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Travel is Tops Down Under
November 13, 2008
It's a bit of a trek from North America, but where else will you find kangaroos on the golf course?
By Margery Weinstein
The heat sweltering, our change from North American fall wear to late spring Sydney, Australia-ready attire wasn't cutting it. We were well rested despite our group's 12-hour flight from Los Angeles, having enjoyed flat beds in Air New Zealand's Business Premier (amazing how time evaporates when it's spent alternating between non-stop eating, drinking, watching movies on your own TV screen, and sleeping). The pit-stop in Auckland, New Zealand that included some choice airport shopping and relaxation in the Air New Zealand Business Premier lounge also didn't hurt. The airline, it turns out, accommodates connections to seven cities in Australia, we were told.
But our post-long flight comfort aside, we were taken aback by this 90-degree, humid weather‹unseasonably warm for Sydney at the beginning of November. Nevertheless, wiping the sweat from our brows, we couldn't help but enjoy ourselves strolling along Bondi Beach with its rugged coastline full of rocks and small cliffs descending to water as turquoise as any I've seen in the tropics. Natural environmental beauty is all well and fine, but we also were in luck because our visit, from Oct. 31 through Nov. 5, 2008, coincided with Bondi's annual Sculpture by the Sea, an art installation in which sculptures are erected throughout the beach, tucked into the landscape so you never know where they will pop up next. We found one floating with the current in the water.
Getting the Trip (Down) Underway
The unexpected is par for the course in Australia, and part of its appeal as an incentive destination. There are other places that are warm and beautiful during North America's fall and winter months, but there's something about the Australian spirit that's a little different. Part of it is the friendliness of its people (including their penchant for abbreviating everything—I was not a journalist, but a "journo" down under) and the safety, cleanliness, and accessibility of its cities. But it's also the unique way the Aussies do things that will surprise your most jaded incentive winners. True, other cities have gorgeous harbors, but how many have the iconic Sydney Opera House, known internationally as a feat of modern architectural design? I couldn't take my eyes off it from my balcony and postcard-worthy view at the Four Seasons Hotel. C
Competing with the opera house for attention is the Sydney Harbor Bridge. More than pretty to look at, planners can build a day of activity around the harbor and its landmarks. Start your day, as we did one day, with the Sydney Harbor BridgeClimb that takes you to the bridge's summit on your own feet. If your group still has energy after, or if you would like to provide an alternate activity for acrophobes, organize the group into teams for a boat race around the harbor. No previous nautical experience is necessary as professional boat captains are on hand to lead the teams, as participants help work the sails and steer the boat. End the day with a tour of the opera house and dinner at a gourmet harbor side restaurant at a hotel like the Park Hyatt, or at one of the many restaurants in Sydney's historic district, The Rocks, housed in buildings that date back to the 19th century.
Finding accommodations that will allow your incentive group to take full advantage of the harbor isn't hard. Those of our group that didn't stay at the Four Seasons, seemed happy at the Shangri la Hotel (the chocolates and bottles of wine presented as nightly amenities may have helped). For large incentive groups, the Four Seasons and Shangri la will coordinate accommodations, and the easy access between the two hotels makes meeting up at one or the other for activities simple.
The spirit of the unique also makes its way indoors in Australia, with cultural centers such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales. More than a few cities have museums with gorgeous artwork, but how many can show you the individualistic works of Sydney's Aboriginal population? A tour of the gallery will include, as ours did, a tutorial on the history of the country's Aborigines, and how that history and its culture is demonstrated on canvas and in the three-dimensional art on display. Multicultural experiences happen naturally in Sydney, where you can go from a 19th and early 20th century Aussie pub crawl to the museum and then out to dinner at a modern Japanese restaurant like Kobe Jones, with none of it seeming out of place.
An Aussie Experience
It's also easy to combine different regional experiences in Australia. To play up a sense of the unique, head, after a few packed days in Sydney, to Queensland and the Sunshine Coast for more of a resort experience. To make the most of the area, choose a beachside hotel such as the one we stayed at, the Sheraton Noosa Resort & Spa in the city of Noosa. After your group has re-energized with pool or beach time and a trip to the spa, head to the Australia Zoo, home of the late Steve Irwin. Your incentive winners can stroll casually among the zoo's kangaroos, petting and interacting freely with them. They can also, of course, enjoy the other signature Australia animal experience of petting a koala—albeit in a more controlled setting. You also can sign up incentive winners for a Tiger Experience or Elephant Experience in which they are brought face to face with these animals (along with trained handlers, of course). Starting in 2010, your group will be able to stay on the grounds of the zoo in a new safari-themed hotel and meeting space now under construction.
Back from the zoo and "roughing it" with the animals, your group might unwind before dinner with a round or two of golf at the Hyatt Regency Coolum, where kangaroos become golf companions—or at least you'll see a few on the green as you make your way to the 18th hole.
Like our luck at reaching Bondi Beach in Sydney in time to see the annual Sculpture by the Sea installation, we also found ourselves in Australia for the annual Melbourne Cup horse race, an event so momentous businesses close down for it. We marked the occasion with a river gondola ride to Ricky's river bar + restaurant, where we watched the race, ate lunch, and, as is the custom, voted on the best-dressed man and woman and best hats. My enjoyment of this event, unique to the Aussies, was enhanced when I drew the winning horse—in the $5 category of a random sweeps, but still. (Read about that experience at The Daily Perk.)
Cap off your stay as we did with an event at The Plantation, a 21-acre private estate bed and breakfast in Cooroy surrounded by bush land and state forests. Our group found it an ideal setting for a farewell dinner that included a surprise Aborigine presentation and performance. Before dinner, two Aborigine descendants told us about their heritage and shared Australia bush cooking secrets. Hint: kangaroo, emu, and crocodile were on the menu. As we enjoyed the appetizers, men and women arrayed as lizards prowled through the garden towards us. During dinner, three Aboringine men performed music from their culture, and an astronomer was on hand, along with his telescopes, to gaze at the Southern Hemisphere’s constellations.
It was too foggy a night for us to spy the Southern Cross, but our Australian adventure nevertheless had us seeing stars.
Editor's Note: For more on what Australia has to offer incentive travelers, read "Incentive's Aussie Roundup" at www.incentivemag.com.
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