Far From The Crowds

Outside the big cities, there’s a whole new world of
conferencing options available in pleasant rural surroundings.

Venturing south from Sydney, the coastal region comprises 2 distinct areas – the Illawarra including Wollongong and the Shoalhaven, and the South Coast, which continues to Eden and the Victorian border.

Follow this link to locate a >> conference venue on the South Coast of NSW

Accessed by road from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, the South Coast has a wealth of meetings options, from Wollongong in the north to Batemans Bay and Moruya, Narooma and Merimbula further south. The big cities and small atmospheric towns and villages provide the backdrop for everything from major conferences to executive retreats.

For those conference organisers who think Wollongong is all work and no play, they can now look for post conference inspiration at the new 5 star Tumbling Waters Retreat. The luxury lodge, located at Stanwell Tops overlooking Wollongong’s northern coastal villages, opened in 2002 and this year opened a new $500,000 cliff top Bathhouse.

POST CONFERENCE PAMPERING

The fern-framed Bathhouse has amazing ocean vistas, a striking, solar-heated infinity pool, indoor and outdoor jacuzzis, steam room, steam shower and a massage centre. Accessed by a bridge over the cascading creek that gave the retreat its name, the Tumbling Waters Bathhouse is perfect for soaking away the stress of a hard conference program.

Nestled in cliff top rainforest beside Royal National Park, the $4 million Tumbling Waters Retreat has luxury boutique accommodation for just 4 couples. They represent complete luxury with lavish beds and marble bathrooms with heated floors and cast-iron tubs for 2.
Guests also enjoy outdoor and indoor dining, barbeque facilities, flatscreen televisions, complimentary Champagne and chocolates, and the attentions of Bailey, the retreat’s friendly canine ambassador.

SPORTS MINDED

For the sports minded conference delegate, Wollongong also has 7 top class golf courses, including championship links on the sand dunes behind City Beach and rolling greens tucked into the folds of the Illawarra Escarpment. Tourism Wollongong has produced a new brochure detailing the 7 courses between Helensburgh in the north and Calderwood in the south. Also included are The Grange Golf Club at Kembla Grange, Port Kembla Golf Club, Illawarra Golf Club at Darkes Forest and Wollongong Golf Club on the edge of the city centre. Many of these golf clubs also have extensive conference and function facilities.

With the recent closure of Australia’s Wonderland, Jamberoo Recreation Park is now the largest theme park in New South Wales. In September, it added 2 new water rides, Billabong Beach and Rapid River. Although it might seem that Jamberoo is just for kids, an increasing number of corporate groups have taken advantage of the facility. Located between Wollongong and Kiama, Jamberoo caters for any sized group from 20 to 5,000 people.

GOING WILD

An increasing number of groups, such as a well known Sydney based pharmaceutical company, have taken advantage of Jamberoo’s meeting facilities. While the company meets, its families utilise Jamberoo’s exciting range of rides and attractions. The Loft and The Marquee are just two of the function venues on offer. The Loft can seat up to 160 people while The Marquee accommodates up to 350 people.

Spread over 30 hectares, Jamberoo Recreation Park also offers 2 bobsled tracks, Le Mans racing cars, Wet Racer speedboats on a man-made lake, an 18 hole mini-golf course and much more.

In July, Accor announced it would develop Wollongong’s first new international hotel in more than a decade. Expected to open mid 2006, the Hotel Ibis Wollongong will be built in the heart of the city. It will encompass 153 guestrooms and a restaurant. It will be a budget alternative to Accor’s other Wollongong property, the highly respected Novotel Northbeach Wollongong conference hotel.

MEETINGS MAGIC

Novotel Northbeach Wollongong has introduced a new “Conference Cafe” to their conference floor on level 4. Opening at 7.30am each morning, delegates can now be assured of soothing espressos or cappuccino before their workday begins. Conference lunches are also now available in the hotel’s Windjammers restaurant, which features stunning ocean and Wollongong Harbour views.

Further south, the Eurobodalla region, centred around Batemans Bay, has a strong conference focus with such properties as the Murramarang Resort and the Coachhouse Marina Resort.