Newcastle Gathering Marks Return of AFF Events!

Over the weekend, around 40 AFF members travelled to Newcastle, NSW for the 15th annual weekend get-together. A long-standing Australian Frequent Flyer tradition, these weekends are a great opportunity to meet other frequent flyers and fellow points enthusiasts to share travel tips and see some of the sights at the destination.

Last year’s event, also planned for Newcastle, unfortunately had to postponed due to the 2021 COVID-19 lockdowns. But this event has now finally taken place and it was a fantastic weekend. As they say, “better late than never”!

The weekend kicked off with dinner and drinks on Friday night.

Around half the group then joined a Hunter Valley wine tour on Saturday which included wine tastings at three vineyards and a cheese tasting at the Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop.

The main event was dinner at The Cricketers Arms Hotel on Saturday evening.

The guest speaker at the dinner was local 2NURFM breakfast radio host Todd Sergeant. There were also several prizes given away to lucky members. You can read more about the evening here.

Sunday’s event was a tour of Newcastle, starting with some stunning views from the ANZAC Memorial Walk.

The group also enjoyed a tour of Fort Scratchley where the lively, quick-witted and passionate 95-year-old tour guide Norm left the group on the tip of his tongue.

The weekend finished up with a visit to Fighter World led by former Air Force and Qantas 747 pilot Ron Haack and an airport drop-off for those needing to catch flights home.

A huge “thank you” goes out to AFF members Belinda (Bindibuys) and Andrew (Congewai) for their great work in helping to organise this event.

You can read more about the weekend in the dedicated AFF thread in the Meetings & Social Events forum.

With COVID-19 restrictions now largely behind us, there will be many more AFF social events in the coming months and years, including a Singapore lounge crawl next June. Most of these are organised by members. They’re a great opportunity to meet other members and learn about some of the tips that don’t make it onto the internet.

Visit the Meetings & Social Events forum to find out what other events are coming up or to organise one of your own!

More details about next year’s annual AFF weekend gathering will be made available in due course. Make sure you keep an eye out on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum or in the Gazette so you don’t miss out!

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.