Sydney Nights and Weekends.

I’ve been wanting to go and check out the White Bay Power Station redevelopment for sometime and this year the Sydney Biennale has incorporated this venue as part of its program so the perfect time to head over the Anzac Bridge to stroll around this new Sydney institution.

I’m heading there on the Kings Birthday long weekend (Monday 10 June). This event will suit anyone not heading away for the long weekend and looking for something to do on the holiday Monday. Buses 441and 442 leave from the QVB (stand B) every 15 minutes to Robert Street (White Bay Power Station stop).

Anyone wanting to get a quick bite before heading over I’ll head to somewhere in the QVB at 12:00 then catch a bus at 1:00 pm to White Bay otherwise just meetup at 1:00pm at the bus stop or over at the event.

White Bay Power Station was constructed between 1912 and 1917 to power the rail network and is now over 100 years old and has stood as a curiosty piece for sometime and now finally re imagined as an art and event space. The stretch of country now known as Bays West has been known for millennia as Gari Gurad/Nura (Saltwater Country) and Nattai Gurad/Nura (Freshwater Country).

Entry is free for this event.

Head north in July this year for a 10 day Bali and Gili Islands Immersion tour.
[$200 Qantas/Jetstar/Virgin flight discount available]

For many the image of Bali is one of night clubs and bars and the hectic beaches around Bali yet there is far more to Bali than this and it is easy to escape the party scene of the coast and enjoy a more relaxed side of this unique island.

I have traveled to Bali over decades and love the people and culture and will head there this year with a small meetup group (maximum 12). I have booked quality accommodation in Ubud and on Gilli Trawangan just off the coast of Lombok and will use these two locations as a base to explore the region. We will use Ubud as a base to explore the mountains and coast and attend various cultural events and spend a leisurely break on Gili Trawangan which, with no vehicles and amazing coral beaches, is a great recharge destination.

If you’d like to know more about this tour including pricing and to get a copy of the tour itinerary please send me a message or make a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

Comment, message or phone me for more info (0434946930)

With winter on the horizon it’s time to start dreaming of a Northern Territory get away in 2024.

How does Kakadu, Nitmiluk and Litchfield National Parks sound? How about a dinner cruise on Darwin Harbour with a golden tropical sunset or perhaps dinner at a million star floating restaurant in Nitmiluk (Katherine George).

In 2023 I ran a tour of 18 meetup guests and it was amazing and 2024 looks to be even better with a couple of variations to the itinerary. This tour is scheduled at the very best time to be in the Top End when the days are warm, the nights are cool and the humidity is very low. This is the perfect winter escape from the chills of the south and a perfect mid winter break.

This is a premium tour incorporating all the best of the Top End with a crafted itinerary developed over many years to make your trip truly unique. It is a well paced tour that covers a lot of ground yet doesn't feel rushed with plenty of time on selected river boats, billabong cruises, night dinner cruises and a wilderness indigenous cultural river cruise. And while the 'Top End' and Kakadu is a remote region it is a tour with plenty of time and comfort to sit back and enjoy the location and get a sense of place.

We visit ancient indigenous rock art sites, contemporary cultural centres, visit the waterfalls and rock pools of the Litchfield NP, swim in thermal pools in Katherine and Berry Springs, take breakfast on the beach in Casuarina, dinner afloat passing though the Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, wine and dine sailing on Darwin Harbour at sunset, and much more.

The tour always begins in Darwin as I like to show people around this amazing northern city a little, a city that is closer to Singapore than it is to Sydney. We’ll spend two nights in Darwin and this year the tour runs clockwise heading straight to Kakadu, then Nitmiluk and Litchfield NP. I call it the ‘Full Circuit Tour’.

This is a popular tour and very well priced compared to commercial tours of the same length. I run this tour only once a year for meetup members and having worked as an accredited Kakadu tour guide for many years I have designed this tour as the most comprehensive tour available, with more inclusions than you'll find in any commercial tour of the region and consider it the ‘Directors Cut’ tour . If you'd like more information or a copy of my digital brochure, please get in contact by dropping me a message here on Meetup or you can call me directly for more information also.

0434946930 Shawn

Be aware, bookings are tight in the Top End during the peak season so you'll need to book shortly if you want to do the tour in 2024.