Someone has to get the ball rolling....

As discussed at the Cardiff BashFest and the Blackfriar's BashFests, we are going to see OzExpat on his own turf next spring - Papua New Guinea here we come!

Anyone interested?

It is a difficult place to get to..... its via Manila (and Air Nuigini says POA, which after many years in this nuts business is a first, an airline that hides its prices....), or via Brisbane, and I think Darwin. Going to be a serious hike.

Plan is to link this in with a Hong Kong 7s Bash (I'm sure we can get CX or VS to sponsor us ;) )

Expressions of interest and comments welcome!

TA

Hello,

I am.

Im planning to go to Australia next year anyway... So im sure i could get an Express to PNG... :} for a few days...

Unless I or the big fella wins lotto then we're a non starter.
We're getting married in probably Sept 05, Cairns, QLD. Dates to be confirmed :D

hope my invitation for the wedding is in the post :E :O

:ok:

( Joking )

This is definitely a goer.....though I think the mission should centre on Cairns with just a foray into PFM by a handful of prunes finest to extract OzEx back to civilisation.

Will liaise with TA and put a game plan together over the coming weeks.

Rabbs :}

Yup .. Myself would be a contender possibly another as well.

Reddo Sep looks like being a busy month!! :D

Ex DWN aint a goer . all flights to POM are ex CNS or at a push BNE maybe.

Oze you paying attention??? :8

CNS is definitely a better option Bunny! :ok: Set the first day of the official bash as a Friday and the best gathering place might be the Aero Club. That way, we'll even be able to bring in at least one Prooner who has been known to "visit" the Club on that day of the week. :E Might even find a few other escapees from PNG there, to improve the numbers!

CNS is much easier to reach from your part of the world because folks can reach there from SIN on Australian Airlines, who are sure to be able to quote a price online. There may be other options as well. An alternative would be to fly to BNE on your choice of international airline, then use Qantas or Virgin Blue for the journey from there up to CNS.

Whichever way you look at it, CNS is the better bash location, for sure. Plenty of good, bad and downright attrocious hostelries to check out over the subsequent weekend too! :D And, for those that might be interested, I believe that the Friday arvo strippers event is still happening at the Cape York Hotel. :E

There's no shortage of good Japanese resties in CNS either... just thought I'd throw that in! :D

Yes Voice hon, I certainly am listening. Still not quite able to believe any of it, but am resigned to the inevitability of it! :O

Move this bash to December '05 and I can probably make it too! :E I'm planning another Xmas with family in BNE then, so a side trip to CNS & POM sounds good to me! I'm a ex PNG lad as Ozex knows, a Western Highlands boy too..! :ooh: :ok:

But OP1 that would mean 2 x bashes in 1 month .. could be a huge ask for everyone at that time of the year ..

The OzBash in the Brekky Creek Pub AND the PeffenM Bash shudder so close together ... but then again ...


Oz .. you thinking that your backyard aint big enough or something? :} why CNS AND in December .. could be a bit windy then :ugh:

Yer Voice it MIGHT be windy....but that's fun innit....! :E

December in Port Morbid? How did that get into the equation? :confused: The plan suggested by TA and rabbit is based on either February or March of next year, to fit in with the Hong Kong 7s championship events.

I think that one bash in December is quite sufficient - I couldn't manage two in that particular month anyway as it's a very busy month for me. If it's December, it's the Brisbash! :ok: Still not completely sure that I'll be able to get the time off for it this year anyway, but am always hopeful.

So, to clear up any possible confusion, the basic plan for this particular event can probably be summarised as :-

The Inaugural Port Morbid Bash in Cairns! :D
Date of event to be fixed by TA, rabbit and probably also Airway, as they'll be travelling the furthest distance to attend. It will be sometime in February or March, probably the latter. Venues can be determined once the dates are set in concrete. :ok:

So don't worry OP1. I'm sure that our good mate GoGirl will set the customary wheels in motion for the Brisbash, closer to December for you. :ok:

Oze ooohah .. CNS .. that'll be just up the road from where I'll be :}

and seeing as how someone I know follows that kinda thing .. I'd reckon we'd be a pair of starters!! :E

*make mental note - plan NUTHIN for feb/mar*

Just checked dates for the HK sevens next year....they are to be held 18-20 March (which is a weekend) so I guess the following weekend (25-27) would be a good time to meet in Cairns :}

Will start researching travel details soon.

Rabbs :ok:

Hello,

March is perfect rabbit :ok:

My plan is to spend a month :} in Australia ( getting to know the place a bit more... It's for a purpose :} ) so it should be no problem, quick question is there frequent connections between Cairns and Brisbane? I can't remember since i been there awhile back :eek:

Im returning to Australia:} Again :}

:O

Airway, yep, you'll find that Virgin Blue and QF (albeit, probably as Jet*) fly there several times a day, seven days a week.

Just a quick question... anyone know when Easter is scheduled next year? If it conflicts with the dates proposed by rabbit, I may not be able to get the time off. I wasn't successful in getting time off last Easter and I fear the same could be true next time too. :eek: :sad:

Easter Sunday 2005 is 27th March. :{ You might be better off looking at having the Bash the week prior to going to Hong Kong. Hope it all works out for you. I won't be there so have an orange juice for me - it will be fine if a miracle is worked and the OJ is turned into G&T :E :ok:

LHR-HKG with BA or CX (AirMiles are wonderful things!)

Straight on with Australian to Cairns - another 7:20, but hey.... right now, you can't book them on line from the UK.... fume, backward colonists....

Do the Cairns Bash. Side trip to Port Morbid for the daring. Back to HKG with Air Oz. 7s, do the sites. London.

Easy

TA

BA or CX sounds good although i wanted to try VS ( A340-600 :} ) ( B747-400 :* ) This time i'll make an excuse because i will have company during the flight :} ( no sheilas :{ )

I will do the Cairns Bash, but afterwards will head back to BNE, no PNG for me sorry.

How about accomodation in Cairns for a few days, any tips of good places Ozexpat?

Just exactly how daring are you TA? If yer really, really daring, you could use PX from POM to SIN, or MNL or NRT, then connect with something else to HKG! :eek: :p Save having to back-track on yerselves for the sake of using Oz Air to HKG.

Airway... the place in CNS where I stay is normally a bit on the pricey side. There's no shortage of hotels, motels and even backpacker places (some of which are pretty up-market these days, like the all new Gilligans). Probably best to do an internet search using the keywords "Accommodation" and "Cairns". That should yield plenty of places with decent rates.

A word of warning to everyone who's planning to attend, however. CNS is a tourist town so there's going to be times when accommodation is very hard to find. So, as soon as you and TA and rabbit settle on dates, do the internet search and book your accommodation.

Of course, if you're going to turn feral like rabbit :D then the issue of accommodation might be irrelevant coz I'm sure he'll end up sleeping in the gutter... :}

For those who're planning the "side trip" to PFM, I'll need to know fairly early, to ensure that accommodation can be arranged for all at the same venue. It's not usually all that much of a problem, but better to be safe than alone... on the streets... at night! :eek: :ugh: :ouch:

Now THAT would be far too "daring"!

Jeez Ozex ....tell em the truth.!! A load of non streetwise Prroners in POM.?? They will NEVER live to see the Airways.
It's a definite death trap the place. If you really must do it, I am willing to run pre trip courses using genuine SAS instructors, or ex Sandline Personnel. Subjects would include "How to die like a man" or handy recipes using human kidneys, or "Will writing - a quick intro for the terminally daft".
They bury locals there 20 feet down, because deep down they are a really nice bunch.!!

Ozex will point you in the way of nice insurance cover.

Hey, taily, how about another course... how to survive a "PNG love bite"? :eek: :}

Just an update..... planning still underway for this MAJOR bash... even persona non grata welcome!!

All depends on whether the first flight of my mate TwinAisle's new airline gets the green light from the Gatwick Mafia on time... if so, he will be arse deep in starting ops round about March.... but that shouldn't get between Fatso and a decent bash!!

TFL

That's a relief. Now I can confidently continue to psyche up my liver in preparation for it!

I was wondering why OzExpat has in his description:

Port Effen Morbid
I'm planning, atleast hoping to visit Oz next year & thought for a bit of contrast & excitement a spell in New Guinea might be nice given its so near Northern Oz. I went into the 'The Lonely Planet' site, here was me visualising all this wonderful tropical paradise escapism from the worst excesses of the west kinda scene, what I got explained to me was very different & totally unexpected. :{

After its description of Port Moresby I'm not too sure now. Frightened the life out of me to be honest, sounds like flippin LA! :uhoh:

You can go... It's lovely, im sure you will have a great time :} :O

That's why it was decided to hold the inaugural Port Morbid bash in Cairns, Athena5. It just wouldn't do to have Prooners getting mugged (or worse :eek: ) during a bash. As I understand the plan, a couple of those who are attending from the northern hemisphere will travel to Port Morbid for a short stopover on their way back home - but they're a couple of blokes who enjoy living dangerously!

I feel sure that, after their visit, they'll be revising their definition of "living dangerously"... :ooh: :uhoh:

At least now you know the reason for the "PFM" location! :D

I'm trying to get my head around the concept of Athena5 attending an OzEx-organised bash. :confused: The mind veritably boggles. :uhoh: Digital cameras ready, boys!

Naah, don't worry Coco, you won't have to worry about running into me there!

Binos maaaate! I'm not actually organising it. If anything, it's actually organising itself! :D It started as a wild idea by a couple of Prooners who live on the other side of the world and I've simply gone along with it because I'm an easy-goin kinda bloke! :E

It won't be the same if you're not there. Just think, according to previous posts on this thread, there's at least THREE people who are coming to it from clear across the other side of the world. Surely it's not too much trouble for you to get to Cairns from your corner of paradise? ;) Come on mate, you know that you wanna do it! :ok:

Naah mate, I'm persona non grata with too many people these days, besides I've promised Coconuts!

I'll raise a drink to absent friends on the day though!

Oh dear. There's a few in for some surprises if they visit Port Morbid and the Temple of Aeros!

Woomera

Binos..you don't know what your missing mate..! GG and Ozex together......:E! Actually the last BrisVegas Bash was great fun, even if I have difficulty remembering the later part of the evening! :O Go on mate go to the next bash you won't regret it....most of us are (in order of inportance) more interested in drinking, food and the local talent anyway! :E :E

Sorry promise you what Bino?

I am incommunicado much of the time now due to having taking the internet off my home machine & coping very admirably even though I may say so myself. No huge withdrawal systems barr the first weekend when I asked to use my neighbours computer "What do you want it for, not to visit THAT site???", he enquired. "That's like an alcoholic saying I've given up drink & then saying can I drink your drink. No you can't!!!". I haven't looked back since. :ok:

Anyway to get back to the point, promised you what Bino??? Promised you that if I get attacked by some headhunting cannabalistic natives in Papau New Guinea that I will let you watch & film them chopping off my head & sticking it on some friggin pole while doing a native dance around it or something??? I could see you relishing that alright! :\

Besides you'll be glad to know I didn't say I'd be attending the bash, it would be an amazing coincidence were it to coincide with my planned trip. What with OzEx trying to sneakily & cheekily oggle down me top the whole night, he'd get a smack in the chops alright!!! :E

Besides I've decided if I do have enough of time to visit New Guinea & Oz it will be on an organised trip or nothing else, two risky by far otherwise. :ugh:

I'm sure there's been ample evidence, over the years, that I've only ever oggled the ones that are worth oggling! :E

Well that was certainly a conversation stopper, OzEx ... there hasn't been a post on the thread since. I'll just fix that.

Can't see myself being able to make it to this one ... but maybe next time, it would be so nice to catch up with everyone again.

:(

Yes Bluey, I believe you're right. Nobody has debated the validity of my previous post! :E A real shame that you can't make it to this one - especially as how wiz could take you there in Daisy. :D I hear that he's got a lot of time (and other things) on his hands of late... :}

Don't you mean "hand"? :E

He does Reddo. The dingo is in better shape than Wiz, it's a really nasty injury that he has. :(

Reddo ... :E


... especially as how wiz could take you there in Daisy.
Well that's quite right, OzE, I shall retire to my corner and commence plotting the best method of persuading him. Threats of physical violence work well ... or so I'm told. :ok:

He might even be amenable to offers of cold fish and warm brake fluid Bluey! If he can still use chopstix o' course... :}

I'd feed him by hand myself AND bring an unlimited supply of Mr. Diamond Senior's home made wine if that's what it would take to make it happen. Hmmm ... I wonder if we could get Daisy to run on the wine ...

;) :uhoh:

No chance of that Bluey. The octane rating is much too high! :p

Plans ongoing for this..... can anyone who wants a place please PM either me or Oz? Ta!

TA... We don't have anything more than a "potential plan" at this stage, so I doubt that there'll be much interest just yet. Need to firm up your arrival and departure dates so that we can start making the real plan! The sooner, the better! :ok:

Not that I want to rush you, o' course! :p

G'day,

I have holiday's booked for this occasion from 24th of March for two weeks, i believe the bash is on the 26th :confused:

Please let me know if i need to change the dates, the sooner the better otherwise i'll be grounded and will not be able to change the dates :ok: And i dont want that... Im also planning to go Brisbane and Sydney while im down there. So once again when there is definate dates, please let me know.

:8

The 'Fat Fellas'are meeting this week to discuss and finalise dates for this little Antipodean Adventure......

.....watch in anticipation!!! :}


Rabbs
:cool:

Sad news.

Due to other commitments in Australia i have had to book my ticket yesterday, i will be travelling to Oz on the 02 of April with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Blue and returning on the 23. I will be doing London-Hong Kong-Sydney-Brisbane-Sydney-Hong Kong-London.

Im sure i will still be able to have a drink with a few Aussie pprooners either in Sydney or Brisbane.

I will be from 02 of april until 10th in Sydney from 10th until the 17th in Brisbane and from the 17th-23rd in Sydney.

Regards,
Airway
:}

While folks are discussing ppruners in Ozz I'll be in SYD Mid Jan
about 10 days and on Sunshine Coast for all of Feb '05

Be glad to meet some of you