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MEDIA INFORMATION ATE 2013

Fun and variety in latest NSW tourism product

From and surrounds to the NSW North and South Coasts and beyond, the variety of product released by NSW operators is constantly changing and evolving. This year’s line-up covers everything from a radical new digital marketing tool called Sydney 360° to Segway golf on Coffs Coast; from the 40th anniversary of the world’s only hospital committed to the care of to an 18-metre, 64-seat jet boat at Jervis Bay, an area renowned for dolphins and gleaming white sands. Sydney 360°. It’s an Australian tourism first – an online tour that lets viewers control and navigate their way around a 360-degree view, almost as if they are flying their own sightseeing plane. It goes further – you or your clients can surf and kayak Sydney Harbour without getting wet. Fly a helicopter over Sydney Harbour without leaving the ground. Or at least, it seems that way. The radical new digital marketing tool is called Sydney 360°, designed to motivate potential visitors to experience NSW scenery and major attractions and plan and book their visit. As well as the high definition interactive aerial tours, “first-person” experiences have been created, enabling people to put “their face in the picture” and get a first-hand feel for what it’s like to climb the , interact with animals at Taronga Zoo, surf at Bondi Beach, cycle at Manly and kayak on Sydney Harbour. These videos can then be shared through Facebook. www.sydney.com/sydney360

NEW TOURS AND ATTRACTIONS AROUND SYDNEY AND BEYOND ON THE WATER • Let’s Go Surfing (LGS), prides itself on being the friendliest and most professional surf school in . Where better to experience surfing and beach culture tours, than on Sydney’s world-famous Bondi Beach? LGS delivers a range of exciting and authentic, safe surf adventure experiences and new Discover Bondi surf lifesaving walking tours. The latest product: a new five-day Byron Bay tour. www.letsgosurfing.com.au • Oz Jet Boating has matched on-board technology with an awesome Sydney Harbour Thrill Ride to give passengers access to images and footage of their ride.

The action shots capture the excitement of the jet boat with the icons of Sydney Top: Bridge Climb. Middle: Scenic Railway Blue Harbour, making the USB a must-have item. Mountains. Bottom: Sydney Coastal Walks. www.ozjetboating.com • Sailing Sydney has revamped its weekly three-hour racing • BridgeClimb Sydney. There’s no better view of Sydney than experience, switching from a two-boat match-race to a from the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge. Now, Mandarin more exciting fleet race, with over 40 other yachts. No speakers can share this iconic Australian experience with sailing experience necessary, and Sydney Harbour is one of a climb specifically designed for them. It runs daily and the few places where the public can sail aboard a genuine features local Mandarin-speaking guides. America’s Cup yacht. www.bridgeclimb.com www.sailingsydney.net • Sydney Tower Eye + SKYWALK. 260 metres above street • Sydney Harbour Tall Ships, which operates harbour cruises level, international visitors now enjoy free maps and touch aboard Southern Swan, an 1850s style sailing ship, lets screens with translations on the Observation Deck as well adventurous harbour sailors climb the vessel’s 15-metre as the 4D cinema – the first of its kind in Sydney. mast. Dynamic Experiences Group, which represents www.sydneytowereye.com.au Sydney Harbour Tall Ships, is also offering a new • Skydive Sydney City offers the only fully operational experience from sister-company Unique Sydney Cruises. helicopter tandem skydive in the Southern Hemisphere. Called Convicts, Castles and Champagne, the tour of Sydney Visitors take a scenic helicopter ride over Sydney and the Harbour and Goat Island includes visits to an early 1800s Central Coast, followed by the ultimate tandem skydive military gunpowder magazine and Sydney’s oldest water experience from 4200m, and up to a 60 second freefall with police station, complete with cruise and sparkling wine. breathtaking views of the beaches and Great Dividing Range www.uniquesydneycruises.com.au before floating back to land. • Captain Cook Cruises has launched a three-day Sydney www.skydivesydneycity.com.au Harbour Pass. Visitors have three consecutive days to hop MEET THE ANIMALS from one Sydney Harbour attraction to another including , Taronga Zoo, Watson’s Bay, Luna Park, • Taronga Zoo has launched an interactive iPhone audio Manly, , and Shark Island, all app that provides a guided tour of Taronga’s most popular featuring live commentary on board the vessels. native and exotic animals. Chinese New Year in February www.captaincook.com.au 2013 saw visitors treated to special keeper talks in English and Chinese (Mandarin) as well as encounters and • The small group cruising specialists Sea Sydney Cruises fun guided walks among Australian native animals with have launched Tea at Sea. This cruise offers a private Mandarin-speaking Zoo Guides. The new interactive Lemur two-hour cruising experience for travellers who are short Adventure Forest exhibit will open in late 2013 and will be on time yet still want to experience Sydney Harbour, its home to a group of free-roaming Madagascan lemurs. icons, and enjoy the opportunity to swim, relax and truly www.taronga.org.au experience Sydney Harbour. www.seasydneycruises.com.au • SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. Relaunched in September 2012, it’s now home to a spectacular new AUD $5 million • The Hop-On Hop-Off Sydney Harbour Explorer cruise can ocean tunnel and Australia’s largest collection of Australian now be combined with the Sydney and Bondi Explorer bus. marine animals. Fourteen themed zones include the new Visitors can discover Sydney and Bondi, by cruise and bus Shark Walk, Tropical Bay of Rays, an interactive touchpool, on a combined 48 hour ticket. Mangrove Swamps and South Coast Shipwreck. www.captaincook.com.au www.sydneyaquarium.com.au IN THE SKY • WILD LIFE . As the battles • Sydney Seaplanes has hit the skies with three new flight for survival in the wild, Zoo has added packages: a one-hour scenic flight to the Blue Mountains; a a couple of Devils as part of a long-term commitment to harbourside picnic package including the Sydney Highlights safeguarding the species’ population. Female Oreo and scenic flight and picnic on Shark Island; and a golf package male Big John play a crucial role in Tasmanian Devil captive including flights to the Hunter Valley and 18 holes of golf on breeding programs. a world-class golf course. Sydney Seaplanes offers scenic www.wildlifesydney.com.au flights over Sydney Harbour and the northern beaches of Sydney. Fly and dine packages continues to be popular, with flights to a world-class restaurant. www.seaplanes.com.au NEW TOURS • iVenture Card Australia focuses on developing and promoting travel experience products. New experiences • Manly Bike Tours. New self-guided bike tours of Manly added in the past 12 months include , cater for all levels of riding skill, from the leisurely Bike Manly Eco Hopper cruise, IMAX Sydney, AAT Kings the Beach ride and scenic Sydney Harbour National Park Sightseeing Tour, Illawarra Fly, and the Blue Fish Explorer ride to the more adventurous Mountain Bike Manly Restaurant Darling Harbour. Dam ride. Riders experience Manly at their own pace and www.iventurecard.com can take time to swim and take pictures. www.manlybiketours.com.au NSW REGIONS ON SHOW • Canons Shuttles. The new arrivals tour sees clients meet BLUE MOUNTAINS the driver/guide at or cruise ship terminal for a tour of Sydney before checking in to their hotel. Tours • Life’s An Adventure is using a new four-wheel-drive, begin with Bondi Beach for a short walk and coffee, then 17-seat vehicle to offer a new Blue Mountains experience – continue through the eastern suburbs arriving at Sydney travelling off road where the tourist buses can’t go. There’s Opera House for a guided Essentials Tour. Next, clients can an outdoor lunch with white linen, delicious food and wine. join a short tour of The Rocks, or go to the hotel to check in. www.lifesanadventure.com.au Tour cost includes return airport transfer, or if cruising, a • Aussie Farmstay and Bush Adventures. A new two-day one-way service is available. tour with Mandarin-speaking guide takes in wildlife, Botanic www.canonsshuttles.com.au Gardens, farmstay and attractions including , • Life’s An Adventure has just released an overnight camping Waradah Aboriginal Centre, lookouts and waterfalls. experience on Clark Island in the centre of Sydney Harbour. www.aussiebushadventures.com.au It can be joined with either a kayaking or walking experience. • Boutique Tours Australia, specialising in personalised, www.lifesanadventure.com.au flexible tours to the Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains, • The Sydney and Bondi Explorer has introduced four new Southern Highlands and beyond, has launched new purpose-built buses (red, open-top, double-decker) into its bespoke tour itineraries. One option: a scenic helicopter fleet, which now numbers 15. Wheelchair accessible with flight from Sydney to join the company’s private wildlife tour commentary now available in Spanish, French, German, in the Southern Highlands. Korean, Japanese, Chinese and English – including a www.boutiquetoursaustralia.com.au dedicated kids’ channel. www.citysightseeing.com.au • Scenic World Blue Mountains. Less than two hours • Sydney Coast Walks, formerly Royal Coast Walks, offers a from Sydney, Scenic World provides the ultimate Blue new range of Sydney Harbour National Park guided walks. Mountains adventure – from native birdlife and fresh air, New half, one and two-day walking tours departing Circular to breathtaking views of this World Heritage-listed region. Quay. Plus South Head (easy two-hour walk) and Spit to The world’s steepest incline railway has been redeveloped Manly, including Manly ferry trip. at a cost of AUD $30million. Visitors can also glide between www.sydneycoastwalks.com.au cliff tops on the glass-floored Skyway, descend into the by cableway, explore Jurassic rainforest • Ultimately Sydney’s collection of premium small-group along the walkway. day tours visits the city’s diverse villages, meeting real www.scenicworld.com.au Sydneysiders. Offerings include a daily half-day Story of Sydney tour and regular gourmet tours of Sydney’s Inner • Blue Mountains Bus Company and Trolley Tours West and South Sydney. Tours are available with guides and Werriberri Trail Rides have combined to offer a speaking German, Spanish, Russian, French, Japanese, combination day tour of , one of the world’s Portuguese, Italian, Mandarin and Cantonese. finest cave systems, and a two-hour horseback ride. All www.ultimatelysydney.com.au horse riding and safety equipment supplied. www.trolleytours.com.au OTHER NEW SYDNEY EXPERIENCES • Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba is one of • Madame Tussauds Sydney. Launched in April 2012, Madame Australia’s premier regional arts and cultural facilities. The Tussauds Sydney won gold at the Australian Tourism Awards. centrepiece is the World Heritage exhibition Into the Blue The international line-up for 2013 includes superstars Andy celebrating the richness and wonders of the Blue Mountains. Lau, , Bruce Lee and One Direction. www.bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au www.madametussauds.com/sydney • Blue Mountains Adventure Group has launched the developed for travel distributors, including themed movie following three products: vignettes, a touring map, an itinerary builder and a trade www.plantheadventure.com Touring Guide and Product Manual 2013-14. Visit The Pacific Coast Legend partners from the Central Coast, - Hellarewe Adventures offers small group 4WD tours that Hunter, Port Stephens, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, provide visitors with a true wilderness experience of the Byron Bay and the Tweed. Blue Mountains National Park, the www.pacificcoast.com.au near Lithgow and the Kanangra Boyd National Park near Oberon. The tours can be tailored to visitor needs and • Greater Port Macquarie’s Hospital celebrates its explore places away from large groups. 40th anniversary; Billabong Koala and Wildlife Park opens www.hellareweadventures.com.au new exhibits for its rare snow leopards and five-metre Shrek. The largest hedge maze in NSW opens at - Enjoy a guided tour with a personal electric transporter Bago Vineyard; and Sea Acres Rainforest Centre launches a Segway thanks to Segway Blue Mountains. Riders can glide new Aboriginal culture exhibition. Greater Port Macquarie’s over lawns and through bush tracks and learn about the wide variety of waterside accommodation includes the area with glimpses of the Jamison Valley. refurbished Waters Edge Boutique Hotel; while The www.segwaytoursbluemountains.com.au Observatory takes its green credentials to the street and - Join an Aboriginal horticulturalist on an Aboriginal Heritage launches new bike and hike tours. Tour through the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au Tomah. The two hour tour shows visitors the Indigenous • Coffs Coast is using ATE13 to launch new regional uses for plants found throughout the garden and identifies experiences and to spread the word about new happenings regional plants used as medicine, tools and weapons. The at existing attractions: tour concludes with a didgeridoo performance. www.coffscoast.com.au www.mounttomahbotanicgarden.com.au - Time Out Adventures is offering segway golf on Coffs CENTRAL COAST Harbours Pacific Bay Resorts’ golfing green. Those who like • Central Coast Eco Tours offers authentic American Indian- variety might prefer a Time Out day-package with mountain style canvas tipis pitched in a natural rainforest setting at biking, golf, Segway, laser clay shooting, Ozbobble walking the Forest of Tranquillity. Five tipi tents are available with a balls on water and a giant inflatable obstacle course. total capacity of 20 or each tipi can be booked individually. - Coffs Coast Camels takes visitors on a leisurely camel ride www.centralcoastecotours.org along beautiful Boambee Beach. • Bells at Killcare will open a new wine school, Scuola di - Take a guided ‘free fall’ bike ride down a sealed mountain Vino, in March, to go with its cooking school. The wine road with Running Wild Adventures, starting at 746 metres school is based around a series of educational dinners above sea level. (one Friday per month), with a panel of experts including winemakers, chefs, producers and importers. - Learn star navigation and some Aboriginal culture on a tour www.bellsatkillcare.com.au with Adventure Tag Tours. NORTH COAST - Coffs City Skydivers is promoting the highest skydive in Australia (4572 metres with 70 seconds freefall.) • Destination Port Stephens. A loop itinerary from Sydney to Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, Port Stephens, then back - The Aussie 6 Pack sells local skydiving, scuba, snorkelling, to Sydney combines Sydney and surrounds with nature, dolphins, paddle boarding, surfing and whale-watching, all adventure in mountains, countryside, wine region and in one package. coastal destinations. Birubi Beach Resort, a four-star, 198- SOUTH COAST room property on the edge of the Stockton Sand Dunes, is due to open late 2013. Also new: group itineraries using • Dolphin Watch Jervis Bay has introduced a new, 18-metre, Newcastle Airport as an entry or exit point. 64-seat jet boat Eco Explorer. Cruises last up to 1.5 hours, www.portstephenstourism.com.au showing the famed white sands, sea cliffs and resident dolphins. Eco Explorer adds a premium cruise experience • The Pacific Coast Touring Route is launching its new to a fleet of four cruise vessels. brand, The Legendary Pacific Coast, at ATE 2013. The www.dolphinwatch.com.au brand is being promoted through new content and tools • Paperbark Camp, one of Australia’s first luxe camping WHO’S AT ATE13 destinations, has recently installed a King Deluxe safari Destination NSW. Booth 133. tent, sleeping up to six people. www.destinationnsw.com.au www.paperbarkcamp.com.au Australia Skydive Group. Booth 217. HUNTER VALLEY www.skydivesydneycity.com.au • Hunter Valley Resort has launched a variety of new Aussie Farmstay and Bush Adventures Pty Ltd. Booth 70A. products and packages: www.aussiebushadventures.com.au www.hunterresort.com.au Boutique Tours Australia. Booth 97. - Guests work with the Executive Chef in the new 90-minute www.boutiquetoursaustralia.com.au candy making workshop, learning how to make peanut brittle, marshmallows and the famous Australian Rocky BridgeClimb Sydney. Booth 134. Road chocolate www.bridgeclimb.com - Day groups will love the new Food and Wine Marriage lunch. Blue Mountains Lithgow and Oberon Tourism. Booth 75. There is the choice of a western or eastern four course www.visitbluemountains.com.au menu matched to Hunter Valley Resort wines. Blue Mountains Bus Company and Trolley Tours. Booth 118. - The Jetlag package is suitable for Western markets and www.bmbc.com.au includes pickup from Sydney airport, one and two-night Captain Cook Cruises. Booth 167. dinner, bed and breakfast or room only rates. The Best of www.captaincook.com.au Coast, Country and Wildlife package is suitable for Eastern markets and includes one or two-night stays at the Hunter Canons Shuttles. Booth 107A. Valley Resort, a dolphin-spotting cruise with Moonshadow www.canonsshuttles.com.au Cruises at Port Stephens and the Australian Park Destination Port Stephens. Booth 87. and Wildlife Sanctuary on the Central Coast. www.portstephens.org.au Central Coast Tourism. Booth 86. www.visitcentralcoast.com.au Coffs Harbour City Council. Booth 89. www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au Dolphin Watch Jervis Bay. Booth 99. www.dolphinwatch.com.au Greater Port Macquarie Tourism. Booth 88. www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au Hunter Valley Resort. Booth 96B. www.hunterresort.com.au Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism. Booth 95. www.winecountry.com.au iVenture Card Australia. Booth 338. www.iventurecard.com Lets Go Surfing (LGS). Booth 113. www.letsgosurfing.com.au Life’s an Adventure. Booth 119A. www.lifesanadventure.com.au Bells at Killcare Boutique Hotel, Restaurant & Spa. Booth 85. www.bellsatkillcare.com.au Manly Bike Tours. Booth 136B. www.manlybiketours.com.au Group. Booth 327. www.madametussauds.com www.wildlifesydney.com.au www.sydneyaquarium.com.au www.sydneytowereye.com.au Oz Jet Boating. Booth 174A. www.ozjetboating.com Paperbark Camp. Booth 101A. www.paperbarkcamp.com.au Sailing Sydney. Booth 121. www.sailingsydney.net Scenic World Blue Mountains. Booth 116A. www.scenicworld.com.au Sea Sydney Cruises. Booth 96A. www.seasydneycruises.com.au Sydney Harbour Tall Ships. Booth 70B. www.sydneytallships.com.au Sydney Seaplanes. Booth 110. www.seaplanes.com.au Sydney Coast Walks. Booth 107B. www.sydneycoastwalks.com.au Sydney Explorer. Booth 136A. www.citysightseeing.com.au Taronga Zoo. Booth 108. www.taronga.org.au Ultimately Sydney. Booth 138A. www.ultimatelysydney.com.au

For more information go to visitnsw.com or sydney.com To access the image library and download images go to images.destinationnsw.com.au MEDIA CONTACTS: Tanya Bowes General Manager, Communications Destination NSW T: 61 2 9931 1436 M: 61 (0) 477 361 749 [email protected] Elissa Tyrrell A/Executive Manager, Media & Public Relations Destination NSW T: 61 2 9931 1426 M: 61 (0) 421 130 440 [email protected]