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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As my African trip is almost certainly a non event, I might drive down for this. :) (house renovation completion pending)
 
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When I spoke to an agent this morning (about another booking) she said they were still working out how many status credits would be applied to these “luxury escapes”
I would book, once the s/c are known.
 
The recent emails about bonus Qantas status credits also included a promotion to earn status credits from hotel bookings. This hotel fits the dates for anyone interested.


And sadly won't allow me to book because it can't load the CC form - I wonder if the website is a tad busy right now
 
Hi @support - given we are starting to get closer to the date (as scary as that is - July already), please shout out if you want some of us locals to help out. Many of us are part time or retired (not dobbing in anyone) and can do some of the leg work.
Maybe we can form a committee, with working groups. We could have agendas, minutes, workshop agendas etc - oh the joy of it all... (oh I'm having bad dreams again after watching Utopia) :rolleyes:
 
Hi @support - given we are starting to get closer to the date (as scary as that is - July already), please shout out if you want some of us locals to help out. Many of us are part time or retired (not dobbing in anyone) and can do some of the leg work.
Maybe we can form a committee, with working groups. We could have agendas, minutes, workshop agendas etc - oh the joy of it all... (oh I'm having bad dreams again after watching Utopia) :rolleyes:
The main point of contact for this event will be a local a few of you might already know – @Mattg – having safely made it back to Australia early.

There was already one venue locked in before everything went haywire, and that's the Kingston Hotel on 5th December, with a deposit for venue/room already paid.
 
The main point of contact for this event will be a local a few of you might already know – @Mattg – having safely made it back to Australia early.

There was already one venue locked in before everything went haywire, and that's the Kingston Hotel on 5th December, with a deposit for venue/room already paid.
Thanks - I'll do that. @Mattg, do you want to talk about it on Friday at CBR Airport, when we're waving our signs at the Chosen Few as they board the Joy Flight?
 
Is there a consensus on a preferred hotel or its whatever tickles your fancy ?
 
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