Something Different in Koroit, Victoria

The Bank, Koroit

On a trip to regional south west Victoria I stayed in the little country town called Koroit at a place called 'The Bank.' Its about 5 minutes west of Warrnambool and 3 hours along the Princess Hwy from Melbourne.

I found it a really great alternative to the typical regional hotel/motel.

The building is a converted ANZ Bank circa 1920 with many of the original features such as the bank vault converted into the kitchen and the teller benches converted into a bar.

If you are looking for a high standard of accommodation for business, a romantic getaway, or a family vacation then this is an ideal little secret. At just $120 per night (check rates on their web site) for a well appointed B&B style place with 2 bedrooms, a large lounge area, a separate kitchen, and private off street parking its great value.

It would be an ideal base for doing business in the Warrnambool to Portland area. You are also easy access to fabulous surfing beaches, the Great Ocean Road, Port Fairy, The Grampians and the very interesting 'Tower Hill' the site of a dormant Volcano that erupted about 30,000 years ago leaving a funnel shaped crater, a series of 'cones' and a crater lake.

The Bank Koroit has a web site.

Things to do with a day in Hobart Tasmania

Sometimes in the hectic process of doing business for whatever reason and despite the best laid plans you can find yourself with time on your hands. When you do, grab the opportunity with both hands, see some sights, smell the smells…..

Some Food

Your number one priority should always to make sure that you have a good spot pegged out for a meal. That can represent itself in a lot of different ways, from fine dining to fish & chips on the beach. A nice place to eat can be hit or miss if you don’t have the benefit of some local knowledge.

There is blog site called 'Food for Thought' that gives you hundreds of reviews of the experiences of restaurants in Hobart and the surrounding areas of South Tasmania. Start at the web site where you will find a big list of restaurant reviews http://www.ritasbite.com/index.php and its well worth having a browse through some of the discussions on the blog to get some ideas.

I had a really nice lunch at Meadowbrook winery which was one of the highest rated on the web site. It’s around 20 minutes from Hobart in the Coal River Valley. To get there from Hobart you head toward the airport and at Cambridge take a left hand turn to Richmond. Follow that road for about 5-10 minutes and you will see Meadowbank on the right hand side of the road.

It’s a fairly unassuming building from the outside, but it’s an interesting experience walking inside. As you enter you pass through the cellar door shop and walk through to the restaurant which is a big open room with cathedral ceilings. Light natural timbers line the walls and ceiling, the floor is a matt polished concrete, and on the far wall a big cast metal fireplace and the room is complimented with several sets of wooden wine barrels on wrought iron racks.

Sitting down at the tables you take in the view through large french windows opening out on a panorama that spreads across the vineyard, to the scenic mountain rim in the distance, down across farms in the Coal River valley to the water, and right in the middle of the panorama, on a small hill, is a large (26metre) radio telescope owned by the University of Tasmania.

I’m no food critic but my experience was that the service was first class and food top notch cuisine. The menu offers an interesting twist, you can select a specific meal, or choose a selection of any, or all of the choices on the menu, in an appropriately sized portion. No different to a chinese banquest I guess, but nonetheless unexpected and refreshing option in a fine dining experience.

The chef subscribes to the freshness, taste and sustainability notion of ‘food miles’, or the importance of the distance the ingredients of your meal have travelled to be with you on the plate. BTW, the truffles had travelled the biggest distance at around 17,000 miles, still nice thoughJ

The Scenic Views of Hobart

I am staying at the Grand Chancellor which is in the middle of town right across from the marina and Salamanca Place. Hobart is a town with a thousand vantage points on a picturesque city and harbour. You don’t need to go very far to get to a vantage point. An easy 5 minute walk from the city up to the War Memorial will give you a nice view of the harbour, marina, Salamanca Place, bridge, and the city.

Getting slightly more adventurous you can take in the complete panorama with a trip up to the top of Mount Wellington. It’s about a 20-30 minute trip from the city to the top of the mountain by car. You can see the top of the mountain from Hobart and it can have snow on it at almost any time of the year. Locals advise to take a look at the cloud cover before you go, as quite often the top of the mountain is covered in cloud that obscures the view.

Along the drive you will pass hundreds of houses perched on rocky outcrops overlooking the city and harbour. You turn onto a winding road past a sign that reads ‘Mt Wellington 12kms’ and enter the national park. On the day I visited the trees were spotted with white snow and as you progressed up the mountain the snow on the side of the road gradually increased as you passed plenty of places to stop and take in the stunning views of the valley down below, and play in the snow.

If there is snow on the mountain, you may notice cars coming in the other direction with snow on the bottom of their windscreens, maybe even the odd snowman bonnet ornament! Seems it’s a bit of a local tradition to throw snow on the windscreens of cars. Why not adorn your car with a snow man too…..

Enjoy the views from the top.

Richmond

30kms from Hobart is the little historic town of Richmond. Quaint old buildings, little shops, cafes and boutique hotels. A highlight is the Historical Model Village. You can walk through an authentic model of Hobart in 1820’s. Little houses, figurines, very interesting particularly if you like a bit of history.



The Huon Valley

Driving South West from Hobart takes you to the Huon Valley, home of the region of Tasmania that gave Tasmania the 'Apple Isle' name. Grab a 'Huon Trail' brochure from a Tourist place and you can do a circular day trip that takes in Huonville, the town of Cygnet and Peppermint Bay.

I had morning tea at a cafe in Cygnet and a nice lunch at Peppermint Bay overlooking the water out to Bruny Island.

The Mantra at Kingscliff

Travelling to Kingscliff in Northern NSW this week for a 3 day Conference.

The pictures look impressive, the price quite reasonable.

You can book The Mantra at Kingscliff with RatestoGo for about $130-170 a night. Also have a stay for 3 nights pay for 2 deal at the moment.

Trip to Chinchilla, August 21-23

Chinchilla is about 3 hours drive west from Brisbane. You drive through Toowoomba and Dalby along the Warrego Highway. The road from Dalby to Chinchilia is about 90 kms dead straight, but the road bounces up and down more than a ride at the Ekka.

Chichilla lies in about the middle of the Surat Basin and the predominant industry is agriculture. In the last 5-10 years the mining and energy industry has come to town. The signs of this are everywhere. You pass Wilkie Creek, coal mine and the new Kogan Creek Power Station as you approach the town and driving into Chinchilla I was following a road transporter carrying a huge drag line bucket that took up most of the road.

Finding accommodation in Chinchilla can be a challenge, particularly if there is a function happening. Lots of the motels are taking semi-permanant bookings for contractors who are working on the new project sites. I found a room at the Chinchilla White Gums Motor Inn. A lovely place, new, clean, comfortable. Its on the highway just before you get into town and you get a bit of noise at night, but nothing that will keep you awake.

My Trip to Victoria 8 - 10 July 2008

I picked up a Mitsubishi Lancer from Budget at Melbourne Airport and drove for about 2 hours along the M1 and the Princess Fwy to Rosedale for a meeting.

After the meeting, I checked in to the 'Century Inn' at Cnr Princess Hwy and Airport Rd, Traralgon. The hotel is quite new and the room was well presented and clean. It was quite cold outside (for a Queenslander anyway) and a hot spa bath in the room was very welcome. The bed was reasonably comfortable and the heating in the room did a good job. I had dinner at the hotel restaurant and it was above average food with great service.

Next day I attended an 'Energy Summit' at Monash University. Held i their brand new conference centre. Very nice place, a particular highlight were the fancy hand dryers in the toilets (you have to see them to appreciate what I am saying).

After the conference it was back to Melbourne for an overnight stay at the Grand Chancellor (booked on RatestoGo) in Lonsdale Street. Quick lesson in not trusting a GPS, guided me accurately to the back lane behind the hotel. Unfortunatley it was narrow, one-way and a dead end with hoards of people walking across the street...

The Grand Chancellor was well located in terms of the business I needed to do the next day (walking distance to meetings in Elizabeth Street and Queen Street). It was well priced when booked on RatestoGo but was very basic and frankly a little tired looking. Service from staff was very good, reception were very friendly and helpful. If you ever stay there I would recommend dining out as the room service wasn't very good.

Overall, I would put this in the list of Budget Accommodation for Melbourne CBD.

Trip to Gippsland, Victoria

Off to Victoria tommorow. 2 days in Gippsland and 1 day in Melbourne.

Weather outlook is cold and rainy. Last time I ventured to Gippsland I got a parking ticket in Traralgon and swore I would never return...

I have booked a small/medium sized car with Budget for 3 days to pick up from the airport.

Staying at a local motel in Morwell on Tuesday night and driving back to Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Accommodation in Melbourne for Wednsday night was booked at the Grand Chancellor in Lonsdale Street using RatestoGo.

Choice of Accommodation in Hobart

Welcome to Hobart

After flying Jetstar direct from Brisbane, I arrived in Hobart at around 8.30pm, I was greeted by rain, cold, wind and news of snow on Mount Wellington. I like snow :)

Its a $35 cab ride from the Airport to the centre of Hobart. Its quite picturesque at night coming in over the bridge. The cab driver had a nice old whinge about those dam greenies that want to preserve the beauty of Tasmania at all costs, and those dam kids that should be doing national service for 2 years and an apprenticeship. It worked a treat in the USSR so why not Tassie eh?

The Great Dinner Chase

I was a bit hungry and quickly found out that everything in Hobart closes at 9pm on a Thursday night. After spending some exasperating time with the staff at the Mecure Hotel, who firstly said the restaurant closes at 9pm, despite there in-room brochure saying 9.30pm (it was 9.15pm) BUT we could order room service, but only FROM a room. My colleague was staying at the Mecure so we rang from her room. Sorry only late night menu available after 9pm, again not what is written on their brochure. The late night menu didn't have much on it...

I rang the Grand Chancellor, the person who answered the phone assured me that the Atrium Bar served burgers and other items until 11pm. So we hopped in a cab (it was only $6 but it was very cold outside for a Brisbanite)

When we got there, the staff at the Atrium Bar said that they stop food at 10pm and were not sure if the kitchen would take orders or not. I asked at reception about room service, and whether it could be deliver to the Atrium Bar? Answer from the first guy was initially 'not sure' then the night manager stepped in and said 'no.' When I asked 'why not?' he said 'don't know' Then I asked, 'what if I ordered it to my room, and then brought it down stairs to the Bar?" Answer - "well I suppose we couldn't stop you doing that...'

Anyway, I was getting hungry real hungry and a little peeved, but the night was saved by the negotiation skills of the wonderful girls at the Atrium Bar in the Grand Chancellor. They had gone and seen the people in the kitchen and convinced them to stay open for a just a little bit longer...

3 Hotels in Hobart

Most recently I stayed at the Grand Chancellor Hotel, and I also had an opportunity to have a look at the Mecure Hotel. The last time I was in Hobart I stayed at the Rydges Hotel.

You get the feeling that all three of these hotels are due for a refurb, probably the Mecure is well over due....

Grand Chancellor Hotel (Rates to Go - 4.5 Stars - from $139 a night, harbour views from $179 a night)

I liked the Grand Chancellor, but more for the stunning harbour views than the room. I have posted a picture of the view from a harbour side room on level 20. I had a meal at he Atrium Bar that was very nice. The room had two double beds that were reasonably comfortable and the bathroom had a shower over bath and generally was ok.

My only whine about the place would have to be that the front doors of the hotel are manual and 'pull' I found this a bit hard in the cold & breezy night with a load of bags and boxes.

Mecure Hotel (Rates to Go - 4 Stars - from $149 per night)

The Mecure didn't have much going for it compared to the other two, the rooms and hallways had the look & feel of an old University dorm, and the bathrooms were desperately in need of a major re-fit. I had breakfast there and it wasn't too bad. On a more positive note, we held our function at the Mecure and the service from the function people was outstanding.

Rydges Hotel (Rates to Go - 4 Stars - from $125 per night)

I stayed at Rydges in November 2007. Its a little bit further out of town than the Mecure or the Grand Chancellor. The units were also detached from the main reception area, more like blocks of townhouses.

Rydges had a certain "old world charm" and again a splendid view out over Hobart. The room was huge, more than big enough for a family holiday...

I liked it, and I would bookmark it at $125 a night as a first place to stay if I was bringing the family to Tasmania for a holiday.

Trip to Hobart - 26/27 June 2008

Off to Hobart tommorow afternoon (Thursday) for a function on Friday.
Will be flying Jetstar direct Brisbane to Hobart and flying back with Qantas on a flight from Hobart to Melbourne then to Brisbane.

Hotel Serves Burnt Toast, What does it mean?

Recently staying at a presumably swish hotel in Adelaide I was served up BURNT Toast for breakfast.

Lovely wrapped in a napkin. Nice :)

This was on top of cold coffee. Not a great start to the day.

But I got to thinking, what would make the staff member of this hotel do this?

Incompetence? Lethargy? Spite? Over worked?

What does it say about the Hotel?

Should I have complained?

Let me know what you think......

Hyatt Regency Adelaide

Qantas more than just late

The Qantas flight from Brisbane to Adelaide was due to depart at 6.45pm on Sunday afternoon. I was running marginally late and was carrying several boxes. I used the valet parking in the long term parking. They only charge $14 and always provide a good service plus if need to use a trolley, they save you $4 because they have one for you. On reaching the Qantas check-in I discovered, along with hundreds of other people, that the Qantas computer network had broken down and they were processing manually when a flight was called. Added to this my flight was now back to 7.15pm.

After getting through check in, the time had moved back even further. The flight eventually left at around 7.45pm. Flight was a bit bumpy, but they played a reasonable in flight movie, and the meal (butter chicken) was quite nice. Qantas catering has definitely improved over the last few years.

Hyatt Regency

After a $25 ride in an “english free” taxi, I arrived at the Hyatt Regency in North Terrace, Adelaide around 11pm. The entrance and lobby are very impressive. The desk staff were friendly and helpful (for that time of night at least). Concierge looked after the bags and boxes and brought the right one to my room.

The “King Room” was not huge, but it had a king sized bed, shower and bath, a writing desk with broadband connection and a decent view. I didn’t bring my laptop, which is quite a strange feeling actually, so I can’t say whether the internet connection was sufficient or not.

Had a look at the Room Service menu, but as it was after 10.30pm, so I could only order from the “late night” menu. I couldn’t bring myself to pay $25 for a sandwich, so I had a pack of Pringles from the mini bar instead. The breakfast menu looked a bit expensive at $34 for the full buffet, but this was a swish hotel, so I guess you have to expect to pay a bit more.

Breakfast

I needed to get up and moving reasonably early in the morning, so I ticked 6.30 to 7pm on the requested time for breakfast delivery and set my alarm for 6.30pm. I didn’t have a great night’s sleep and was awoken with a knock on the door at 6.28pm. I will never get those 2 minutes back!

Breakfast was going well, scrambled eggs check, bacon check, orange juice check, coffee damm it, it was cold. Now you don’t expect coffee in a breakfast delivery to be hot, but this was not even warm. I could have lived with that, but the toast (see picture) was burnt. I have opened another note on this topic, because I just can’t imagine why someone would go to the trouble of fancy wrapping three pieces of quite obviously charcoaled toast.

Check out was quick and efficient and the concierge packed all my boxes into the taxi for me. Total bill was $234 for the night. $210 for the room, and $34 for the “burnt toast” breakfast.

Function Centre

The function that I attended was held at the National Wine Centre. It was a lovely venue and the catering was superb, but access was a bit problematic.
Qantas flight home was on time, but the in flight entertainment was terrible (maybe I'm just not interested in the top 20 female entertainment money earners for 2007) and I was stuck without a book or a newspaper.

Trip to Adelaide - 22/23 June 2008

Travelling to Adelaide on Sunday afternoon with Qantas.
Usually stay at the Rendezous Allegra in Adelaide but have booked to stay at the Hyatt this time.

Notes on Travel for Business in Australia