A walking tour with Isabel Simpson

Tuesday 2nd April, 2019

10.00 am – 12.00pm

Meeting place:  Fitzroy Town Hall steps 

Cost:  Members only $25pp

Think Cherry Ripe, Freddo Frog, Old Gold Chocolate, Columbines and more!  Fitzroy has the privilege of being the suburb where confectionary giant Macpherson Robertson (1859-1945) established his network of factories and offices.

He left an enormous legacy, not to mention the fascinating story of the man, both publicly and privately.  This easy walk gives you the opportunity to view (externally) a great many of his early factories, today beautifully restored as apartments.  This is a fascinating story to be told, not to mention enlightening, entertaining and seriously good fun!.  Think stables, Bulk Stores, Garages, Corporate Offices and laneways.  

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PTGAA Admin

Thursday 14th March, 2019

9.30 am START

Meeting place: Main Foyer of Wheeler Centre 176 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Host:  David Ryding – Director, City of Literature Office

In 2008, Melbourne joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network when at the time it was designated the first and only City of Literature in Australia, and the second in the world!  David Ryding, Director – City of Literature, will be hosting members of the PTGAA at the Wheeler Centre offering insights to Melbourne’s’ literary history and current standing on the world stage, followed by a tour of the State Library, the oldest public library in Australia!

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PTGAA Admin

 Tuesday 29th January, 2019

 11am – Hosted Tour

 12pm – Free time in Museum

 1pm – Lunch with members (to be arranged on day)

The Melbourne Chinese Museum will be hosting PTGAA Members for a truly special Famil PD session not to be missed!

Be amongst the 40 guests to be hosted by Silvia Ercole, Museum Education Manager on a personalised tour of the Museum, with a focus on Melbourne’s Chinese New Year traditions.

Meeting place:

The meeting place is Chinese Melbourne Museum, 22 Cohen Place, Melbourne.

Cost:   FREE for 2019 members– but be quick to register as only 40 places available.

RSVP by 15th January:   HERE NOW!

Please don’t wait to register and book your spot as there are only 40 places available!  

With thanks to Annamaria Di Iuorio for arranging this PD!

 

PTGAA Admin

A certificate IV course in Tour Guiding will be conducted at Holmesglen Institute

Commencing Feb 12, 2019 – 12 week Tour Guiding Skills Set course.

 

Jim McInerney

Thursday 6th December, 6.30pm  

Dinner and Drinks at Saint & Rogue

 

Classically trained, Head Chef Brendan Cowie and his team call upon over four decades of shared fine dining experience – including Michelin Star holders across Europe, to present an internationally influenced, modern twist on Australian cuisine that celebrates locally sourced produce and quality ingredients.

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PTGAA Admin

Tuesday 23rd October, 2018

9.30am to 3.00pm

PTGAA Admin

BOOKED OUT!

‘Walkin Country,

Walkin Birrarung’

Thursday 11th Oct, 2018
10.15 am to 12.30pm

See event invitation for details!

Read more…

PTGAA Admin

Thursday 20 Sep, 2018
5.30 pm for 6.00 pm start

Royal Historical Society of Victoria
239 A’Beckett Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3000

Are you interested in joining the PTGAA committee to be able to contribute more actively to our Association? Read more…

PTGAA Admin

BOOKED OUT!

ACMI Tour & Wonderland Exhibition

PLUS

Federation Square Tour

Tuesday 29th May 11.00am – 2.30pm

Lunch in between at own cost

ACMI @ Fed Square

Cost:    FREE to members

RSVP:   NOW using the RSVP link below

 

RSVP here

Jim McInerney

All PTGAA members & their guests are welcome to attend the AGM on Wednesday 20th September at 5:45 for 6pm.

Victorian Society of Artists, 430 Albert St, East Melbourne.

The AGM is always an important date in our annual calendar. It is when the committee reports to you, the members on what has been achieved by your association in the last 12 months.

AGM GUEST SPEAKER

Our guest speaker this year is Sheree Marris who will screen her documentary, Melbourne Down Under.

This stunning natural history documentary will take viewers on an incredible journey of discovery, revealing the city’s best kept secret, Port Phillip Bay, a vibrant and dynamic marine environment.

RSVP for AGM

Jim McInerney

 

Holmesglen Institute will again be conducting this popular course at their City Campus.

The course will start on 11July and run until 7September. It will be held on Tuesday & Thursday evenings (5.30 to 9.30) and two Saturdays.

This skills set will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to facilitate local and regional tours while awarding you nationally accredited units of competency.

Whilst updating your knowledge of Melbourne and Victoria, you will learn how to effectively manage and entertain a tour group and provide them with first rate commentary.

The program will be delivered at our city campus on St Kilda Road, (opposite the Shrine of Remembrance). There will be a number of off-campus activities including two full day excursion to ensure you get the hands on experience required to be industry ready. The skill set is taught by leading well-connected tour guiding professionals who are currently working in the industry.

For course detail: Contact 9564 1699

http://www.holmesglen.edu.au/courses/hospitality_tourism_and_events/travel_and_tourism/certificate_iii_in_guiding2

Jim McInerney

Holmesglen Institute will again be conducting this popular course at their City Campus.

The course will start on 18 July and run until 14 September. It will be held on Tuesday & Thursday evenings (5.30 to 9.30) and two Saturdays.

This skills set will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to facilitate local and regional tours while awarding you nationally accredited units of competency.

Whilst updating your knowledge of Melbourne and Victoria, you will learn how to effectively manage and entertain a tour group and provide them with first rate commentary.

The program will be delivered at our city campus on St Kilda Road, (opposite the Shrine of Remembrance). There will be a number of off-campus activities including two full day excursion to ensure you get the hands on experience required to be industry ready. The skill set is taught by leading well-connected tour guiding professionals who are currently working in the industry.

For course detail: Contact 9564 1699

http://www.holmesglen.edu.au/courses/hospitality_tourism_and_events/travel_and_tourism/certificate_iii_in_guiding2

Jim McInerney

From today, visitors can use the VicFreeWiFi service within all Melbourne CBD train stations, the Bourke St Mall, Queen Victoria Market, and South Wharf Promenade at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

More access points will be switched on over the coming months, with the full network to be up and running by the end of the year.

A free Wi-Fi pilot has been running successfully in Bendigo and Ballarat since December 2015 and has recorded one million sessions in the two regional cities during the nine months it’s been operational.

Access will be available for up to 250 MB per device, per day – and does not require personal logins or feature pop-up advertising.

The quality of the network is unparalleled in Australia  and on par with world-class free public Wi-Fi networks in New York, London and San Francisco.

An interactive map of the active access points available for public use is at vic.gov.au/wifi.

Jim McInerney

The recent weather and high rainfall has resulted in the closure of some visitor areas, tracks and campgrounds in parks across the State’s North and West for visitor safety.

Only a small number of parks are completely closed. Most parks across the state remain open, however some tracks, campgrounds, lookouts and access roads may be closed.

Please check for parks affected by flooding here; http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/about-us/news/parks-affected-by-flooding. Information is listed on individual park pages. Use the “Find” navigation button in the top menu bar to search for your nearest park.

The Great Ocean Road remains closed between Cumberland River and Wye River until further notice due to severe structural damage to the roadway, which may fall away under vehicle load.

The section of the Great Ocean Road between Wye River and Skenes Creek is now open to traffic with vehicle restrictions (please find the attached maps).

The road remains closed between Wye River and Separation Creek, due to major landslide issues at Paddy’s Path.  For the latest information on road closures, visit traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au.

 

 

 

 

Jim McInerney

The Annual General Meeting of the Professional Tour Guide Association of Australia will be held on Wednesday 21st September, 6.00pm to 8.00pm at Royal Society, 8 Latrobe Street, Melbourne.

Jim McInerney

All PTGAA members are invited to the Melbourne Tourism Exchange .Learn about new attractions, tour operators, hotels, retailers and much more. This is a free event.

The PTGAA will again have a stand at this event.

This is a unique opportunity for you to engage with the industry partners, ask questions and learn more about their product.   

Don’t miss out on this yearly opportunity. Enjoy the new venue, entertainment, refreshments and the complimentary river cruise transfer from Federation Square.

 Date:     Tuesday 6 September

Time:     Various sessions from 10.30am to 4pm

Meet:     Munich Brauhaus, 45 South Wharf Promenade, South Wharf

RSVP:    via Destination Melbourne Friday 1 September.

Also,  can you please advise Bronwyn Wilson that you have registered for this event , artscape@ssc.net.au

 

Jim McInerney

A great opportunity to visit many iconic Melbourne buildings .More detail

http://www.openhousemelbourne.org

A feature is the Melbourne Town Hall and the Melbourne Town Hall Organ.

There will be recitals throughout the day on Sunday only.

Repertoire is incredibly diverse including Johann Sebastian Bach, Wagner, Gershwin, a variety of Australian music written for organ and a selection of television themes (Fawlty Towers, IMT, Neighbours) in celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Australian television.

 

 

 

Jim McInerney

The new appointment as Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment is the Hon Steven Ciobo.

Mr Ciobo made the following comments in regard to his Tourism portfolio.

“I will be an unwavering advocate for the tourism industry around the Cabinet table. The Government will further improve Australia’s competitive advantage in tourism, building on our achievements of the past three years.

We will seek to capture a greater share of the Chinese market, including by designating 2017 as the Australia-China Year of Tourism.”

The opposition spokesman for Tourism is Mr Anthony Albanese.

The PTGAA through GOA will promote the role of Professional Guides as an important contributor to the Tourism industry.

Jim McInerney

This skill set program will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to facilitate local and regional tours while giving you nationally accredited units of competency.

Whilst updating your knowledge of Melbourne and Victoria, you will learn how to effectively manage and entertain a tour group and provide them with first-rate commentary.

The program will be delivered at the Holmesglen city campus on St Kilda Road, (opposite the Shrine of Remembrance). There will be a number of off-campus activities including a full day excursion to ensure you get the hands on experience required to be industry ready. The skill set is taught by leading well-connected tour guiding professionals who are currently working in the industry.

The first half of the Certificate III of Tour Guiding will be delivered from July 19 to Sept 22 (10 weeks).  The class is held on TUE & THU evenings from 5.30 – 9.30 pm.  The second half of the Certificate will be delivered from October 4 to Nov 17 (7 weeks).  Part of this course will be taught at night and also you will go on an extended tour for 3 days.  However, at the moment you will only be able to sign up for the first half of the course.  For further information & to register your interest in enrolling in the course go to the Holmesglen website (www.holmesglen.edu.au) and search for Guiding or click on this link:  www.holmesglen.edu.au/courses/hospitality_tourism_and_events/travel_and_tourism/certificate_iii_in_guiding

For further questions pls email joy.vandoske@gmail.com or Nicolas.Bottiglieri@holmesglen.edu.au.

Jim McInerney

PTGAA Learning Discovery Day

Friday 29^th April

9.30 to 3.00pm

 Royal Historical Society Auditorium

239 A’Beckett St Melbourne

Planned Agenda:

Updates on Tourism Industry Plans

Presentations and discussion on issues affecting guides

• Status and Taxation implications for guides.
• Safety on buses and legal responsibilities for guides, drivers and operators.

Time for networking ,questions, ideas and discussion.

Membership information available.

Intending members and people who are interested in a guiding career are encouraged to attend.

Lunch and morning tea provided.

Cost $20 for members, $30 for non members.

Payment to BSB 033 086 Account number 152048

PTGAA-Learning-Discovery-Day-29-April-agenda

RSVP: pdofficer@ptgaa.com.au

 

Jim McInerney

From Tuesday, 22 March 2016, members of The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) who are employees of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, including The Australian Border Force have been asked to participate in protected industrial action at Australian International Airports and cruise ship terminals disrupting the Easter travel plans of thousands of travellers across Australia.

While the likely level of participation is unknown, travellers are warned to expect massive delays with customs and immigration and are advised to arrive at international airports and cruise ship terminals early.

The Department is working closely with stakeholders to minimise the impact on the travelling public, cargo and mail operations and is ensuring appropriate contingencies are in place for visa and citizenship services.

Please click here http://www.border.gov.au/News/Pages/travellers-clients.aspx for more detailed information about the strike.

Jim McInerney

PTGAA is currently experiencing a problem with the Contact functionality in the Find a Guide Section

Although it appears the message has been sent to the recipient in some cases it is not being sent/received.

We are currently working to solve the problem.

In the meantime if you wish to contact a guide or have recently sent a message and had no response , please let us know through the Contact Section of the PTGAA homepage.

We will advise again as soon as problem is fixed.

 

Jim McInerney

TOUR GUIDING COURSE
9 Feb – 14 April 2016
Holmesglen Institute, City Campus

Melbourne has been rated the world’s most liveable city for five years in a row and with its famous laneways and coffee culture it continues to be an aspirational destination for tourists from around the world. Tourism remains one of the most important industries in our state’s economy and continues to grow.

Read more…

Jim McInerney