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Australian CouchSurfing Newsletter - November 2009
The Aussie Newsletter Production Mob - a team of dedicated CS volunteers from around Australia - is pleased to present the October 2009 edition of the CS Australia Newsletter.
The team has gathered news and photos from around the Australian states and territories and compiled it for your reading enjoyment. There's also safety advice, a "tip of the month" and some info on what's happening with CS around the globe.
Do you have some news for the CS Australia community? If you want to contribute regularly, you can join the Aussie Newsletter Production Mob. If you have just a single news item (preferably with photos), please email the "Feedback" address at the end of the Newsletter.
Around The States & Territories
Each month, we ask for contributions from local CouchSurfers in each State and Territory, relating to CS events that have happened during the month, and are upcoming for the following month. Here's what we got & dug up this month ...
Australian Capital Territory
Canberra last month
- The fortnightly Uni Pub meeting was held twice in October - check out the Canberra Group if you're going to be in town on a Tuesday night.
Coming up this month
- The Canberra CS crew are planning to create a "scavenger hunt" to educate visitors about some of the "hidden gems" around their city. Follow the group discussion, and why not plan your own scavenger hunt in your part of Australia?
New South Wales
Sydney last month
Opera House Tour
15 CouchSurfers braved torrential rain to take a peak inside the famous Opera House, which ran a free open day on Oct 25. The event proved very popular with long queues all the way back to the ferry wharf, but the CouchSurfers managed to jump to the front with priority passes thanks to pre-planning by Amy.
CS Monthly Meet - Halloween Party
Big thanks to Mark for organising a great spooky Halloween party at the Clarendon Hotel, and to all the CouchSurfers who made the effort to dress up! Missed it? Make sure you join the next monthly social to meet & connect with the local CS community.
Camping on Stockton Dunes
A large group of couchsurfers from Sydney & Newcastle braved the wind to camp on Stockton Dunes, and enjoyed exploring the dunes in 4WDs, and reviving old skool games such as leap frog & wheelbarrow races!
CS Weekly Social in Manly - venue change
A growing group of Couchsurfers have been meeting regularly every Thursday from 7pm in Manly for tasty beers and good conversation. Starting Nov 5, the venue is changing to CharlieBar, at North Steyne. If you want to meet some new people or just fancy a beer - why not drop in and say hello? Everyone is welcome - please [join the meeting here] and look for the little red couch on the table!
Sculpture by the Sea
A small group of couchsurfers went to see the collection of artworks entered for the 2009 Sculpture by the Sea competition, found along the coast between Bondi and Tamarama. A beautiful sunny day, some really cool, and some weird artwork, and lots of fun was enjoyed by all. Going early is recommended as the walk gets very busy. The works are being shown until Nov 15 so don't miss out - go and see it!
Game on
Even with warm weather for the last couple of weekends, the fortnightly board-game meeting at Petersham RSL on Sunday afternoons is still drawing a crowd. And with air-conditioned seating and ice-cold beer it actually proves to cool you down nicely - until your (former) Risk ally breaks your peace accord that is... :-) Why don't you join in next time?
Coming up this month
- For all the details on what's happening keep an eye on the Sydney Group and bookmark the Sydney events calendar.
There is something for everybody (salsa dancing, city/bush walking, festivals, weekend excursions, ...)!
- If you want to help organise these events or create new ones, please join the Sydney CS Group.
Regional NSW
Beach Volleyball and the Brewery evening - Newcastle
A regular monthly meeting is starting in Newcastle - the first meeting is set for Nov 13, and all CouchSurfers are welcome. After a game of beach volleyball and a swim for those who wish, stroll down to the brewery for a cleansing ale for those who are keen. It will be a great way meet the other CS'ers in Newcastle and any visitors that may be along. [Join the meeting here]
Northern Territory
Darwin last month
- Darwin hosted a couple of meetings at the Ski Club in October. See the details below if you're heading up that way and want to join in.
Coming up this month
- CS Darwin has started weekly meetings - 3pm Sundays at the Ski Club. Check out the group discussion for details.
Regional NT
Would you like to contribute to the newsletter? Check out the Aussie CS Newsletter Mob here
Queensland
Brisbane last month
Dinner - $2 Tacos & $3 Burritos
Every Monday meet couchsurfers at the Royal George Hotel, on Brunswick St. The taco/burrito special is on every week, and most weeks there will be a group of CSers enjoying them. But it's best to contact either Adrian or Maxine to double check if people are going.
- The regular Brisbane CS Zone was held twice in October - it's on every second Thursday, check the group for new event dates.
Coming up this month
- A camping trip is coming up soon.
- CS Brisbane Calendar
- If you don't see enough events here - why not organise your own!
Toowoomba in the news!
Geoff says: I'm the Ambassador for Toowoomba, Queensland. I decided to get more involved with CS after travelling through Europe and experiencing not just surfing, but the awesome community it promotes. Toowoomba is not-quite-rural, not-quite-big-city, so it can be pretty quiet at times. Therefore a lot of my role as Ambassador here is to try and promote CS locally and create this community almost from scratch, as well as maintaining links with CS communities close to us. Being interviewed for this article was a great help for this.
Read the article here in the Chronicle
- Airlie Beach has been a popular destination during the past month, with CS sailing hosts, Joey and John meeting up at Whitehaven Beach and other places for CS group dinner and adventure at the islands.
- On a recent trip to Cairns, friendly local hosts noted the exodus from the area with the pending hot / wet season.
South Australia
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Adelaide last month
- The Adelaide CS Zone monthly Meetup was held on October the 16th at the Griffins Head Hotel. For photos from our meetups, check out our Facebook page.
- Kirbanu came up with a fantastic way to spend a Sunday; "Boules, tea, food and then beach!". This happened on the 18th of October.
- Carolyne organised on the 31st of October a hike up Mount Lofty and a stop at Cleland Wildlife Park for those who dream of holding a real Koala...
Coming up this month
- Don't miss out this random CS meeting on Monday 2nd of November at the Grace Emily. This is from far the place to be on a Monday night if you enjoy some nice live music, a chilled atmosphere and typical Aussie bbq!
- You will be able to find friends to go to the Pearl Jam concert on the 17th of November posting here.
Regional SA
- Clare and Franziska are looking for people to join their road trip to Melbourne via the famous Great Ocean Road in mid-November. Feel free to contact them if you are interested or check their group thread.
If you are also looking for co-travellers to go to Alice Springs, Perth, the Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, the Great Ocean Road... Just post something on the Adelaide group. Enjoy!!!
Tasmania
| Tip Of The Month |
| Did you know that if your couch is set to "Coffee or Drink" the "CouchSurf with ..." button is automatically hidden from your profile?
All you need to do is edit the status of your couch! The "CouchSurf with ..." button will only be displayed when your couch is set to "Definitely" "Yes" or "Maybe". Keep your Couch Status current so people who are looking for a couch don't send you a request - it helps both people! |
Hobart last month
Lilian Lilian from France has been organising weekly meet ups in Hobart regular get togethers including Rektango, Salsa dancing and appreciating local brews.
Vanessa Vanessa organises monthly Francophile meet ups around Hobart so if you are fluent or just want to learn a few words to get ready for your next overseas trip, join up to the Hobart group to find when and where the next meeting is.
Travelling in Tas - The Tasman Peninsula
Coming up this month
- If you know of any events coming up in Hobart during November, please let us know!
Regional Tassie
- The East coast of Tasmania has been quiet throughout October. Janet has been spending time sending out many welcome notes to new members and would encourage others to consider joining the New Member Welcome Group, which is always seeking more volunteers to enthusiastically greet the many new CouchSurfers who sign up each day.
- There are a number of active Tasmanian CS groups which are a great resource for finding out what is happening in the State.
Victoria
Melbourne last month
CouchSurfing Zone @ Sister Bella
Couchsurfers have been meeting regularly every 2 weeks on a Tuesday at Sista Bella, on Sniders Lane. This is getting to be a bigger and bigger event each fortnight, so come along and join in if you are in the area. One or more of Melbourne's City or Nomadic Ambassadors will be there to welcome new & old travellers and help out where possible. For more info read this and check the Melbourne CS Google Calendar to see when it's on.
Tower Hill on the Great Ocean Road.
Despite having traveled along the Great Ocean Road many times, Melbourne Ambassador Craig1 recently discovered a new and exciting location. With Maria and Tiina from Finland and Nadia from France, he explored the unpromisingly named Tower Hill National Park near Warrnambool.
Despite the name, this is the crater of a very large extinct volcano. So driving down into the mouth has the feel of entering some Jurassic park.
There are lakes, swaps, bush and a steep hill in the center along with many emu, kangaroos, wallabies and koala all of which are human friendly or at least only slowly willing to move out of your way as you drive the circular road. There is also an excellent visitors center.
Craig1 now describes Tower Hill as a must see along the Great Ocean Road.
Coming up this month
- Check the Melbourne CS Google Calendar to see what's on.
Regional Vic
- We're looking forward to finding out what's happening with CS in regional Victoria. Please join the Aussie Newsletter Production Mobif you are interested in helping out.
Western Australia
Perth last month
The Perth CS Zone meetup found a new venue and has moved to the Rosemount Hotel in North Perth, keep an eye on the Perth group for details of the next meetup.
October was a busy month with many things going on including The Royal Show, film festivals, music festivals and gigs, birthday parties, the rodeo season well underway and also our very own Where On Earth Is Perth? Festival.
- Coffee Club goodness continues to alternate with the zone, travelling to Greens in Leederville on the 7th.
- Reggie organised a picnic on the Applecross foreshore on the 10th, with a dozen people braving cloudy skies, sheltering at Reggie's house down the road when the skies opened up and ending with a trip into Fremantle for some.
- The month finished off with our Where On Earth Is Perth? Festival running from 23rd to 31st October. We pub crawled through the streets of Freo; enjoyed wine, beer and chocolate in the Swan Valley; went Mexican for the Freo Meetup; had our zone night at the Rosemount Hotel, drank coffee and had cake at Greens and finished off the week at a Halloween party at Matt's farm where we were treated to live music, belly dancers and a huge bonfire. An amazing week, absolutely brilliant to meet so many wonderful new people and catch up with those we hadn't seen for a while.
Coming up this month
It's finally warming up in Perth and outdoor events are back on the agenda. November is all about barbeques, beach parties and picnics.
Regular events - Please check the boards for updates
The Perth Spanish Speakers meet-up approximately 3 times per month, check out the group for details.
Fremantle last month
The Fremantle meetup was held at Zapata's on October 27th as part of the Where On Earth Is Perth? festival, keep an eye on the Freo Crew group for upcoming details for next month’s meet up and other events.
Regional WA
- We're looking forward to finding out what's happening with CS in regional Western Australia. Please join the Aussie Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested in helping out.
General CS News
| Your Safety |
Your Safety is important! Here's a quick summary of the safety tools that CS provides to help you stay safe when surfing and hosting.
Surfing Safety
Hosting Safety
Ultimately, you - the CouchSurfer - are responsible for your safety on the road and while hosting. Use the tools, use common sense, and stay safe! |
The Boxing Kangaroo Awards
Each month, we like to bring attention to the efforts of CS members who have made a decent contribution to the CS community in their area. It's our way of saying thanks and of bringing attention to some of the great work being done around the country.
To nominate someone, just join the Aussie Newsletter Production Mob and submit your nomination, or email the "Feedback" link at the end of the page.
Your Aussie CS Ambassadors
You may have noticed some changes happening within CS and the Ambassadors (Ambs) are no exception – there has been a review process to revaluate those who were interested in becoming an Amb, and those who no longer wanted to be Ambs. A new wave of trained and mentored Ambassadors have been introduced over the last couple of weeks, and more are set to appear!
New for Australia are: The full list can be found [here.]
- [Joanna] from Hobart, Australia - City Ambassador
- [Sharon] from Perth, Australia - City Ambassador
- [Amy] from Sydney, Australia - City Ambassador
- [Blair] from New Farm, Australia - City Ambassador
Australian Statistics
If you are interested in how many surfers there are now in Australia and where they all are and what they are all doing go and have a look at the statistics pages - it is all quite fascinating and you get to check out the rest of the world at the same time ..... ever wondered how many Couches there are in Abu Dhabi??
Website Technical Developments
If you are interested in following the Tech developments you might find what you are looking for here.
Tips and hints for better CouchSurfing
For more tips and hints to improve your profile or your experience of Couchsurfing go to: Australian Tips Hints and links to better CouchSurfing
Tips for finding a couch, hosting, and being a better guest: [CouchSurfing tips]
Other Helpful Links at a Glance
Archive
To review past issues of the CS Australia newsletter, check out the Archive.
Feedback
To provide Feedback or a news story for this newsletter, please email the team.
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| Australia | Australia pages | Cities | Other links |
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Adelaide • Brisbane • Canberra • Darwin • Gold Coast • Hobart • Melbourne • Newcastle • Perth • Sunshine Coast • Sydney • Wollongong |
| CREDITS |
| The Australian CS Newsletter is produced monthly by the Aussie Newsletter Production Mob. The statements and opinions presented in this newsletter are those of the Contributors and Editor, and do not reflect the official position of CouchSurfing International. |
