Australian CS Newsletter July 2009
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JULY 2009
Welcome to the monthly Australian CS Newsletter!!
Your one-stop-shop to all things CS in the Australian community. News from around the states, Aussie CS and general CS updates, stats, opinions, hints and tips. READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Done something fun lately with your fellow CS members and guests?? Wanna boast about it and get your photos seen?? Then help in the making of this newsletter each month and let your CS community shine!
We are always looking for people who would like to contribute to the newsletter.
Join the Aussie Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested. Just join up and post something or email the moderators.
News from around the Australian States
The following news is brought to you by your Aussie Newsletter Production Mob
Want to be an Couchsurfing Ambassador? Applications are now open again - Apply here - we could use the support and extra hands. Get on board, it's all about participation!
Queensland
We would be extremely happy to get some CS news from regional Queensland. Please join the Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested in helping out.
Brisbane in June
Camping at Mount Warning for the Queens Birthday long weekend
At the start of June, a group of CS’ers went on a camping trip to Mount Warning for the Queens Birthday Long weekend. The idea snowballed with Renee Van Trier posting a message - a group of her friends & Renee were heading down to Mt Warning for the Queen's b'day weekend. Would anyone like to join them?
When we got there, including me (Gayle), there were about 19 people - CouchSurfers & non-CSers. The first night we sat around the fire (it was cold) & we couldn't get close enough to the fire as we were such a big group :) We chatted & exchanged stories.
The next day, some people climbed Mt Warning in the morning, despite the wet weather. A few of us went looking for elusive waterfalls. We drove almost half the day, got lost twice (went to a private waterfall which of course we weren't allowed to play in!), but finally arrived at a waterfall (can't remember the name now) which wasn't very well signposted. Anyway, we took the chance & found this amazing rainforest & then the waterfalls.
That night saw another bonfire, some more marshmallows being roasted & even more bonding. There were fire entertainers as well. Most of the group went to bed early as they were going to climb Mt Warning at some ungodly hour the next morning to see the sunrise. The rest lingered by the fire till after midnight exchanging stories & talking about experiences (esp of the supernatural kind!)
We all left the next day & of course took that lovely group shot before we did. It was loads of fun & I think by the end of it the non-CSers were seriously considering becoming CSers for more fun times. All camping photos are shown with thanks to Gayle :)
CS Social at the Plough Inn
The fortnightly CS social event at The Plough Inn is becoming much more popular, and we had another 2 meets there in June. Despite the cold weather, rain and quite a lot of locals travelling or working away at the moment, we are still getting quite a good number of people showing up to do the CS thing and meet, share stories and have fun. Why don’t you come along to the next one? Click here for more info
Coming up in August -
Coming up in early August we are planning for a group of Brisbane CS’ers to do their Scuba PADI Open Water Certifications which will result in a weekend at Stradbroke Island. Click here for the thread in the Brisbane group. Certified divers are also welcome to come along and we will be doing other cool fun stuff when we are not diving. Partying, bush walking and perhaps 4x4’ing.
Victoria
We would be extremely happy to get some CS news from rural Victoria. Please join the Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested in helping out.
Melbourne in June
St Andrew's Market - Queen's Birthday Long Weekend
A convoy of CouchSurfers made a very relaxing countryside drive up to St Andrews over the long weekend to experience the eclectic St Andrews Market set within nature as its beautiful back drop. The day was spent wandering through the varied stores and rounding it off at the chai tent. It was inevitable that the group ended up in the warmth of the St Andrews local pub and an impromptu wine stop at the Lovegrove Winery on the way back to Melbourne. More fun times were to be had back in Melbourne as the remaining CouchSurfers stopped by the Hare Krishna Temple for a deliciously free Indian dinner and more drinks in the city. It was a great Saturday adventure in and out of Melbourne and the company was fantastic! Till the next Queen's Birthday!
June Foodies Night
Melbourne's revived foodies night was yet another success with a turn out of over 25 CouchSurfers at Shanghai Noodle House. Plenty of dumplings and noodles were served up as CouchSurfers mingled between the two long tables which accommodated us. The night ended with drinks and a treat to a few live performances at Section8 Bar. Keep your eyes peeled for the next foodies night in July!
Couch Burning Mark II
They came, they saw, they burnt a Couch. The Winter Solstice was again celebrated by about 30 Couchsurfers, all of whom braved the 3 hour drive and drizzle to yes, BURN A COUCH. (Or two...)
The umbrellas came out as the couches, decorated with *environmentally friendly* paint and glitter, were heaved onto the bonfire, and everyone made merry - well, as merry as you can make with the weather gods throwing a ton of rain down the back of your neck. There was singing, dancing, chatting, barbecuing, poi, twirling, unicycle riding, beer drinking, fire walking (directly related to beer drinking, by the way) and even some ankle breaking - sorry, Chloe. Heal well!
Thanks go to the 4 couchsurfers who turned up to build the bonfire, as well as Keith, who lent his paddock for the occasion. Thanks to Erin for the review.
Coming up in July
Don't forget, the Melbourne CS Zone - Every second Tuesday from 5:30pm. One or more of Melbourne's City or Nomadic Ambassadors will be on location at our new winter venue - Sister Bella (Sniders Lane, Melbourne) to welcome new & old travellers and help out where possible. This is getting to be a bigger and bigger event each fortnight! For more info read this and check the Melbourne CS Google Calendar to see when it's on.
Happy Surfing !!
Western Australia
Perth!
- Well, the winterly weather certainly hasn't stopped the CS spirit from continuing in Perth! In fact it appears that some just cant get enough of each others company! The fortnightly Brass Monkey meetings every 2nd Wednesday continue to be the official Perth CS meeting and many other events have taken place in and around Perth during June.
- The Coffee Clubbers met up on the 6th June at Exomod Cafe in the city, which was followed by a dinner in Northbridge, then some dubstepping for others.
- Salsa at the Mustang bar each Tuesday has become a weekly encounter for the Salsa buffs amongst us.
- Jacqui, Rose and Ben in true CS spirit held a welcome/farewell party for their Flatmate Manuel on a blustery rainy night! However this did not stop the festivities and fun was had by all!
- Cowboy Rod in a case of the crazy leading the crazy is taking a group of CSers on a Road trip up to Geraldton/Kalbarri/Monkey Mia/Coral Bay/Exmouth way to explore the north of our beautiful state!
- Blair made a one night pilgrimage back to Perth for a night of farewells, randomness, craziness, newbies and music.
- Scott took an EOI: Photographic Theory and Practice Day on June 13 which went off fabulously the photography enthusiasts were let loose around Fremantle snapping to their hearts delight, followed by a photo decompression at X-ray Cafe!
Thanks to everyone who hosted and attended events! Don't let the weather stop you for coming out and enjoying Perth and meeting some new friends and catching up with old ones.
Fremantle!
- To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of CS, Rafeena, Ayesha and Simone held a pot luck dinner for all CSers new and old. Over 40 people turned up for what ended up being a great night with even better food and amazing profiteroles!
- The unofficial Fremantle CS Zone Meetup was held at Clancy's Fish Pub. Next months meeting will have a short hiatus as Freo Ambassador Rafeena will be heading north to Broome with Simone to spread the CS word and meet up with hosts along the way. If anyone is interested in any of these meetings or will be on the road at that time get in touch through the Freo Crew Group
- For more in and around Fremantle keep an eye on the Freo Crew group for upcoming details for next months meet up and other events
Coming Up in July
- Matt an Awesome new Couchsurfer has kindly organised Some Funk clubbing goodness for those of your that want to get down and Funky at the Funk Club at at the Leederville Hotel (UPSTAIRS), just mention you are with CouchSurfing and you get in for $5 before 9.30pm.
This Friday is Ladies night, Girls come and show your support and guys come and show your appreciation.
- Our 3rd International Food night on the 4th July. Come and share a dish from your country and try foods from other countries!
- Coffee Club - Next meeting on the 1st July
- Spanish speakers meet-up each Monday at Valentino's restaurant in Northbridge
- Reveltion Film Festival 2nd - 12th July at the Astor Cinema in Mt Lawley
- 40+ group Dinner Club - See board for update
We would love to get some CS news from regional Western Australia. Please join the Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested in helping out.
New South Wales
CS activities in Sydney!
Fortnightly board games fun – It was an epic battle of RISK! Mad rampages vs. clever diplomacy, hall of honor for brave fighters vs. rule book lessons, and best of all great fun with great people (and no fist-fights)! Once we got under way we could not stop (for 8 hours or so)... :-)
Really awesome afternoon/night, we had about 15 people there and we will do this AGAIN EVERY 2 WEEKS from now. Same time, same location (you got to love these prices!).
So make sure to grab any of your board games/cards and come on over to Petersham RSL club on Sunday, 5 JULY, 2pm!
Outdoor adventures x2 - James organized two great outdoor adventures on the Queen's birthday long weekend: On Saturday, James and Michael drove eight Couchsurfers from Sydney and beyond to the Blue Mountains for a great sunny day of abseiling action. Feeling perfectly safe under the expert supervision of our scout instructor we did not hesitate to jump off the 20-25 m cliff...
Then on Monday the two 4WD cars met yet again (filled with 10 enthusiastic passengers) on Stockton beach to play in the dunes. Great fun, but also great stress for the engines, so eventually one did not make it back to Sydney...
State of Origin #2 - Thanks to the early efforts of Troy to organize the tickets, six Sydney-siders cheered on the Blues of NSW at the 2nd State of Origin game in the ANZ arena in Sydney's Olympic Park. While we managed a remarkable recovery in the 2nd half it just was not quite enough to break the series, so as most of the other 80,000 fans we left rather disappointed by the victory of Queensland.
Winter Warmer Meal & Ian's Farewell - Bryon generously hosted a delicious Winter Warmer Meal in his amazing CBD flat, featuring great food and even live music to go with it! And then he led the crowds on a memorable pub crawl through Newtown. More than 15 couchsurfers including some new faces turned up over the course of the night, and some also got lost along the way :-) We managed to sample up to 8 bars before ending the night in the city for Ian's farewell for some while others stayed behind and rocked the dancefloor in Marly Bar until late.
Wrong Prom #2 - Five dirty dancers gathered around Freddy in the CarriageWorks to learn the moves of the famous movie and have a ball at the 2nd evening of the Wrong Prom series. With free makeup, wigs and other props available everybody really got into the 80s spirit showing off some amazing moves and lip-sync talent... The crowded dancefloor should have been a warning, but still we were disappointed that event #3 sold out weeks in advance, so all hopes for another round of disco dancing rest on the last chance on August 5th (from 7.30 pm) - this time with optional roller blades Xanadu style!
NEW venue for Monthly CS social - Rumors have it that thanks to Elvire we have found a potential new home for your monthly gatherings. The next get-together has been tentatively scheduled for July 10th in the Wharf Restaurant, coinciding it with the wharf sessions. Check the forum for final confirmation and to suggest other possible venues.
Hunter Valley Day Out - Sam did this trip 2 weeks in a row as it seems to be a couchsurfing favourite... might have something to do with an event involving alcohol! We were lucky on both days as the rain stayed away while everyone back in Sydney stayed wet wet wet. What could go wrong when you're surrounded by good wine, beer, chocolate, cheese & gelato with the odd kangaroo coming out to play? Nothing. We all had fun. Special mention to Serena's provocative poses with statues in the Mistletoe winery gardens, and of course Ed entertaining us on the bus with his ukulele!
Thursday CS Social in Manly - A growing group of Couchsurfers have been meeting regularly every Thursday from 7pm at the 4 Pines micro-brewery in Manly, for tasty beers and good conversation. If you want to meet some new people or just fancy a beer - why not drop in and say hello? And to those who live in Manly... no more excuses please :p Next meeting is July 9 – check the Sydney board for event details.
Tons of other activities -
A massive number of other events have also been happening in June! To name just a few:
Flashmob for Earth Day, various Blue Mountain bus trips led by Sam, VIVID Sydney festival (Lightwalks, FireWater theater) etc etc - a big thanks to all the organizers for your community spirit!
Keep it up and spread the word...
For all the details on what's happening keep an eye on the Sydney Group and bookmark the Sydney events calendar.
Coming up in July
… if you want to help organise these events or invent new ones of your own, please post on the Sydney Group board
- Sydney Burning Beers - social gathering for Burners - July 4
- Tasty beers in Manly; regular CS social meeting – every Thursday
We would love to get some more CS news from regional New South Wales. Please join the Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested in helping out.
South Australia
Foods & drinks on Friday
Event link: None (I forgot!)
After seeing a few posts in the Adelaide group regarding arrivals of couch surfers it was decided that a Friday meet up should be organized. Cafe Brunelli on Rundall Street was chosen due to it's central location in the city and most people turned up on the dot.
<more to go here>
Proposed regular CS meeting
Event link: here
Adelaide CS is looking at establishing a regular CS meeting in the CBD on a basis yet to be determined (Possibly weekly, fortnightly or monthly) and wants your input. If you are visiting Adelaide or are a member of the group and haven't put in your opinion now is the time!
Adelaide CS group
The Adelaide CS group welcomes new events, suggestions & ideas. Head on over to have your say, for photos from our meetups check out our Facebook page
Australian Capital Territory
We would be extremely happy to get some CS news from the Australian Capital Territory. Please join the Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested in helping out.
Tasmania
Coming up in July
Joanna has finally got in to gear and has organised a Pot Luck at her place on Sunday July 19 from 1pm. The event has a very strong curry theme to warm the cockles of ones heart and the bottom of one's belly. If anyone is heading down to Hobart that weekend and are at a loose end they are more than welcome to come along, enjoy a cosy fire, good conversation and a tasty meal. So far a lovely amount of local Hobart hosts have given the heads up they are coming and Jo will making it official by posting an event on CS closer to the date.
Janet is taking a short break from hosting as she has started a new job and is busy busy busy training, but really looking forward to hosting more in the later part of winter and through spring/summer.
Northern Territory
We would be extremely happy to get some CS news from the Northern Territory. Please join the Newsletter Production Mob if you are interested in helping out.
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 Newsletter Production Mob and submit your nomination.
Our Ambassadors
Congratulations and welcome to 3 new Aussie Ambassadors:
Looking to track down an Ambassador for whatever reason? Your Aussie ambs are listed here.
New Australian Groups
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 Madagascar??
International CouchSurfing News
CouchSurfing has announced a site redesign and new logo to go live on 1 March - read more about this here
Couchsurfing in the Media
The call for experienced editors As you may have heard, CS Org have created a CS News Channels page which will allow for communication to members and volunteers on a scale they have not had yet. Some of these channels are member-made, some are created by volunteers, and others are newsletters adapted for the web.
To receive news from the official channels just edit your subscription settings.
Website Technical Developments
With the millionth member joining the site (whether you believe this to be accurate or not) the new site navigation and logo were rolled out. We're sure you couldn't have missed that seeing as it's everywhere!!!
There are changes afoot with the wiki that could restrict access to edit a wiki to a core team - the impact on the newsletter and how it functions is still to be seen.
The CouchSurfing chat room was closed at the same time as the new navigation for the site went active.
If you are interested in following the Tech developments you will find what you are looking for here.
What is the current Status of your Couch?
As you know you can edit the status of your couch.
Did you know that if you have your Couch unavailable the "Request to Couchsurf with" button is removed?
So as not to receive CouchSurfing requests while you are travelling or unable to host, make sure the status of your couch is what you want it to be. It will solve a lot of unwanted emails. At the same time, it will help those looking for a couch so they don't have to spend time messaging people unable to help them!
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
Other Helpful Links at a Glance
Other CS areas that might interest:
- A new overview of Couchsurfing has been provided called the Cheat Sheet
Aussie Newsletter Archive
As you can see below there is a wealth of other Aussie CS Newsletters to look back on if you wish - enjoy!!
- Australian CS Newsletter July 2009
- Australian CS Newsletter June 2009
- Australian CS Newsletter May 2009
- Australian CS Newsletter April 2009
- Australian CS Newsletter March 2009
- Australian CS Newsletter February 2009
- Australian CS Newsletter January 2009
- Australian CS Newsletter December 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter November 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter October 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter September 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter August 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter July 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter June 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter May 2008
- Australian CS Newsletter April 2008
- Australian_CS_Newsletter_March_2008
- Australian_CS_Newsletter February 2008
