Postcards from Bangalow: The countdown is on

It's now just over a month until the first-ever Postcards from Bangalow Writing and Gourmet Experience kicks off. Tickets for this unique writing event to be held in the beautiful hinterland village of Bangalow on the Far North Coast of New South Wales from 10-13 June are selling fast. Don't miss out - the clock is ticking!

The three day writing retreat will take participants on a travel writing journey through the sights, sounds, scents and flavours of Bangalow. Joining me for the journey are a prominent line-up of local writers, authors, foodies and identities including co-owner of Foodscape Tours, Karen Hirst, author of Boys' Home to Broadway, Kevin Palmer, publisher of Sample magazine, Remy Tancred, and TV presenter and author, Scott McGregor, who'll help me unearth the best of the region through a series of workshops, dinners and tours.

With food as well as writing a main focus of the weekend, tastebuds will be tantalised with many of the region's best restaurants and producers highlighted on the menu for the event. Participants will enjoy gourmet meals at three atmospheric local restaurants including Bangalow Dining Rooms, Fishheads @ Bangalow and the Harvest Cafe and will meet local producers on a half-day Foodscape hinterland tour and a guided visit of the Bangalow Farmers' Market.

If a weekend of writing, reflecting and enjoying the tastes and flavours of Bangalow isn't enticement enough, Sample magazine - the epicurean bible of the Northern Rivers - has offered to publish the best travel article written over the weekend in the travel section of the spring edition of the magazine. All participants too will go into the draw for a three-day pass to the Bangalow Music Festival. So grab your pen and paper, bring your appetite and get ready for a fun weekend of good writing, good food and good company.

The three day event costs $450 per person and includes the three restaurant meals, tours and workshops. Accommodation can be arranged in a variety of local venues in and around the village. Places are strictly limited. Contact me on 0400 887 991 or kim[at]wildwriting[dot]com[dot]au to make a booking.

Postcards from Bangalow Guest Speakers

The program for the Postcards from Bangalow Writing & Gourmet Experience, to be held in the beautiful hinterland village of Bangalow on the Far North Coast of New South Wales on the weekend of 10-13 June, is coming together nicely. A line-up of prominent local writers, editors, authors, foodies, providores and identities will participate in tours and special dinners throughout the weekend. So grab your pen and paper, bring your appetite and get ready for a weekend of fun, food and writing!

Places are strictly limited so be sure to book early. A discount of 5% is available for bookings made by 30 April, 2011. Contact Kim Wildman on 0400 887 991 or kim@wildwriting.com.au to make a booking now.

Guest speakers for the three restaurant meals include:

Scott McGregor, TV Presenter & Author
Scott has worked in the media for 30 years and is a well-known face from his work as an actor, presenter, writer and producer. He has appeared in numerous stage, film and TV roles and presented such programs as Room For Improvement, Better Homes and Gardens, and Australian Icon Towns. Recent projects include two books for Allen & Unwin, Fix-It and Big Boys Toys, and a new TV series on the history of the Post Office, Stamp of Australia, for the History Channel. Scott also hosts overseas railway tours for the Powerhouse Museum and Renaissance tours. Discussions: TBA

Kevin Palmer, Author & Theatrical
Kevin Palmer's autobiography Boys' Home to Broadway celebrates how Kevin rose - through a combination of talent, destiny and chutzpah - to forge an international theatrical career. At the Royal Shakespeare Company he worked with Dame Judi Dench, Dame Diana Rigg, and elsewhere with Joan Littlewood, Sir Ian McKellen, Judy Cornwell, Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds. His career took him to many off-beat destinations such as Reykjavik, Iceland and Sweden, before finally returning to home Australia. Kevin has made a significant contribution to the evolution of theatre in Australia. Discussion: Tasty Tales from a Travelling Theatrical

Remy Tancred, Editor, Sample Magazine
Remy has worked in media for 15 years on well-known national and international magazines and newspapers. Since 2007 she has published her own monthly magazine The Lennox Wave in her hometown of Lennox Head. Remy recently launched Sample, a seasonal magazine showcasing the incredible range of food and produce that abounds in Northern NSW. As editor of the magazine, Remy's focus is on exploring the increasing emphasis on health and environment; in what we eat, how we grow it and how we sustain production. Remy is also the author of Ate Phat Ducks. Discussion: What an Editor Wants, What an Editor Needs

Postcards from Bangalow special offers

Great news: Local businesses in Bangalow and the surrounding areas are getting behind the Postcards from Bangalow Writing & Gourmet Experience and showing their support by offering participants special deals on accommodation and transport. See below for details:

The wonderful staff at Bangalow Limousines, the premier business class transport service across the Byron Bay and Ballina Shires, are offering participants a 10% discount on airport transfers to/from the Gold Coast, Ballina and Lismore airports. So you can sit back and relax in luxurious comfort while you are chauffeured in style to your accommodation in Bangalow.

Participants staying at SummerHills Retreat will receive a 10% discount on accommodation. Located just minutes from Bangalow and cocooned in the lush Byron Bay hinterland, this private sanctuary offers accommodation in luxury cabins and spa villas. Each suite has great views, air-con, spa bath, kitchenette, bathrobes and gas BBQ.

Meanwhile, The Byron at Byron Resort & Spa has offered participants a special rate of $300.00 per night for two adults in their superior one-bedroom suites (standard rate $345.00). Located in close proximity to the resort's central area, these luxurious suites are ideal for those who wish to take advantage of the resort's many facilities including the pool, sauna, restaurant and the luxurious Spa and Wellness Centre.

For more information about the Postcards from Bangalow Writing & Gourmet Experience click here.

An early bird discount of 5% is available for bookings made by 30 April, 2011. Places are strictly limited, so contact Kim Wildman on 0400 887 991 or kim@wildwriting.com.au to make a booking now.

Postcards from Bangalow Writing & Gourmet Experience

Learn writing skills while eating well and enjoying new companions.

If you love writing, travelling and food, then you won't want to miss the Postcards from Bangalow Writing and Gourmet Experience. Held over the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June, this unique writing event will awaken your creativity and indulge your senses.

Hidden in the hills some 10 minutes drive from Byron Bay, Bangalow is a travel writer's and foodie's delight. Join seasoned travel writer Kim Wildman and learn what it takes to be a travel writer, while experiencing the smells, tastes, sounds and characters of this unique community.

Included in the weekend: three gourmet meals in atmospheric local restaurants, a half day Foodscape hinterland tour taking in three of the region's best producers and a guided historical walking tour of Bangalow as well as fun writing workshops and plenty of free time to allow your creative juices to flow. Each of the three included restaurant meals will be attended by a local writer, editor or identity who'll lead themed discussions on topics from how to capture the essence of a destination to how to pitch an article to an editor with questions and answers, readings and more.

If a weekend of writing, reflecting and enjoying the tastes and flavours of Bangalow isn't enticement enough, Sample Magazine, the epicurean bible of the Northern Rivers, has offered to publish the best travel article written over the weekend in the travel section of the spring edition of the magazine. So not only will you experience what it takes to be a travel writer, you might even get published!

This fun and informative weekend experience is suitable for beginning writers upwards with an interest in travel writing, food and good company.

Accommodation can be arranged in a variety of local venues in and around the village.

An early bird discount of 5% is available for bookings made by 30 April, 2011. Places are strictly limited, so contact Kim Wildman on 0400 887 991 or kim@wildwriting.com.au to make a booking now!

Date: 10-13 June
Times: 4pm Friday to 12pm Monday
Cost: $450 per person

Facilitator: Kim Wildman is a published travel writer and guidebook author with more than 10 years experience freelancing for a variety of media outlets around the world. She has authored more than 15 guidebooks, including Lonely Planet and Bradt travel guides, and written scores of travel features for the likes of The Melbourne Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Travel Africa, Voyageur and Ninemsn. When she's not continent-hopping, Kim runs travel writing workshops and mentors writers from her base in Bangalow. Recently voted one of Tripbase's 100 Favourite Travel Writers in the world, she also presents guest lectures on travel writing at universities and schools and speaks about her passion for the written road at international literary festivals and travel fairs. See her website for more details: www.wildwriting.com.au.


Testimonials from Kim's past travel writing workshops
"Excellent! The course was very useful and exceeded my expectations." Amy Dalguish, Travel Editor, Total Travel

"Kim Wildman lead a clear and inclusive travel writing workshop which not only focused on the skills of writing and storytelling but the business of travel writing and having your work published. A fun and valuable course by an experienced travel writer." Holly Galbraith, Go Future Media

Picture: Bangalow's main street, Copyright Michael King-Prime