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August 12, 2008

QStation Review

New on the Sydney accommodation and attraction scene is QStation, located on North Head in Manly. After a 10 year permitting and restoration process, the station operates under a special lease from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is classified as a cultural based tourism facility. The same company that restored Lilianfels Guest House in the Blue Mountains did the restoration.

QStation operated as a quarantine station from 1803’s to 1984. Passengers arriving in Sydney Harbour on any ship with disease onboard were quarantined here until cleared for immigration. Even passengers arriving by airplane without adequate vaccination documents were housed here. In addition, sick residents of Sydney were quarantined here during a smallpox epidemic of 1881, a plague epidemic of 1901 and the flu pandemic of 1989-19. The site is reportedly the most haunted place in Australia.

Haunted or not, QStation offers clients a wonderful retreat 30 minutes from the CBD. They can take the Manly ferry, walk off and onto a #135 bus and quickly arrive at the entrance to QStation. (Or take a taxi.) The buildings from the original station are now converted to beautiful accommodations, a restaurant, museum/visitor center, two theaters and a soon to be opened day spa in the hospital. You can arrange to kayak or sail in the waters surrounding the station or hike or jog the many trails. No matter where you are on the property, the views either back toward Sydney or to the parkland are breathtaking. There is one drawback. The property is quite hilly and would not be suitable for clients who have difficulty walking.

Clients also have the opportunity to take a schedule tour of the property or see Defiance, an immersion theatre held in the very places where the real stories about real people who stayed at QStation are told.  For those who believe in the paranormal or just want to learn more about it, there are tours for that, too.

QStation comes with several bonuses. It has its own colony of little penguins and is home to the endangered Long Nosed Bandicoots. For clients interested in flora, the grounds feature a wide range of native vegetation. And, there is a collection of carvings on the rocks throughout the property by people who were quarantined here.

Mary Hickman
Aussie Specialist Premier
Bellingham Travel and Cruise

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