Destinations
Ninety minutes to paradise Forget planes, trains and high priced city hotels, and carpool your way south to the picturesque and sleepy seaside Illawarra region of New South Wales for your next corporate retreat, Brad Foster writes.
M
ore and more Sydneysiders are calling the New South Wales Illawarra region their home and for good reason. Housing is cheaper (just), beaches are uncrowded (almost), and the coffee is just right (most definitely). The main regional city of Wollongong is around 90 minutes from Sydney and has plenty of hotels for the conference market and holidaymakers. But for any Sydney-based corporate meeting planner that was looking to take a small to medium sized group away for a two- or three-day conference retreat, another suggestion would be to turn left before you even get to Wollongong and check out the villages that are scattered along the coast. These are the towns of Scarborough, Coledale, Austinmer and Thirroul. All have something distinctive and original to give delegates a change of pace. Additionally, if you turn off the Pacific Highway at Lawrence Hargrave Drive on your way from Sydney you will also pass through the pretty little village of Stanwell Tops where you might see a hang glider or two. This area has everything from clifftop mansions to quaint workers cottages, cool cafes, pubs where live music is still a thing, and plenty of restaurants.
Headlands Hotel Austinmer
Austinmer is home to the aptly named Headlands Hotel, a boutique self-contained apartment complex with around 50 accommodation rooms of different sizes and configurations. The rooms are accented by coastal touches – soft light furnishings and large balconies with many offering views over the beaches literally a stone’s throw away. Leave your balcony door open and you can hear the waves crashing just below as you drift off to sleep. Headlands is best suited to group sizes of up to 60 guests. Not surprisingly, the majority of meetings that are held here are from Sydney and Wollongong. The top floor Ocean View Room can seat up to 200 people and has a superb balcony with views to die for. It can be configured into either north or south spaces to suit smaller groups or separate sessions. Headlands also has the Sundowner Lounge space for smaller group sizes or to allow larger gatherings further break-out space. Conference packages are also extremely competitive and include free parking for guests. Dining is available within Headlands in the a la carte restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. → spicenews.com.au 49
