AFF Gathering #8 at MEL on 24 - 26 October

[JohnK]

Flights booked. Please put me down as Platinum.

Arriving 25 Oct 2014 ~5:35pm on Qantas.
Departing 26 Oct 2014 ~8:00pm on Virgin.

Accommodation not yet booked.

 

[samh004]

Flights booked. Please put me down as Platinum.

Arriving 25 Oct 2014 ~5:35pm on Qantas.
Departing 26 Oct 2014 ~8:00pm on Virgin.

Accommodation not yet booked.

Updated to here.

 

[tuapekastar]

I'm definite now for some activities, though may not be able to make Friday.

 

[penegal]

I'm definite now for some activities, though may not be able to make Friday.

Good to hear... I had to sit on my hands for a few days with a quickie trip abroad, but I am back in Melbourne this week, so will confirm with venues and make the announcement shortly.

 

[Pooch]

Please mark me as Plat - arriving Friday VA850 (~16:35); departing Monday VA837 (11:00). Booked HOTP.

Thanks for the heads up Bill!

 

[penegal]

Please mark me as Plat - arriving Friday VA850 (~16:35); departing Monday VA837 (11:00). Booked HOTP.

Thanks for the heads up Bill!

Will be great to see you again!! We missed you at the Oz Fest earlier this year.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Can you please add me to the
Bronze (no) list.

 

[Hvr]

Can you please add me to the
Bronze (no) list.

Sad face we'll miss you.

 

[straitman]

Can you please add me to the
Bronze (no) list.

Just send your CC instead.

 

[SQ421]

I'm now a Bronze. Have a mid-term exam on the 25th.

 

[Buzzard]

Can you please add me to the
Bronze (no) list.

Shame we won't get to catch up.

 

[penegal]

As long as it includes a birthday cake lol self indulgent on my birthday

I am talking to the Sunday restaurant shortly, so will organise something...

Speaking of which announcement should be up in the next 24hrs (either tonight or tomorrow morning)

 

[hossein_au]

Hi there,
Please add me as Plat. I'll arrive early on Friday 6-ish pm, and will leave mid-mornig on Sunday. Will stay at Brady Hotels (30 Little Latrobe Street).

Looking forward to meeting you all.

Cheers.

 

[kpc]

Any updates on the program for this w/e?

 

[samh004]

Any updates on the program for this w/e?

I'm told penegal will be posting the program today, when he gets home.

 

[JessicaTam]

I'm told penegal will be posting the program today, when he gets home.

Does penegal know that?

 

[penegal]

I'm told penegal will be posting the program today, when he gets home.

If penegal gets home from work today...

Does penegal know that?

Yes, a memo to this affect was sent to penegal's press office previously.

 

[penegal]

Updated Attendees:


Platinum (25)
penegal
samh004
samh004 +1
markis10
kpc
mickeyc747
JohnK
robbie1984
Doug_Westcott
Hvr
MartinMemo
lowjhg
oz_mark
oz_mark +1
Kiwi
Buzzard
Awesom Andy
Fifa
tuapekastar
gwilli1
Pooch
straitman
SueOz
hossein_au
boomy

Gold (9)	Silver (9)	Bronze (19)
rainbowgirl	QF WP	blackcat20
Ewing	dalereardon	bass_ke
Steady	Princess Fiona	Major
froggerADL	Simo	PeteJ
Lawlass	woodborer	harvyk
Lisa10	Cat207	Jacques Vert
Cruiser Elite	basso	Anna
Beta4Me	AIRwin	Newk
slc767338	JohnSydney2000	Grogan
		Mrs Buzzard
		Goodonya
		TomVexille - Possibility of Sunday dinner
		coolumbla
		Fifa +1
		amaroo
		amaroo +1
		Bundy Bear
		SQ421
		JessicaTam

 

[oz_mark]

oz_mark
oz_mark +1 ???

Confirm +1

 

[penegal]

And without further ado... The schedule for this do:

A number of the Saturday activities will require minimum numbers to get off the ground or trigger discounts, so please sign up ASAP.



Friday
6pm - Welcome Drinks at European Bier Cafe and AER bar, 120 Exhibition St, Melbourne
These two venues are essentially the same. The European Bier Cafe is located on the lower floors, and the AER bar is the open air rooftop bar. If the weather is good we will be upstairs in the rooftop bar, but if it is raining we will be on one of the other floors. Keep an eye on the thread for our location.
Cost: Drinks at bar prices
HOME - European Bier Cafe
HOME - Aer Bar


8pm - Dinner at Sichuan House, 22-26 Corrs Lane, Melbourne
Sichuan House is something of an underground Melbourne institution. It is hidden away down an alley, but once you find this place you keep coming back. As the name suggests this restaurant specialises in Sichuanese cuisine (e.g SPICY Chinese food). However rest assured, there are some non-spicy options (tea-smoked duck, dumplings, noodles, veg, etc). If you don't like spicy food please speak up during ordering process!
You can BYO bottled wine, but I recommend washing the spice down with a Tsingtao.
www.sichuanhouse.com.au
Cost: $20-$50 depending on exact combination of food & drinks. Pay on the night. BRING CASH!

---

Saturday
8am - Optional morning walk
For early risers I am happy to lead a walk around 'the tan' and the Royal botanic gardens just south of the city. The area is quite poplar with joggers, however I will do the circuit at a leisurely pace, and retire for coffee before meeting for the river cruise.


10am - Meet at Southgate Promenade, Berth 5 for River Cruise to Williamstown (look for "Cruise C" on their website)Please arrive at 10am for the 10:30am river cruise from the city down to Williamstown. The meeting point in on Southgate Promenade in front of the Southgate Plaza building. This is a really great way to see the city from a different perspective, and the cruise has some commentary along the way. Duration is approximately 1 hour.
https://www.melbcruises.com.au/index.php/cruises/
Cost: Tickets are $22 (or slightly less on group rate). Please do not book on their website, as I am trying to get the group rate. Prepayment will be required.


12pm - Lunch & exploring at Williamstown - Williamstown has a lot of history and is now one of the most trendy suburbs of Melbourne. There are plenty of small shops to visit, and nice houses to admire in the area right near the ferry dock.
Lunch is TBC - It could be a BBQ in the park if the weather is good, otherwise we could go to the pub. Let me know if you have a preference for either.
Cost: TBC


2pm - Visit the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Museum in Point Cook - I will let straitman lead us here given he has flown several of the aircraft on display. Their website says "the birthplace of the Australian Flying Corps and the Royal Australian Air Force, the museum tells one of Australia's most important aviation stories, that of the second oldest air force in the world."

The Museum is free to enter, but a donation is encouraged. We also need to get from Williamstown to the museum, and then back to the city, which means some kind of bus is required. Depending on numbers we have a few options (minibus / big bus / etc), and I shall updated the thread once we have a better grasp on numbers.
www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/
Cost: TBC - Likely to be $20-30 contribution to bus and museum donation. Prepayment will be required.

NB: You will need a photo ID to gain access to the museum as it is attached to an active military base.


5pm - Free time / Relax / Hotel Lounges

---

Main Do Dinner

8pm - Main Do Dinner at Mezzo, 35 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
This is the main event. Mezzo is an modern Australian/Italian restaurant at the top end of town. The atmosphere is casual, but the food maintains a high standard given the [all Italian] boys in the Kitchen. Our host Silvio runs a great place and nobody will go hungry.

Dinner will be a $60 fixed price 3 course menu, consisting of Shared Entrée, Pick your own Main (with shared sides for table) and Shared Dessert. This type of menu works really well with groups as you get to try many different tastes, but still have your own main course (we did a similar thing at the last do). Silvio is about to release a new seasonal menu, but our menu will be quite similar to this sample - http://118.88.25.169/~mezzobar/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-04-08_mezzo_group_menu2_50_60.pdf

Drinks are available at bar prices, and they are licensed for BYO wine at $10 corkage per bottle.
As such, I will bring some wine from the penegal cellar to share for those willing to tip in a small contribution to cover the corkage charge. Watch this space for details.

Cost: $60 for dinner, plus drinks at bar prices. Prepayment will be required.
http://www.mezzobar.com.au/

We are also trying to round up some door prizes for the Saturday dinner, which will be drawn at random on the night for registered attendees.

---

Sunday


Option A - led by penegal & JohnK:

10am Golf at Melbourne Airport Golf Club, 96 Operations Rd, Tullamarine
We have space for up to 8 people. Tee Times: 10:30, 10:40
Cost: Green Fees - $27.50
Melbourne Airport Golf Club

---

Option B - led by straitman:

12pm/2pm Monthly MEL Yum Cha, Shanghai Dynasty Restaurant, 1/206 Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD (Up the escalator and along on the right)

Cost: $15-$30. Pay on the Day. BRING CASH!

This is a restaurant we have been to previously (July 2014) and is a great combination of decor, ambience and also, importantly, food.

---

Farewell Dinner
6pm Farewell dinner at TBC
We will have a Sunday night dinner for those in MEL. This will also be a combined birthday party for Hillary Clinton, AIRwin and mickeyc747. The restaurant I wanted to do this at has decided to stop trading on Sundays, so I am back to the drawing board, but will post shortly with a new plan.
Cost: TBC




Please sign up for events ASAP, and keep an eye on the thread for updates.