Bundy Bear
Established Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2004
- Posts
- 4,130
Ozfest Cairns 2024
In 2009 a gathering of travellers from the website www.flyertalk.com were organizing a weekend in Cairns, like most weekend gatherings usually its starts on a Friday night and ends on a Sunday evening. For 2009 due to a work clash I was only able to attend on the Sunday, so I booked Qantas flights to Cairns, which I had to change to Sunday am to Cairns to then joined everyone on a boat out to Green Island for the day before returning to Cairns to attend dinner before flying back to work on Monday am. That trip report is here,
That trip in 2009 I thought was one of the best trips of my life well the Sunday part anyway, I really enjoyed the day trip it was almost perfect. That trip to me set up a lot of new friendships which I am still friends with today. I always had it in the back of my mind that if the trip was ever repeated I would try and attend the complete weekend. In 2009 the weather was perfect, fine and sunny like Cairns should be closer to winter.
When a scheduled was released in early June 2023 for the May 2024 event, I started looking for flights. I didn’t want to miss the event because I hadn’t booked flights and put down some flexible hotel bookings.
I used points to book a Friday evening Qantas flight in business class and booked 2 nights at the Hilton Hotel, it was the main hotel used in Cairns in 2009 and I thought this wouldn’t change in 2024. One of my life theories if you really want to do something you go and book it and hope that the universe assists you in making the booking stick, if you didn’t make that booking was it that important, in this case it was.
24-MAY-2024 VA793 BNE-CNS 737-800 VH-YIH BUSINESS 2C
So what happened to that Qantas flight booking, well the previous Friday night flight the Qantas to Cairns was delayed by 45 minutes and I noticed that some other attendees were on the Virgin Flight that was leaving a few minutes earlier, and flights in business were available for not too much, just over $600 and I find that $100 per 10 SC isn’t a bad metric, so I thought for convenience I would fly with Virgin and as Qantas was a points booking I cancelled and only losing a 6000 points. I left work around 5:00pm and headed to the airport and the lounge to catch up with QF WP and his wife who were on the same Virgin flight. Flight was a standard business class on Virgin with the main meal, cheese and biscuits and a small chocolate, the layout doesn’t really change.
It was good to chat to QF WP, sometime during the drink service the cabin crew decided to spill it on them, at least my beer stayed in the can, no there was no turbulence although once we reached Cairns it was raining.
Cairns at the end of May usually means that the heat and humidity had finished but not this time, we arrived while it was raining and there were no Ubers around so had to settle for a taxi.
Went into town and caught up with the others that were finishing off dinner that was at a local restaurant, called Dundee, close to the Hilton. As this happened to be an attendees birthday the organizer waited until we arrived to wish them happy birthday and bring out a cake.
I ended up staying at the Queens court and not the Hilton, I had made a booking in case my partner wanted to join me, nope they didn’t so I cancelled the booking about the same time I changed the flights.
Saturday I went for my usual 5km parkrun, and then joined everyone for the 9:30am train trip up to Kuranda, I had previously caught the train down but had never taken the trip up in the other direction. Got to chat to most people and then after we arrived walked around Kuranda, I get the impression with COVID Kuranda had seen better days or maybe it just needed something extra, I guess if you have been to a place previously and it hadn’t changed it was a little disappointing. The train trip part I did enjoy. After lunch at a bakery we then caught the skyrail back to Smithfield with a stop half way at a rainforest.
Heading down the skyrail looking towards Cairns
Before we got back on our organized coach back to the centre of Cairns I managed to organize a group photo.
Dinner was on the catamaran Spirit of Cairns a buffet meal like what was organized 15 years ago. That finished with a few drinks at the Hilton. Interestingly I have a photo 15 years apart from the same hotel, different hotel room though, with more than half the same people just 15 years older. I should work out a way to add 2 photos to the same image.
Sundays plan was only a half day trip out to Green Island and the weather certainly wasn’t the best. This did allow me to do my usual Sunday run this time just an easy 11kms around the Cairns esplanade.
Sunday afternoon it was a trip out to Green Island and this time did a glass bottom boat tour as the weather wasn’t conducive to snorkelling. After a walk around the island takes about 15-20minutes it was back on the boat to Cairns.
Not the best beach day
Dinner was at the Cairns RSL where I had a drink but no dinner I would eat something in the lounge and on the plane, and chatted to the remaining people I had missed or had avoided during the weekend.
26-MAY-2024 QF1887 CNS-BNE E190 VH-UYU BUSINESS 2C
I booked this flight in February 2024, I was hedging my bets, that if I had to I could have flown out on Monday AM, but when Qantas announced a DSC(Double Status Credit) promotion I purchased a flight on the Sunday evening. It would mean that I could enjoy most of the activities and still be back in Brisbane Sunday evening without needing another nights accommodation or a stupidly early flight. I have done enough of them. With the DSC this would secure me Qantas Gold status for another 12 months, if it had become difficult to fly up on Friday night I knew that a day trip would have been possible.
I was happy I could attend the full weekend and if something similar were to happen again in 15 years I wouldn’t need to attend but by then I probably won’t need to worry about getting back for work, I should be retired by then. Good to put some thoughts on paper, even if I don't add everything it gives me a reminder of the trip.
In 2009 a gathering of travellers from the website www.flyertalk.com were organizing a weekend in Cairns, like most weekend gatherings usually its starts on a Friday night and ends on a Sunday evening. For 2009 due to a work clash I was only able to attend on the Sunday, so I booked Qantas flights to Cairns, which I had to change to Sunday am to Cairns to then joined everyone on a boat out to Green Island for the day before returning to Cairns to attend dinner before flying back to work on Monday am. That trip report is here,
That trip in 2009 I thought was one of the best trips of my life well the Sunday part anyway, I really enjoyed the day trip it was almost perfect. That trip to me set up a lot of new friendships which I am still friends with today. I always had it in the back of my mind that if the trip was ever repeated I would try and attend the complete weekend. In 2009 the weather was perfect, fine and sunny like Cairns should be closer to winter.
When a scheduled was released in early June 2023 for the May 2024 event, I started looking for flights. I didn’t want to miss the event because I hadn’t booked flights and put down some flexible hotel bookings.
I used points to book a Friday evening Qantas flight in business class and booked 2 nights at the Hilton Hotel, it was the main hotel used in Cairns in 2009 and I thought this wouldn’t change in 2024. One of my life theories if you really want to do something you go and book it and hope that the universe assists you in making the booking stick, if you didn’t make that booking was it that important, in this case it was.
24-MAY-2024 VA793 BNE-CNS 737-800 VH-YIH BUSINESS 2C
So what happened to that Qantas flight booking, well the previous Friday night flight the Qantas to Cairns was delayed by 45 minutes and I noticed that some other attendees were on the Virgin Flight that was leaving a few minutes earlier, and flights in business were available for not too much, just over $600 and I find that $100 per 10 SC isn’t a bad metric, so I thought for convenience I would fly with Virgin and as Qantas was a points booking I cancelled and only losing a 6000 points. I left work around 5:00pm and headed to the airport and the lounge to catch up with QF WP and his wife who were on the same Virgin flight. Flight was a standard business class on Virgin with the main meal, cheese and biscuits and a small chocolate, the layout doesn’t really change.
It was good to chat to QF WP, sometime during the drink service the cabin crew decided to spill it on them, at least my beer stayed in the can, no there was no turbulence although once we reached Cairns it was raining.
Cairns at the end of May usually means that the heat and humidity had finished but not this time, we arrived while it was raining and there were no Ubers around so had to settle for a taxi.
Went into town and caught up with the others that were finishing off dinner that was at a local restaurant, called Dundee, close to the Hilton. As this happened to be an attendees birthday the organizer waited until we arrived to wish them happy birthday and bring out a cake.
I ended up staying at the Queens court and not the Hilton, I had made a booking in case my partner wanted to join me, nope they didn’t so I cancelled the booking about the same time I changed the flights.
Saturday I went for my usual 5km parkrun, and then joined everyone for the 9:30am train trip up to Kuranda, I had previously caught the train down but had never taken the trip up in the other direction. Got to chat to most people and then after we arrived walked around Kuranda, I get the impression with COVID Kuranda had seen better days or maybe it just needed something extra, I guess if you have been to a place previously and it hadn’t changed it was a little disappointing. The train trip part I did enjoy. After lunch at a bakery we then caught the skyrail back to Smithfield with a stop half way at a rainforest.
Heading down the skyrail looking towards Cairns
Before we got back on our organized coach back to the centre of Cairns I managed to organize a group photo.
Dinner was on the catamaran Spirit of Cairns a buffet meal like what was organized 15 years ago. That finished with a few drinks at the Hilton. Interestingly I have a photo 15 years apart from the same hotel, different hotel room though, with more than half the same people just 15 years older. I should work out a way to add 2 photos to the same image.
Sundays plan was only a half day trip out to Green Island and the weather certainly wasn’t the best. This did allow me to do my usual Sunday run this time just an easy 11kms around the Cairns esplanade.
Sunday afternoon it was a trip out to Green Island and this time did a glass bottom boat tour as the weather wasn’t conducive to snorkelling. After a walk around the island takes about 15-20minutes it was back on the boat to Cairns.
Not the best beach day
Dinner was at the Cairns RSL where I had a drink but no dinner I would eat something in the lounge and on the plane, and chatted to the remaining people I had missed or had avoided during the weekend.
26-MAY-2024 QF1887 CNS-BNE E190 VH-UYU BUSINESS 2C
I booked this flight in February 2024, I was hedging my bets, that if I had to I could have flown out on Monday AM, but when Qantas announced a DSC(Double Status Credit) promotion I purchased a flight on the Sunday evening. It would mean that I could enjoy most of the activities and still be back in Brisbane Sunday evening without needing another nights accommodation or a stupidly early flight. I have done enough of them. With the DSC this would secure me Qantas Gold status for another 12 months, if it had become difficult to fly up on Friday night I knew that a day trip would have been possible.
I was happy I could attend the full weekend and if something similar were to happen again in 15 years I wouldn’t need to attend but by then I probably won’t need to worry about getting back for work, I should be retired by then. Good to put some thoughts on paper, even if I don't add everything it gives me a reminder of the trip.
