'll visit Lanyon Homestead for a homestead heritage tour and lunch at the Barracks Café. We'll return to the airport by 4.45pm & the city at around 5pm. The cost is $80/person excluding lunch. This tour will remain entirely within the ACT and we recommend bringing a bottle of water with you.
 
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There hasnt been an update for a while - is this a dead certainty to proceed? If so will book flight on DSC today.
Things tend to come together in clumps at times. A lack of updates for a while isn’t necessarily an issue. Discussions have been ongoing. Definitely will happen.
 
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Thanks @kookaburra75 wil check those out. I think I had short listed QT and Peppers earlier. I was thinking 4 star, something walking distance to a decent cafe for breaky/coffee and not too far from whatever activities areplanned. But we dont know what those are yet LOL.
Burberry I would rate as 4 star and has a great coffee shop/breakfast place. Other options would be Realm (next door to Burberry). There's also the Hyatt Hotel Canberra up closer to Parliament House, which is as old as the Hotel Kurrajong, but there isn't any. coffee shops nearby. .Also there is Crowne Plaza in the city - a bit old but we'll fitted out and maintained. There's not a lot immediately around the hotel though, besides the Casino (which I wouldn't recommend).
One advantage of Canberra is it doesn't take long to get anywhere. We start complaining iif it takes more than 15 minutes to get anywhere.
 
I have also made a refundable booking at the Peppers, but through ALL to claim points. Can hotel points also be claimed through Luxury Escapes, or is it treated like booking through a hotel booking site?

I think it is interesting to note that the last time an AFF Gathering was held in Canberra, a number of the participants, myself included, stayed at a boutique property called the Diamant Hotel. This property has since been rebranded to the Peppers Gallery Hotel.
 
I have also made a refundable booking at the Peppers, but through ALL to claim points. Can hotel points also be claimed through Luxury Escapes, or is it treated like booking through a hotel booking site?

I think it is interesting to note that the last time an AFF Gathering was held in Canberra, a number of the participants, myself included, stayed at a boutique property called the Diamant Hotel. This property has since been rebranded to the Peppers Gallery Hotel.
As far I know , it is considered like booking with an OTA so no points.
 
As someone who has spent quite a few nights in Canberra hotels recently I would recommend the Bunbury way above Peppers. Being in a location near Parliament house you can often get a really good price for these rooms on the weekend.

If everyone would like to be in hotels close to each other, the Realm precinct might work because it has the Realm, which is a real five star hotel, the Burberry four and a half stars and the Little National four stars, all very close to each other.
 
I have also made a refundable booking at the Peppers, but through ALL to claim points. Can hotel points also be claimed through Luxury Escapes, or is it treated like booking through a hotel booking site?

I think it is interesting to note that the last time an AFF Gathering was held in Canberra, a number of the participants, myself included, stayed at a boutique property called the Diamant Hotel. This property has since been rebranded to the Peppers Gallery Hotel.
It can vary. I earned points for a St Regis stay through LE.
 
I booked the Luxury Escapes deal, it was cheaper than the per night price for same room type through ALL (since my status dropped), but will earn QFF points.

If there is a significantly better offer/deal elsewhere I can still cancel for free over next 5 days.
 
I booked the Luxury Escapes deal, it was cheaper than the per night price for same room type through ALL (since my status dropped), but will earn QFF points.

If there is a significantly better offer/deal elsewhere I can still cancel for free over next 5 days.
It did appear to have some good inclusions, but I figured I'd miss out on using most of them with my time occupied with AFF activities, and thus I wouldn't get maximum value.
 
I will likley only use the breakfast and the 2 free coughtails, but who knows.
 
For those Sydneysiders wanting to do the short hop down to CBR for this event , QF is on sale for $119 o/way until 9th March . Selected Flights on VA can also currently be picked up for $109 ex SYD.
 
I will likley only use the breakfast and the 2 free coughtails, but who knows.
That's a good deal. You also have the Parlour Wine Room over the back from Peppers which is great for a drink or dinner. I think A Baker's which is next door does breakfast too.
There's lots of options.
 
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