December 2008 - Global Gypsies

ADVENTURE UPDATE
Christmas 2008
Bumper Xmas Issue: 2009 Tours * Holland Track Makes History * Jungles of Borneo * Inaugural Tour Guide Course * Movie Magic *
* Gift Ideas * Recession-Buster Weekend Escapes * Canning Stock Route * National Eco Accreditation * Christmas Wishes and more!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HOORAY! NATIONAL ECO-ACCREDITATION!
GYPSIES GO TO THE MOVIES!
We are proud to announce that Global Gypsies Director, Jeremy
Perks, has just become a nationally accredited Nature & Eco
Tour Guide with Ecotourism Australia. There are only a handful
of guides in WA – or around the country for that matter – with
this accreditation. This new accolade is great news for our
business and, more importantly, for our clients. Congratulations,
Jeremy!
Well, love it or hate it you certainly can’t ignore it! We reckon
even the Kalahari bushmen from “The Gods Must Be Crazy”
have been exposed to the media hype surrounding Baz
Luhrmann’s new film, “Australia”! As a special event, we
booked out 40-seats at Ace Cinema’s Gold Class movie
lounge & hosted a band of gypsies for a swish night out –
complete with drinks, popcorn and – of course – good old
Aussie sausage rolls & party pies! We had a fantastic evening
and everyone said they ‘enjoyed’ the movie – we thought it
was ‘good but not great’. And definitely not in the same class
as “Out of Africa”, “Gone with the Wind” or “Casablanca” as
the PR people would have us believe. So will it help Aussie
tourism? That remains to be seen. But it certainly stirred up
some discussion when we met up for post-movie coffee!
Topics under closest scrutiny were the handling of the ‘stolen
generation’ issue, the use of digital effects to ‘enhance’ real
Kimberley scenery, the odd underlying “Wizard of Oz” theme,
Nicole Kidman’s over-botoxed forehead and Hugh Jackman’s
glorious muscles in the shower scene! If you haven’t seen the
movie yet, please do so – we’d love to hear what YOU think!
NATIONAL ECO-CONFERENCE DELEGATES
And speaking of all things environmental (no, Kevin, we’re not
talking about your Climate Change Policy!) we attended the
inaugural National Eco Conference in Adelaide in November
along with several hundred other delegates. The presentations
gave us lots of interesting food for thought & there are certainly
some exciting new eco programs being introduced by innovative
operators & hoteliers. One message that came through loud &
clear is that with these programs now in place, clients should be
encouraged to ask the right questions BEFORE they book tours
or accommodation & to check the green credentials of their
venue or activity. It also seems that ‘green tourism’ is no longer
just a buzzword – it is becoming a genuine consideration in how
people choose their holidays.
After the conference, we nipped over to Kangaroo Island (a
larger version of Rottnest) for a fleeting visit and also treated
ourselves to a 3-day cruise on the Murray River Princess – an
old fashioned, Mark Twain style paddle steamer. After reading
news reports about the deteriorating condition of the Murray we
were expecting to see just a toxic trickle, but to our surprise the
river was wide and lazy and welcoming. The water levels were
somewhat lower than they should be & there are serious
problems in other parts of the river, but the cruise itself was a
real treat and we would highly recommend it.
We also squeezed in a visit to the Art Gallery of SA for a welltimed special exhibition of famous artist Hans Heysen (1877 –
1968) who captured perfectly the beauty and light of the
Australian bush, and in particular the towering gums of the
Flinders Ranges, in his wonderful watercolours.
And most importantly, we made a mini-visit in a Britz 4WD to the
fabulous Flinders Ranges where we’ll be running a 14-day
exploratory tour in March. We were blown away by the scenery
and the lucky folks joining us will be, too! We only got to see a
small section of the Ranges, but enough to know that this will be
one awesome adventure. We’ve decided the trip will begin &
end in a quaint country town called Quorn so get out your maps!
Only a few places are still available on this magical tour to a new
destination so book early & discover the area with us!
LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS!!
Wondering what to buy that special someone
for Christmas & running out of time & ideas?
How about a Global Gypsies’ Gift Voucher for
a 4WD training course for $275? Or a copy of
our popular caravan & towing training DVD,
“Caravanning
with
Confidence”
for
just
$34.95? Or a Gypsies polo shirt, cap, fleece
or jacket at special Chrissie prices? Call us
now & we’ll whip the elves into shape to get
your special gift to you by the 25th!
CRAZY FOR THE CANNING!
Some people say you have to be crazy to do the Canning
Stock Route. Well there must be a lot of nuts out there ‘cos
we’ve been inundated with inquiries about the Canning this
year!
We usually recommend to those unhinged folk who want to
tackle the Loneliest 4WD Track in the World that they travel
with our good friends John & Sue Forwood who run annual
tagalong tours there. But their 2009 trip is already full and
we’re still getting inquiries. So, IF we get sufficient numbers,
we’ve decided to run a tour there ourselves!
It will be a mammoth expedition, self-catering only, that will
happen sometime in June. “Crazy for the Canning” will be led
by one of our Senior Tour Guides who knows & loves this
remote & challenging track. Traveling in convoy with us, you’ll
be able to explore the infamous CSR safely & confidently –
independent but not alone.
It will be a truly magnificent adventure, but be warned – this
tour is only for courageous souls with a strong constitution, a
true passion for the outback & a robust 4WD vehicle!
Express your interest now to make this tour happen!
RELIVING HISTORY ON HOLLAND TRACK!
Our annual Holland Track Expedition is always a historical event,
but this year’s adventure was even more intriguing! Why? Because
Jan Holland, a direct descendant of John Holland who cut the 500
km track through the bush over 100 years ago – joined us on the
tour! Jan came all the way from Melbourne and in advance,
swatted up at the Battye Library (which specialises in WA history).
She was excited to find out so much information about her
ancestor who was certainly a bit of a hero in his day & whose
engineering feat made an enormous difference to the gold
prospectors trekking from Albany to the Goldfields at the turn of
the century in search of their fortune.
In spite of some dodgy weather our
happy group of campers had a
terrific four days in the bush. The
unseasonal rain made for some
tough & wet driving & we took
great care not to churn up the track
- usually this area is dry as a bone!
Joining Jan on her sentimental
journey were Tour Guide Jeremy
Perks, Safari Hostess Rebina
Criddle and intrepid travellers Fran
& Dave Cornell, Leah Woodcock,
Diane Jackson, Chris & John
Stewart, Pat & Steve Throssell and
new Senior Tour Guide Terry
Brewin. One night we thought we
heard someone whistling softly as
they walked through our camp.
Was it just the wind in the trees?
Or could it have been John
Holland’s ghost ?
ATTENTION!! NEW CARAVANNERS!
THIS YEAR’S CARAVAN CONFIDENCE CONVOYS ARE
HAPPENING ON JANUARY 17 - 18; FEB 28 - MARCH 1
& MAY 16-17, 2009. NUMBERS ARE STRICTLY LIMITED.
BOOK EARLY TO CONFIRM YOUR SPACE!
NEW! RECE$$ION-BU$TER WEEKEND ESCAPES!
If the greedy Gordon Gekkos of Wall Street have put a bit
of a dent in your wallet, don’t give up your holiday plans just modify them a little! Take a three-day break on one of
our great new Rece$$ion Bu$ter Weekend Escapes!
In a new venture, we’ve teamed up with Crikey Camper
Hire & the Gin Gin Observatory to offer a series of fun
and economical weekend getaways combining a basic
astronomy course, 4WD and towing tuition, great food
and great company! It’s the perfect way to celebrate the
‘Year of Astronomy’, get back to nature, meet some new
friends, enjoy starlit summer nights and improve your offroad driving or towing skills.
The package includes two overnight camps at
picturesque Willowbrook Farm in Gin Gin just two hours
from Perth, plus your meals (BYOG), entry fees,
4WD/towing tuition and caravan park fees. You can also
self-cater if you wish to make the weekend even more
affordable! Take that, Gordon Gekko!!!
Camper trailers, tents and caravans are welcome and
either 2WD or 4WD vehicles can participate.Two-way
radios are mandatory & can be hired for the weekend.
And if you don’t own a camper trailer, you can hire one at
the special recession-busting rate of just $255 from our
friends at Crikey Camper Hire.
There are three Rece$$ion Buster Weekends scheduled:
February 13–15 (Valentine’s Day!); April 17–19; and May
22–24. As usual, convoy numbers are strictly limited.
Cost is just $325 per person (with catering) or $250 per
person self-catering. Hope you can join us!!
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST SHORT ACCREDITED TOUR
GUIDE TRAINING COURSE A HUGE SUCCESS!
Loyal readers will know that thanks to a grant from Tourism WA and
to a unique partnership with WA Hospitality & Tourism Industry
Training Council & Pilbara TAFE, Global Gypsies recently developed
Australia’s first weekend accredited training course for Tour Guides.
We are pleased to report that the inaugural course on December 6-7
was a tremendous success with 100% positive feedback.
The theoretical session took place at Murdoch Uni followed by an
overnight bush camp at Willowbrook Farm. Our thanks to Murdoch for
providing the lecture room & to All Terrain Safaris for the hefty 16seater 4WD vehicle which transported the students to the bush camp.
The course content was developed by WA’s top Tour Guides
including Jeremy Perks, Cherie Toovey & Chris Wirrell with
coordination provided by Jan Barrie & a tremendous amount of input
from Jeff Bayldon at Pilbara TAFE who arranged the complex
accreditation procedures & will oversee the assessment process.
We are already receiving inquiries from companies & individuals in
regional WA keen to arrange courses closer to home, from companies
around the State wanting to develop special courses for indigenous
students & from accredited trainers in other States wanting to adapt
the program for their local areas.
Our first students are now
busy preparing a written
assignment which they must
submit in order to achieve
accreditation. On successful
completion
of
both
components, our ‘graduates’
will receive a TAFE
Certificate in the Unit of
Competency THTFTG05B Lead Tour Groups along with a specially
designed bronze lapel pin.
Joining Jeremy, Jan, Cherie & Jeff on the first course were
‘students’ Erica Bigler, Sean Burke, Wayne Evans, Shaun & Susi
Harrison, Jorge Sidoruk, Gavin Humphreys, Dragan Malesic, Martin
McGlinchy, Ken & Vince Partridge & Jaydon Smith. Well done folks,
and thanks for being a part of this exciting new program!!
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU TAKE TEN GYPSY TOURS?
Surprise! We give you a special gift! Our
first happy recipients are Bill & Maz
O’Neil who have travelled with us to the
Kimberley, Kenya, Rudall & many more
destinations
over
the
years.
They’re
joining us as our guests on a Rece$$ion
Buster Weekend Escape! Thanks for your
ongoing support guys & we hope you enjoy
your thank-you present!
TOURS CALENDAR
We’ve now finalised our Tours Calendar for 2009, are
almost finished with our 2010 plans & have some great
ideas for 2011 & beyond. Here’s a quick rundown:
2009
January to December
January 17-18
January 31 – Feb 1
Feb. 6 – 8
Feb. 13 – 15
Feb. 21 – 22
Feb 28 – March 1
March 10 – 23
March 19 – 23
April 4 – 5
April 17 – 19
May 16 – 17
May 22 – 24
June (dates TBA)
July 7 -20
July 25 – August 7
August 14 – 27
August 3 – 18
September 15 – 28
October 15 - 19
November TBA
November TBA
December TBA
4WD Training Days – Accredited or
Recreational course held on last
Saturday of each month. Private or
corporate training on request at times
to suit!
Caravan Confidence Convoy
Optional accreditation with Tow-Ed
Accredited Tour Guide Training
Gypsy Girls Weekend
Recession Buster Weekend Escape
Accredited Tour Guide Training
Caravan Confidence Convoy
Optional accreditation with Tow-Ed
Flinders Range Discovery Tour
Perth Caravan & Camping Show
Accredited Tour Guide Training
Recession Buster Weekend Escape
Caravan Confidence Convoy
Optional accreditation with Tow-Ed
Recession Buster Weekend Escape
Crazy for the Canning
Rudall River Expedition
Private Winnebago safari
Incredible Kenya Safari
Kimberley Explorer
Possible Incredible Kenya Safari No.
2
Holland Track Expedition
Accredited Tour Guide Training
Caravan Confidence Convoy
Optional accreditation with Tow-Ed
Accredited Tour Guide Training
You’ll see we’re running our popular Rudall River
Expedition again this year which is one of Jeremy’s
personal favourites. We’re also heading back to our
beloved Kenya for the first time in three years. The
August 2009 Incredible Kenya Safari was booked out
almost immediately, so we’ve decided to run a second
tour to Kenya in September 2009 to be run by longtime gypsy friend & associate Jonathan Percival
Howden – the grandson of one of East Africa’s
infamous Great White Hunters. This second tour is
also starting to fill which means that two fortunate
groups now have the opportunity to visit Kenya during
the amazing wildlife ‘migration’.
The game viewing will be marvelous, you’ll be in the
best of hands & you’ll stay in quality lodges & tented
camps in the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, the
Aberdares, Samburuland and the exotic spice island of
Zanzibar. If you’ve always dreamed of seeing
elephant, big cats, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest &
more, & of experiencing the magic that is Africa, we
hope you’ll join us! We’d love to take you there!
SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES!
Another brand new tour for 2009 was ‘cooked up’ by our
Safari Hostess Rebina & some other empowered sisters
on our recent Holland Track Expedition. They decided we
should run a special “Gypsy Girls 4WD Weekend” – so
here it is! Sorry fellas, you aren’t invited! The only token
male will be Jeremy who will lead the safari. Happening
from February 6 – 8, this testosterone-free and child-free
weekend will give the girls a great excuse to relax, have a
few laughs, learn & practice 4WD skills & enjoy some
great female company. We’ll visit the southwest forests
(and maybe a local winery or two!) and the trip will be
fully-catered. There’ll be a special Girlspeak Seminar and
plenty of time for 4WD practice – no previous off-road
experience is necessary. The weekend will cost just $425
per person. Interested? Give us a call & we’ll send you all
the info. And look what’s planned for 2010!
2010
January December
February
March
April/May
June
July
August
September
October
All Dates TBA
Tour Guide/4WD/Caravan
training throughout the year
Brilliant Bight Tour
Private charter for Dutch clients
‘California Dreaming’
motorhome convoy through
Southwest USA
Alice Springs Outback Safari
Kennedy Range Discovery Tour
– Stage II
Kimberley Explorer
Secrets of China
Holland Track Expedition
What about 2011 & beyond? How about these tours?
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Peru & the Incas
Jungles of Borneo (Yep! we’re going back again!
Read on for a report of our recent visit there!)
Tasmanian Devils
Tracks of Len Beadell
Mystical India
Antarctic Icebreaker
Pyramids & Pharaohs
If there’s somewhere you’ve always wanted to go,
please suggest it! We’re always open to ideas!
HE’S ON THE MARK!
We mentioned American author &
humourist Mark Twain (real name
Samuel Clemens) earlier in this
newsletter. Well, we came across a
quote which he made over 100 years
ago & we thought our readers would
appreciate it! He said:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry
and narrow-mindedness, and many of
our people need it sorely on these
accounts. Broad,wholesome charitable
views of men and things cannot be
acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one’s
lifetime.” Hear, hear, Mr Clemens! We think you’re spot on!
NATIONAL SURVEY SAYS YOU NEED A HOLIDAY!
And on the subject of travel, here are some interesting statistics.
According to a survey commissioned by Tourism Australia, tens of
thousands of Australian employees need a holiday but are
reluctant to take one.
Aussies have stockpiled a staggering 70 million annual leave days
equating to about $11 billion dollars in wages. More than 60% of
full-time Australian workers do not use their full annual leave
entitlement in a year and more than 33% take no annual leave in
a year at all.
The employees surveyed said this was due largely to lack of backup while on leave as well as the increased workload before and
after a holiday - particularly working through the backlog of emails. They also said that fitting in travel and holiday plans around
a partner, travel companion or children’s commitments was a
barrier. Even the time needed to organise a vacation was a
disincentive because of the vast choices available.
A senior workplace health and well-being expert said the research
clearly showed that an unacceptably high number of employees
were putting their long-term health at risk by deferring or
eliminating holiday leave. Our solution to the problem? Simple! Go
on a Global Gypsies tour! It will do wonders for your health & wellbeing and will also blow those survey results right out of the water!
EXPLORING THE JUNGLES OF BORNEO!
Borneo has long held a fascination for us. As youngsters
we’d heard of head-hunters & blow pipes and read
spellbinding short stories by Somerset Maugham describing
the ‘old’ Borneo. But what about the ‘new’ Borneo, now
renamed Sarawak & Sabah? Were the reports about the
destruction of wildlife habitat from over-logging & palm oil
plantations for biofuel accurate? Or could we still enjoy
pristine wilderness, exquisite wildlife and tropical jungles?
The answer to both questions is a perplexing ‘yes’ & our
“Jungles of Borneo Tour” in September generated an
interesting mix of emotions, sights, sounds & memories for
all of us. We had such a wonderful time that we plan to offer
another tour there in the very near future.
Borneo is known as “The Land Below the Wind” because of
its temperate climate & idyllic cyclone-proof location. This
little piece of paradise is an ideal holiday destination for
Aussies because of its close proximity, favourable exchange
rate & similar time zone. Not to mention the natural beauty,
exotic flora and fauna, happy friendly people & quality of
accommodation, food & service.
The Shangrila Rasa Ria Resort near Kota Kinabalu was
aptly named – it was right on the beach, had lovely rooms
overlooking the sea, a great pool, top restaurants and even
an on-site orangutan sanctuary!
Using this lovely hotel as our
base, we toured through much
of Sabah admiring Mt Kinabalu,
coral islands, dense jungles &
luxuriant rainforests. We saw
the world’s largest flower, the
Rafflesia, in full bloom, spent a
memorable night at a traditional
‘longhouse’, stayed at a jungle
eco-retreat, cruised on the Kinabatangan River & visited the
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre where we adopted
a little orphan! But there was some sadness, too - until our
visit we didn’t realise the extent of Australia’s involvement in
Borneo during World War II & were moved to tears at the
War Memorial at Sandakan honouring those POW’s who
lost their lives on the horrific “Death Marches”. Sabah is
certainly a land of contradictions & tremendous contrasts.
Our experienced hosts,
Borneo Eco Tours, did a
fantastic job of looking
after us – thank you
Albert, Agnes & Osman!
And thanks also to the
great group who joined us
on
this
sensational
journey of discovery Melanie & Brett Battilana,
Maria D’Cunha, Mike and
Margaret Gibson, Lynn & Neville Hodgson, Claude & Fran
Koenig, Judith Kuit, Sue & Garry Mason, Jenny Rose &
Charmaine Samuels. We hope you enjoyed the tour as much
as we did!
THANKS FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!
Over the past year we’ve been fortunate enough to work closely
with a number of wonderful people whose talents range from tour
guiding to training and many things in between. But whatever their
skills, they have all played a very important role in our company &
we really value their friendship, support & professionalism.
We’d like to publicly thank you for the terrific work you’ve done, and
we look forward to working with you in the future. Thanks to Terry
Brewin, Derek Bilney, Darren Byrne, Trevor Cocks, Rebina Criddle,
Ken George, Wally Harding, Ingo Helbig, Jonathan Howden, Barry
Ireland, Robyn Pampling, Jane Thorson, Ian Storey, Cherie Toovey,
Pam Vassi, Chris Wirrell and Phill Witt, just to name a few.
Over the years we’ve also established a number of affiliations,
partnerships and close working relationships with some of WA’s
leading organisations and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank
all of them for their ongoing support. They include Aggie’s Meats, All
Terrain Safaris, ARB, Aussie Offroad Tours, Australian Adventure
Travel, Britz 4WD Hire, Broome Tagalong Tours, Caravan Industry
Association, CAMEC, Carbon Neutral, Coromal Caravans, Crikey
Camper Hire, Department of Conservation & Environment, Explore
Oz, Fivesenses, Forum Advocating Cultural & Eco Tourism, 4WD
Industry Association of WA, Getabout Adventures, Gin Gin
Observatory, George Day Caravans, Geo Tours, Jayco Caravans,
Karijini Eco Retreat, Lewis Trimmers, Muntz & Partners, Pilbara
TAFE, Murdoch University, Outdoors WA, RAC Travel, Reynolds
Technology, Robson Brothers, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Snap
Print Subiaco, Terlin Outbacker Communications, Tour Guides WA,
Tourism Council WA, Tourism Western Australia, WA Hospitality &
Tourism Industry Training Council, Wandering Star Trailers,
Winnebago & Western Travel Bug. Thanks, everyone!
FESTIVE WISHES
And finally, we’d like to wish all our valued clients, business
colleagues & cherished members of our gypsy team a
peaceful happy holiday season and a bright and optimistic
new year. We look forward to seeing you soon & to sharing
more wonderful experiences with you in 2009 and beyond.
Best wishes from
GLOBAL GYPSIES PTY LTD
Celebrating 11 Years of Tours & Training
PO Box 123, Scarborough, WA, 6922.
Phone: (08) 9341 6727. Fax: (08) 9205 1330
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.globalgypsies.com.au