Have You Heard Yet?! – July 2023

Have You Heard Y.E.T? – Jul 2023

It’s time for winter fun with the July edition of Have You Heard Y.E.T?!

Welcome to the July edition of our e-newsletter ‘Have you Heard Y.E.T?!’

This month’s article features an update on what’s happening at Y.E.T, some tour highlights including Sovereign Hill’s Winter Wonderland & Phillip Island, the Great Ocean road is our feature destination of the month and this month’s team member spotlight is on Kylie Rees.

What’s happening at Your Exclusive Tours?

June was a very interesting month here at Your Exclusive Tours with the Explore Victoria Trade Engagement and familiarisation tour, showcasing our beautiful city and state to our guests, the start of winter, and financial year changeover.   

This year’s Explore Victoria Trade Engagement event was held in the famous Long Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The venue choice was a highlight for many of the 100 buyer and seller delegates participating this in event and it was a great opportunity to re-engage with our industry partners.

Following on from the day of meetings, Your Exclusive Tours was fortunate enough to host a Geelong & Bellarine Peninsula Familiarisation Tour. There were many highlights from this tour including:

It was an action packed two days on the Geelong & Bellarine Peninsula. The real highlight was seeing the local operators work and collaborate in developing their products to create amazing visitor experiences.

As a family run business, we love nothing more than creating and capturing memorable experiences for our guests, in particular young families. You could not wipe the smiles off these two families faces with their tours to Phillip Island and Winter Wonderlights at Sovereign Hill. 

The 2022 / 2023 Financial Year has been our first uninterrupted trading year since commencing YET. The opportunity to trade for a full and uninterrupted 12 months has been a great experience, given the challenges of previous years. 

We are rapt with our financial results, the real success has come from our guests having an amazing time and leaving fantastic reviews, and the relationships we are building with our trade partners and stakeholders. We are excited for what is to come!

Destination of the Month – The Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is one of Victoria’s most iconic journeys, with a day trip from Melbourne often culminating with a visit to our world famous 12 Apostles.

Truly a journey of discovery, the Great Ocean Road blends coastal hillsides, rainforest and of course, the ocean views to create a new experience around every corner. And while the 12 Apostles is often the feature point of any visitor’s Great Ocean Road day, there are many more experiences waiting for you including:

  • Highlights in the Port Campbell National Park (Loch Ard Gorge, Gibson’s Step, The Grotto, London Bridge)
  • Seaside towns of Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Port Campbell
  • Wildlife Spotting
  • The Otway Rainforest
  • Split Point Lighthouse or Cape Otway Light Station
  • Local fresh food and dining experiences
  • Boutique Accommodation
  • Scenic Helicopter Flights

We love nothing more than creating an itinerary for our guests to explore and experience the best of The Great Ocean Road with us. We offer three different private experiences including:

  1. Great Ocean Road Full Day Private Experience (Approx 12 Hours)
  2. Great Ocean Road Sunset Private Experience (Approx 12 Hours)
  3. Private Express Experience – 12 Apostles (Approx 8-10 Hours)

Have a read here about one of our new team members joining a Great Ocean Road private tour and seeing the subtle and special extras that make our private tours truly memorable, aligning with our motto – Your Tour, Your Experience.

Should you wish to plan your own Great Ocean Road adventure, please reach out to discuss your requirements with us, or find out more here. 

Team Member Spotlight – Kylie Rees

Each month we highlight a member of the YET team and let you get to know them a little better. This month our spotlight is on Kylie Rees.

  1. What is your role at Your Exclusive Tours?
    I joined Your Exclusive Tours in June 2019 in the role of Manager & Tour Guide.
     
  2. If you weren’t part of the Your Exclusive Tours team, what other job would you like to attempt?
    If I wasn’t part of YET team, I would be following my passion to be a nurse. In 2013, I started this journey by studying a Certificate III in Health Service Assistance and obtained a job at one of Melbourne’s major hospitals. I currently work as a Patient Services Assistant in leading a small team in the Intensive Care Unit.

     

  3. Tell us something aobut yourself that we don’t know

    On a whim in 2002, I brought a horse called Shaker, who is a retired racehorse. Shaker is lives at a trail riding school and grazes in the paddock all day. About month into Shaker and I becoming best mates, we had an accident where I fell off and was flown to the Alfred Hospital waking up 4 days later. Shaker is now 25 years old and we just enjoy each other’s company. I still love to ride when I can.

  4. What’s your favourite quote?
    “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.”
    Sandra Blakely.

Stay tuned for more news in our next edition of ‘Have you heard Y.E.T?!’ and in the meantime, if you haven’t yet subscribed, you can do so here: