Welcome Buffet
This is to be held at 7pm on Monday 28 November and is automatically included in the conference registration fee.
Extra buffet tickets however can be purchased for accompanying persons at $70 per person. See Registration page.
Poster-session Canapes and Drinks
This is to be held at 6:45pm on Tuesday 29 November and is automatically included in the conference registration fee.
Extra buffet tickets however can be purchased for accompanying persons whilst registering at $70 per person. See Registration page.
Conference Dinner
This is to be held at 7pm on Thursday 1 December and is automatically included in the conference registration fee.
Extra conference dinner tickets however can be purchased for accompanying persons at $120 per person. See Registration page.
Tours
NB: The quoted cost of each tour includes transport and entrance fees only.
When you pack for this conference bear in mind that in late November, Victoria can dish up any kind of weather, and probably will. Four seasons in one day is unusual, but not that unusual. So be prepared for the extremes of hot and cold which ever excursion you have in mind.
Eleven tour options are available. Each is comprised of a combination of the following five elements:
- Cidery & Winery tour
- Penguin Parade
- Churchill Island
- Seal Rocks
- George Bass Coastal Walk (in conjunction with Churchill Island or Seal Rocks only)
Some detail on each of these five elements is given below. Valid combinations are given in the table below.
In-Cider Story: Gurney’s Cidery and Promontory Restaurant & Winery
Cost: AUD $40 + purchase of food and beverages
Duration: ~6 hrs total
Details: Gurney’s Cidery is approximately 62 km from RACV Inverloch. Gurneys is a family-owned business situated on 70 acres of farmland with around 3,000 heritage cider apple trees. They offer a full range of craft ciders with a tastings paddle or by glass/bottle. For those who have not seen a cidery in action, this is a perfect opportunity to see the how ciders are made from start to finish. Where for most/some of our attendees may be familiar with winemaking and wine tasting, the process of cider making will be an eye-opener for most. Despite some expected similarities, this will not only be a tasting experience, but also an educational experience to savour. https://gurneyscider.com.au/
This tour will leave RACV Inverloch at around 9:30 am. Gurneys will be followed by lunch and further tasting opportunities at the Promontory Restaurant & Winery, 9 km down the road. From here the tour will head back to RACV Inverloch, arriving around 3:30pm.
Phillip Island Penguin Parade
Cost: AUD $70 + dinner
Duration: ~7 hours total
Details: The Penguin Parade is Victoria’s most popular tourist attraction. Phillip Island is home to the largest Little Penguin colony in the world. You can experience the magic of watching these amazing seabirds waddle home from the ocean to their burrows.
The bus will depart RACV Inverloch around 4:30pm and drive to Cowes on Phillip Island, picking up at San Remo any people from the Churchill Island excursion who wish to join this tour. There will be time for dinner at a restaurant in Cowes. Travellers from the Seals Rocks cruise can join the Penguin Parade tour here. After dinner the bus will take us to the Penguin Parade that begins at dusk. The bus will return to RACV Inverloch probably around 11pm.
Warm clothes and wind protection are essential
Churchill Island
Cost: AUD $55 + lunch
Duration: ~7.5 hours total
Details: Churchill Island is a 50.7-hectare island connected by a bridge to Phillip Island, which is in turn connected to the mainland island by another bridge. It is the site of the first European dwelling and garden in Victoria. It contains a working farm, cottages dating from the 1860s and a homestead dating from 1872, all fully restored and open to the public. The island adjoins the 670-hectare Churchill Island Marine National Park and abounds in bird life including some rare migratory birds. Enjoy the farm demonstrations (milking, sheering, the working sheep dog, etc.), go for an easy stroll around the island amongst the remnant flora, and/or relax at the café.
The bus will depart RACV Inverloch around 10:45am and drive to San Remo, picking up walkers from the George Bass Coastal Walk on the way. At San Remo we can witness feeding of the Pelicans and enjoy some decent quality fish and chips from the Sam Remo Fishermans Co-op, or bakery if you prefer, for lunch. The Bus will then drop us off at Churchill Island for the afternoon, and pick us up just before 4:30pm when Churchill Island closes to the public.
Churchill Island travellers can, if they elect, be dropped off at San Remo on the way back to Inverloch in order to join the Penguin Parade tour (@ extra cost $30).
Seal Rocks Boat Cruise
Cost: AUD $120 + lunch
Duration: ~7.5 hrs total
Details: Experience an up-close encounter with thousands of seals at Australia’s largest fur seal colony. Seal Rocks is situated 2km off the rugged southwest coast of Phillip Island. On this 2-hour cruise, the boat drifts within meters of the seals, enabling you to witness them in their natural environment firsthand. It is impossible not to be captivated by these naturally playful and inquisitive animals, as they regularly approach the boat for a closer look at you!
This excursion uses the same bus as the Churchill Island excursion. The bus will depart RACV Inverloch around 10:45am and drive to San Remo, picking up walkers from the George Bass Coastal Walk on the way. At San Remo we can witness feeding of the Pelicans and enjoy some decent quality fish and chips from the Sam Remo Fishermans Co-op, or something else from nearby shops if you prefer, for lunch. The Bus will then take us to the Cowes jetty to catch the Seals Rocks cruise. After the 2-hour cruise, the bus returns to RACV Inverloch by around 5:30pm.
Seal Rocks travellers can, if they elect, remain in Cowes after the cruise in order to join the Penguin Parade tour (@ extra cost $30). This would mean finding a beach or café in which to relax for 1.5 hours before dinner at a restaurant and joining the Penguin Parade at their bus in Cows around 8:00pm.
George Bass Coastal Walk
Cost: $0, but requires booking also on either Churchill Island or Seal Rocks tour, for bus transport.
Duration: An additional 2.5 hrs to those tours.
details: The George Bass Coastal Walk is a picturesque 7km (2+ hr) walk along headlands from Kilcunda to Punchbowl. Be well prepared with suitable footwear and all-weather clothing for this walk. The starting point for the walk at Kilcunda is a half-hour bus trip from RACV Inverloch. Another bus carrying the later-leaving Churchill Island and Seal Rocks tours will pick you up at Punchbowl and proceed to San Remo.
Because of transport constraints people taking this walk are obliged to join either the Churchill Island or Seal Rocks excursion. If you really would like to do this walk without the other tours, send an expression of interest to aasconf2022@gmail.com. Depending on numbers requesting this, and the logistics, we may consider this option.
Tour Combinations
| Tour Option | Tour options offered | Cost ($AUD) | Approx Duration (h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Cidery & Winery | $ 40.00 | 6 |
| B | Churchill Island | $ 55.00 | 7.5 |
| C | Seal Rocks | $ 120.00 | 7.5 |
| D | Penguin Parade | $ 70.00 | 7 |
| E | Cidery & Winery + Penguin Parade | $ 110.00 | 13 |
| F | Churchill Island + Penguin Parade | $ 85.00 | 13 |
| G | Seal Rocks + Penguin Parade | $ 150.00 | 13 |
| H | GB Coastal Walk + Churchill Island | $ 55.00 | 9.5 |
| I | GB Coastal Walk + Seal Rocks | $ 120.00 | 9.5 |
| J | GB Coastal Walk + Churchill Island + Penguin Parade | $ 85.00 | 15.5 |
| K | GB Coastal Walk + Seal Rocks + Penguin Parade | $ 150.00 | 15.5 |
Each combination, A to K, involves about 1.5 h to 2 h of bus travel in total, except for E which is more like 3.5 h travel, due to the Winery and Penguins being in almost exact opposite directions, East and West.
The cost of each tour covers transport and entrance fees where applicable. These costs do not include meals. Lunches and dinners are to be purchased by individuals along the way at scheduled stops (as indicated above).
Numbers will be limited by the number of available seats on buses. Buses will often be shared by more than one tour at a time, where direction and timing are compatible. If options are over- or under-subscribed, we may need to cancel and/or refund some individual bookings. We reserve the right to cancel elements if unviable.
To register for these tours, go to the registration page.