Convention 2006 Tours and Activities for Quotarians and Guests
(Pre- and Post-Convention)

Australia's glittering Gold Coast is more than a meeting destination—it's a wonderful vacation spot that you, your friends, and your family will enjoy. Pre- and post-convention tours also offer the chance to meet new Quota friends who you just might remember for a lifetime!

Sign up for all tours (except golf) using the Convention 2006 Registration Form published in the 2006 Quotarian magazine (mailed in February 2006) or print the Convention 2006 Registration Form from this Web site beginning January 2006. If you have any specific questions about any activity, please contact Beris Pritchard, South Pacific Area Liaison, at berisp@worldoptions.com.au.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Australia Zoo—Crocodile Feeding
Full Day (9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.)
Aus.$98.00 / U.S.$83.00
(Includes roundtrip motor coach transportation, morning tea at South Bank, tour escort and commentary, entry fees. Lunch on your own at the Australia Zoo.)

Welcome to the CROC EXPRESS TOUR—a fun-filled day of shows and demonstrations made famous by the antics of TV personality Steve Irwin (alias the Crocodile Hunter)! Our tour takes us from the Gold Coast along the scenic M1 Highway to South Bank, where we will take a short break for morning tea before heading north to the Sunshine Coast and Steve Irwin's famous Australia Zoo. South Bank follows the Brisbane River along the southern side of the city. The South Bank parkland offers fabulous and attractive walkways and pretty views and scenery.

You will have time to experience the best of the amazing Australia Zoo…this wildlife "Theme Park" is too good to rush! Spend three hours at the Zoo taking in the crocodile feeding, snake handling, and watching the skilled handlers walk through the zoo with many of the animals from the park.

See Harriet the Tortoise, feed farm animals, and watch their playful antics. Wander past camels, foxes, cassowaries, and dingoes. You can also pat a koala perched in the crook of a tree or get up close and personal with some kangaroos.

Please bring or wear a sun hat, light clothing with a weatherproof jacket, and comfortable foot wear.

Gold Coast Canal Cruising—Afternoon Tea Cruise
Afternoon (1:30 - 4:30 p.m.)
Aus.$50.00 / U.S.$43.00
(Includes roundtrip transportation to Marina Mirage, afternoon tea, tour escort and commentary.)

It has been said that there are more canals and waterways on the Gold Coast than in Venice Italy. Today you have the opportunity to see for yourself. We have arranged for an afternoon cruise to experience the labyrinth of waterways lined with homes ranging from modest villas to multi-million dollar estates. Come cruising the canal estates and waterways aboard the Spirit of Paradise and discover what is behind the tourist strip. Relax aboard the two-hour Afternoon Tea Cruise, and enjoy the informative commentary.

Please bring or wear a sun hat, light clothing with a weatherproof jacket, and comfortable foot wear.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

St. Helena Island Historic Penal Colony Tour
Full day (8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
Aus.$98.00 / U.S.$83.00
(Includes roundtrip motor coach transportation, catamaran crossings, morning tea, BBQ lunch, entry fees, and tour escort.)

Welcome to St. Helena Island and our CAT -O'-NINE-TAILS tour! Today is your chance to experience part of Australia's convict history as we journey to St. Helena Island—now owned and run by the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service—for a re-enactment of life in Queensland's first major penal settlement that operated from 1867 to 1932. At its peak, St. Helena Prison held 300 prisoners.

Long before a prisoner was ever incarcerated there, Aboriginal people visited the island to feast on whatever was in season, from flying-foxes in the dry rainforest to shellfish in the surrounding waters. A midden, stone artifact and shell scatters remind us of their way of life.

Our escorted motor coach will deliver us to Manly Harbour, where we will travel via catamaran to St. Helena Island. We will be the guests of the St. Helena Theatre Troupe who immerse themselves in the tragic history of the island and take us on a journey of what life was really like as a prisoner there. Our tour includes morning tea and a delicious BBQ lunch with dessert. While we are on St. Helena Island, we will enjoy spectacular views of the Port of Brisbane and view historic remains and artifacts. This is truly a historic tour that you won't want to miss!

Please bring or wear a sun hat, light clothing with a weatherproof jacket, sun screen, mosquito repellent, a water bottle, and comfortable footwear.

Stradbroke Island Cultural Tour
Full day (8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
Aus.$98.00 / U.S.$83.00
(Includes roundtrip motor coach transportation, lunch, barge crossings, travel escort and commentary)

This will arguably be one of the most remembered tours of South East Queensland. You will experience Aboriginal culture like never before! Stradbroke Island is steeped in history, and who better to share it with us than "Aunty Margaret," Aboriginal elder of MINJERRIBAH.

The tour includes story telling of the Aboriginal traditions, a display of artifacts, and the making of Johnny Cakes—a traditional food for all to enjoy after the talk.

Aunty Margaret will share with you traditions passed on by elders before her and her life as a youngster on the island. Learn of the British Institution built for alcoholics, mental patients, and aboriginals. Learn how the traditional aboriginal ways of gathering oysters, fish, and edible plants was forbidden and replaced with coupons for meager handouts, and hear what happened when the British left the island. Nothing was ever to be the same.

The tour includes your participation in one of three workshop opportunities: boomerang painting, plate painting using Aboriginal designs, or boomerang throwing. Enjoy time to stroll around Dunwich Township and enjoy the Point Lookout Gorge walk. A delicious island lunch at Point Lookout is included in your tour.

Please bring or wear a sun hat, light clothing with a weatherproof jacket, and comfortable footwear.

Friday, July 21, 2006
Please check the Convention 2006 schedule for any pre-convention activities that might conflict with today's tours. Activities scheduled this day include Governors Seminar, Governors Reunion, Opening Ceremonies practices, committee meetings, etc. To view the latest schedule, click here.

Gold Coast Golf: Hope Island Golf Course
Morning
Aus.$120.00 / U.S.$96.00 (estimated)
(Price includes 18 holes of golf and cart. Transportation and golf club rental extra. Sign up for this tour at Convention 2006 and pay all fees at the golf course.)

Designed by five times British Open Champion Peter Thomson and his partner Mike Wolverige, Hope Island Golf Course is the only links style course on the Gold Coast. Enjoy a morning round of golf with your new and old Quota friends!

Hinterland and Winery Tour
Full day (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
Aus.$50.00 / U.S.$43.00
(Includes roundtrip motor coach transportation, Devonshire morning tea, wine tasting, travel escort. Lunch on your own.)

Our day begins with a visit to Canungra Valley Vineyards, nestled in the peaceful Canungra Valley in the Gold Coast Hinterland, a scenic 45-minute drive west of the Gold Coast. This area is one of Australia's newly emerging wine growing regions. Canungra Valley soil is well suited to grapes, because the rich river loam has built up over centuries by the flooding creek and a naturally occurring layer of gravel a meter under the surface allows for excellent drainage. Eight of the 15 acres of land belonging to the Vineyard are "under vine," consisting of 4,000 vines of primarily Chambourcin and Semillon grapes. Our morning will include a lovely Devonshire morning tea and wine tasting.

Afterwards, we will travel to Tamborine Mountain in the Hinterland. Despite drought conditions in many regions, Mt Tamborine's water supply comes from an underground water table. The locals grow most of their own fruit and vegetables in the rich soil and plant life thrives. They are very proud of their produce and are also very resourceful. Sample local cheese and chocolates, and enjoy the Grand Walk of local art and craft shop. Artistic talent abounds on Tamborine Mountain, and you'll enjoy browsing the local arts and crafts outlets. There is time for you to stroll Tamborine Village and enjoy lunch on your own at one of the numerous little cafés and restaurants offering a wide variety of food. The diverse range of restaurants, eating houses, and cafés represents the rich brew of nationalities and cuisines, including Polish, Italian, Swiss, French, Mexican, Russian, German, Austrian, Japanese, Chinese, English, and Scottish and, of course, the latest in modern Australian dining.

Please bring or wear a sun hat, light clothing with a weatherproof jacket, and comfortable footwear.

Brisbane City and Lone Pine Animal Sanctuary Tour
Full day (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)
Aus.$50.00 / U.S.$43.00
(Includes roundtrip motor coach transportation, morning tea and pie tasting at Yatala Pies, attraction entry fees, and travel escort. Lunch on your own.)

Our journey from the Gold Coast takes us first to Yatala—the home of the famous Yatala Pies—and a landmark in the local area for more than 100 years. From humble beginnings as a small pie shop on the Pacific Highway, the company has relocated to large, modern, landscaped premises nearby and employs 60 staff. From modest sales of about 200 pies a day a little over a decade ago, the company now sells more than 2,000 pies a day plus sweet pastries. We take a morning tea stop here, where you may like to purchase a pie or two.

After a short tour of Brisbane City, where we will pass through many of the suburbs carrying Aboriginal names—these include Indooroopilly, Yeerongpilly, and Toowong—we head to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Lone Pine is situation just 11 kilometers from the city and is renowned for its Aussie animals. It is here you will have an opportunity to cuddle a Koala, feed the Kangaroos, and see our famous sheep dogs as they herd their sheep. Take a relaxing break from exploring the sanctuary and enjoy a meal at the sanctuary's alfresco café in the beautiful, natural setting.

Before leaving for our trip back to Conrad Jupiters Hotel, pick up some unique Australian souvenirs to remember your wildlife experience—jewelry, books, and Aboriginal art souvenirs that are unique to Australia and will bring back wonderful memories of your Aussie travels.

Monday, July 24, 2006
Monday tours are scheduled to take place after the final business session ends at 12:00 noon.

Paradise Star Canal Cruise
Two-hour cruise (1:30 - 4:00 p.m.)
Aus.$40.00 / U.S.$34.00
(Includes afternoon tea. No transportation is needed. Dock is located a short walk from the Conrad Jupiters Hotel.)

This two-hour cruise leaves from right outside Conrad Jupiters and cruises past some of Australia's most expensive real estate and spectacular homes of the rich and famous, multi-million dollar residential canal estates and high rise apartments. The cruise includes informative commentary, complimentary tea, coffee, and cool drinks, and a tempting variety of biscuits (cookies).

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Afternoon (1:30 - 4:30 p.m.)
Aus.$45.00 / U.S.$38.00
(Includes roundtrip transportation, entry fees, tour escort)

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the world's largest collection of Australian native animals, is situated on the southern part of the Gold Coast with its myriad of lakes. The sanctuary provides a truly world-class wildlife experience for its visitors, where you can see native animals face to face in natural surroundings. With over 27 hectares of landscaped surrounds and bushland and over 1,400 mammals, birds, and reptiles, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary offers a unique natural experience.

Originally known for the lorikeet feeding, these wild birds still flock twice daily to the grounds to be hand-fed by guests. At the Crocodile Wetlands attraction, guests can get closer than ever to the saltwater crocodiles, and at the Free Flight Bird Spectacular, majestic birds of prey display their natural abilities in silent flight. And don't miss the amazing Snakes Alive Show, where you will see some of the world's most venomous snakes and find out what to do if you ever encounter one in the wild.

Please bring or wear a sun hat, light clothing with a weatherproof jacket, and comfortable footwear.

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